Academy graduates start in Brazil victory | OneFootball

The Brazil U-20 National Team beat Bolivia 2-0 this Sunday (9) at Granja Comary in Teresópolis, Rio de Janeiro, in a friendly as part of preparations for the South American Championship in the category, which will be played in January 2027. The match featured a strong Palmeiras presence and was highlighted by a goal from forward Heittor, one of the club’s top youth prospects.

Verdão had four representatives in the starting lineup for the Canarinho: goalkeeper Kauan Lima, midfielders João Paulo and Erick Belé, and forward Heittor. In addition to them, defensive midfielder Luis Pacheco had also been called up, but was later released at the club’s request to remain available for the U-20 team.

The quartet remains at Granja Comary and will face Bolivia again next Wednesday (12) in another friendly as part of preparations for the South American Championship.

João Paulo makes his national team debut

Among the Palmeiras players, João Paulo experienced a special moment by making his debut for the Brazil U-20 National Team. The midfielder, who can also play as a center back, has been one of the most important players for the team coached by Allan Barcellos and received his first opportunity in the category.

Meanwhile, Kauan Lima, Erick Belé, and Heittor were called up again, confirming the strong form shown by the young players from the Football Academy.

Palmeiras enjoying a great spell at youth level

The mass call-up comes amid an excellent season for Verdão’s youth ranks. Palmeiras is in the final of the Brazilian U-20 Championship for the fifth consecutive year and will face Vasco in the decision, which will be played over two legs. The first match will be hosted by the Rio-based team and will take place in the final week of August.

Verdão totals 22 call-ups in 2026

With the call-ups for this U-20 national team training period, Palmeiras reached the mark of 22 players called up to Brazil’s youth national teams in 2026, maintaining its tradition of developing talent for the Canarinho.

The players called up this year are:

U-15

U-17

U-20

The performance reinforces the leading role of the club’s youth academy. Palmeiras has topped the national ranking of players called up to Brazil’s youth national teams over the last nine years and, in 2025 alone, had 23 players called up to represent Brazil across the U-15, U-17, and U-20 categories.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.