Corinthians at Copinha 2026: fixtures, history, squad and key highlights | OneFootball

The biggest winner of the Copa São Paulo de Futebol Júnior, Corinthians begins the 2026 edition of the Copinha with the expectation of possibly winning another title. The Timão debuts in the country's biggest youth tournament against Trindade-GO, this Saturday, at 2:45 PM (Brasília time), at Estádio Zezinho Magalhães, in Jaú (SP).

Corinthians Group

The group stage draw of the Copinha was held in November this year. Corinthians is in Group 8, based in Jaú, in the interior of São Paulo (SP). The Timãozinho will face the following rivals: Trindade-GO, XV de Jaú, and Luverdense-MT.

The 56th edition of the Copinha will be held from January 2 to 25, in São Paulo (SP), and will use the same ball that will be used in the Paulistão 2026. The grand final is scheduled for the anniversary of the city of São Paulo, at Mercado Livre Arena Pacaembu.

As in recent years, 128 teams were divided into 32 groups, with four teams in each – there will be over 4,000 athletes in the youth tournament. The clubs face each other in a single round, and the two best-placed in each group secure a spot in the knockout stage.

In the knockout stage, the teams will also face each other in a single match. In case of a draw in regular time, the decision will be made by penalties.

  View this post on Instagram   A post shared by Corinthians (@corinthians)

Corinthians Roster

The Corinthians roster includes athletes who are still part of the under-20 team and others who have already trained with the professional team. In total, 30 players from the Alvinegro paulista were included in the list sent to the Federação Paulista de Futebol (FPF).

The Timão's list includes some players who have already played or at least trained with the professionals. These are the cases of: Thomas Lisboa, Gui Amorim, Luiz Gustavo Bahia, and João Vitor Jacaré. The last two have already played for the main team.

On the other hand, Corinthians had to cut forward Gui Bom, who is part of the under-17 team. The player suffered an injury during training last Tuesday and was removed from the list. To replace him, coach William Batista called up attacking midfielder Lucca Caramico, 16 years old.

The list also showed some important absences. Right-back Caipira, injured, and midfielder Yago, recently recovered, were not registered.

See the complete roster:

Players to Watch

Corinthians has some standouts for the Copinha. The main names, of course, are the athletes who already have professional experience, such as right-back João Vitor Jacaré and midfielders Luiz Gustavo Bahia and Thomas Lisboa. Bahia, in fact, was the captain of Timãozinho in the last edition of the tournament, when the Alvinegro team finished as runners-up.

Moreover, the Corinthians fans still have high hopes for Gui Amorim. At 17 years old, the midfielder is one of the main promises of the Alvinegro youth system and will play his first Copinha. Playing for the under-17, the youngster scored 20 goals in 43 matches.

Other young players who also have experience in the Copinha and could surprise are goalkeeper Matheus Corrêa, defender Pellegrin, center-back Fernando Vera, midfielder Luiz Eduardo, and forwards Luiz Fernando and Nicolas Araújo.

How is Corinthians Arriving?

The Copa São Paulo de Futebol Júnior always brings high expectations for Corinthians fans — after all, Timão is the biggest champion of the competition, with 11 titles. It is also a potential gauge for the continuation of the under-20 season and, mainly, for Dorival Júnior's coaching staff, who can observe young players and promote them to the professional team.

In the last edition of the Copinha, Corinthians was not among the favorites, but reached the final and came close to winning the 12th title. The Alvinegro paulista, however, finished as runners-up after losing 3-2 to São Paulo at the Mercado Livre Arena Pacaembu.

History in the Copinha

Corinthians has participated in 55 editions of the Copinha, winning 11 titles. Timão has a wide advantage over its rivals — six more titles than São Paulo, eight more than Santos, and nine more than Palmeiras.

Corinthians Schedule

  View this post on Instagram   A post shared by Corinthians (@corinthians)

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