Corinthians pick Canindé for Cruzeiro decider in Women's Brasileirão | OneFootball

Corinthians have decided where they will chase a spot in the semifinals of the Brazilian Women’s Championship. The Brabas will host Cruzeiro at Canindé Stadium next Monday (7), at 5 p.m. (Brasília time), for the second leg of the national competition’s quarterfinals.

The venue confirmation appears in the match schedule released by the CBF, which lists Canindé as the host of game 159 of the tournament. The decision ends the uncertainty surrounding Corinthians’ home venue for the decisive clash, since Fazendinha, the ground used by the women’s team for much of the season, does not meet the minimum capacity required at this stage.

Photo: Jhony Inácio/Ag. Paulistão

Corinthians head into the second match with the advantage. Last Monday (31), the team coached by Emily Lima beat Cruzeiro 1-0 at Arena Independência in Belo Horizonte. Vic Albuquerque scored the only goal of the game and put the Brabas ahead in the race for qualification.

Fazendinha cannot host the quarterfinal match

The change of venue is related to the Brazilian Women’s Championship regulations. Starting from the quarterfinals, the CBF requires matches to be played in stadiums with a minimum capacity of 10,000 spectators.

According to the report linked to the São Paulo Football Federation, Fazendinha has a total capacity of 9,873 people without counting the West stand. The document, however, sets 9,500 seats as the official capacity and indicates 9,000 as the appropriate crowd within the safety margin.

As a result, Alfredo Schürig Stadium falls short of the requirement established for the knockout stage and cannot host the decisive match.

Canindé paperwork delayed the decision

Although it appeared as one of Corinthians’ alternatives, Canindé also depended on a documentation issue before being confirmed.

The stadium’s technical report had expired, which led the club to wait for its renewal before making the venue official. The document was regularized this Wednesday (2), and the updated version should be available on the São Paulo Football Federation website by Thursday (3).

With a reported maximum capacity of 16,592 fans, Canindé exceeds the minimum number required by the competition regulations. After the paperwork was completed, Corinthians are expected to release ticket sales information in the coming days.

Brabas have already played three times at Canindé in 2026

The stadium chosen for the decisive match is nothing new for the black-and-white squad. Corinthians played three matches at Canindé during the first phase of the current Brazilian Women’s Championship and won all of them.

The Brabas beat Santos 4-1, defeated Vitória 4-0, and also overcame Mixto 4-1. Therefore, in addition to their 100% record, the team scored 12 goals and conceded only two in the three matches played at the venue.

Now, Corinthians return to the stadium in a different scenario, with a place in the semifinals at stake.

Corinthians can advance with a draw

The win earned in Belo Horizonte allows the Brabas to take the field with the aggregate-score advantage. A draw at Canindé will be enough to secure Corinthians’ qualification.

If Cruzeiro win by exactly one goal, regardless of the scoreline, the place will be decided on penalties. A Cruzeiro win by two or more goals will eliminate Corinthians.

The black-and-white team are also trying to maintain their record of reaching the Brazilian Women’s Championship semifinals. Since they began competing independently in 2017, Corinthians have advanced from the quarterfinals in every previous edition.

Whoever advances from the Corinthians vs. Cruzeiro tie will face the winner of Palmeiras vs. Bahia in the next round.

Before the national tournament decider, Cruzeiro still have a Minas Gerais State Championship match this Wednesday. Coach Jonas Urias has already said he intends to rest players who logged more minutes in the first leg, precisely with physical recovery in mind for the rematch against the Brabas.

Corinthians and Cruzeiro will meet again next Monday (7), at 5 p.m. (Brasília time), at Canindé in São Paulo. The match will decide one of the teams qualified for the semifinals of the Brazilian Women’s Championship.

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