Corinthians: the road to the Brasileirão Feminino final | OneFootball

Corinthians are once again in the Série A1 final of the Brazilian Women’s Championship. In 2026, the club reached its tenth consecutive final in the competition and kept alive the streak that began back in the last decade.

The reigning champions, Timão got past Cruzeiro and Bahia in the knockout stage before meeting São Paulo again in the final. The team coached by Emily Lima reaches the last stage in search of its eighth national title.

In the first stage, Corinthians finished with the second-best record in the competition, behind only São Paulo. That position gave the club home-field advantage in the knockout ties and set up Cruzeiro as their opponent in the quarterfinals.

The performance in the qualifying stage laid the groundwork for a campaign that gained momentum precisely in the knockout rounds. Before the semifinal, Corinthians had already posted a 100% record in the elimination matchups, with two wins over Cruzeiro.

Cruzeiro fall by the wayside

Corinthians’ first challenge in the knockout stage was Cruzeiro. In the first leg of the quarterfinals, for example, Emily Lima’s team won 1-0, building a slim advantage for the return match.

In the second game, played at Canindé in São Paulo, Cruzeiro took the lead through Marília and even managed to put the home side under pressure. Corinthians, however, responded and turned the tie around. Jhonson, Tamires, and Thaís Ferreira scored in the 3-1 win.

With the two results, Corinthians closed out the tie 4-1 on aggregate and advanced to the semifinal. The qualification also confirmed the club’s place among the top four teams in the championship for the tenth straight season.

The result reinforced one of the team’s characteristics in the competition: the ability to control the tie even when forced to respond to an adverse situation. After winning the first match, Corinthians won again in the second leg and advanced without needing a penalty shootout.

Bahia are the semifinal opponent

In the semifinal, Corinthians faced Bahia, who finished sixth in the first stage and had eliminated Palmeiras in the quarterfinals. The clash brought together the most traditional team of recent years and Bahia, owners of their best campaign in the history of the Brazilian Women’s Championship.

The first match took place at Arena Fonte Nova in Salvador on September 15. Even playing away from home, Corinthians won 1-0, with a goal from Jhonson. The result allowed the São Paulo side to go into the second leg with the advantage of a draw.

In the return leg, at Neo Química Arena, Corinthians won again by 1-0. Jhonson scored once more, this time in the 44th minute of the first half, after pouncing on a loose ball inside the box. The match also had a tense moment for the home side.

Captain Thaís Regina was sent off in the 33rd minute, leaving Corinthians with one player fewer for much of the match. Even so, the team held onto the advantage and confirmed qualification.

The aggregate score ended 2-0, and Corinthians secured their tenth consecutive Brasileirão final. The match also drew 9,755 fans to Neo Química Arena, a crowd record for a women’s national competition match in 2026 up to that point.

Another meeting with São Paulo

The final once again brings together Corinthians and São Paulo, repeating the 2024 final, when Corinthians won the title against their rivals. This time, however, São Paulo reach the final after leading the first stage and eliminating Grêmio and Flamengo in the knockout rounds.

The first leg of the 2026 final took place on September 26 at Neo Química Arena. Corinthians started better and opened the scoring through Gabi Zanotti, but São Paulo responded and turned it around with goals from Giovanna Crivelari and Isa Guimarães.

The 2-1 defeat was Corinthians’ first home loss of the season. Until then, the team had recorded 29 wins and three draws at home. The result also gave São Paulo the advantage for the second leg.

Corinthians head into the decider needing to overturn the deficit and win at Morumbi to claim their eighth Brazilian title. Until the first leg of the final, Emily Lima’s team had gone through the entire knockout stage without suffering a defeat.

There were four wins in four matches against Cruzeiro and Bahia, with six goals scored and only one conceded. The only setback in the knockout stage came precisely in the opening match of the final. The run also confirms the scale of Corinthians’ presence in the Brazilian Women’s Championship.

The club will play in its tenth consecutive final and is trying to maintain a title streak that already totals seven trophies. The team led by coach Thiago Viana, meanwhile, is chasing the first national championship in its history.

After eliminating Cruzeiro and Bahia with two wins in each tie, Corinthians will have one final obstacle at Morumbi as they try to turn their 2026 campaign into another chapter in their history in women’s football.

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