Corinthians Women face rare schedule shift, most games midweek | OneFootball

Corinthians Women’s 2026 calendar presents a different scenario from anything the Brabas have experienced since the team’s return in 2016. With the dates for the Brazilian Championship semifinals already set, more than half of the team’s matches in state and national competitions this season are concentrated on Mondays or Fridays.

According to a survey carried out by Meu Timão, which takes into account the Campeonato Paulista, Copa Paulista, Brazilian Championship, Copa do Brasil, and Women’s Supercopa, Corinthians will reach 31 matches in this sample after the two clashes against Bahia in the Brasileirão semifinals. Of that total, 18 will be played on a Monday or Friday, equivalent to 58.1% of the games.

Photo: Cris Mattos/Corinthians

The distribution represents a significant change compared to previous seasons. In none of the previous ten years since the women’s team was reactivated had the percentage exceeded 32%.

Of the 18 matches counted in 2026, ten were or will be played on Mondays and another eight on Fridays. Both figures already set Corinthians Women’s highest totals for those days since 2016, even with the season still having more months left on the calendar.

The difference from previous seasons stands out

Before 2026, the highest percentage of matches concentrated between Mondays and Fridays had been recorded in 2024. On that occasion, there were 12 games on those two days out of 38 fixtures, corresponding to 31.6%.

The gap between the two years is considerable. The current rate of 58.1% exceeds 2024’s by 26.5 percentage points and represents nearly double the proportion recorded two seasons ago.

In 2023, nine of the 39 matches took place on Mondays or Fridays, a rate of 23.1%. In 2020, there were six out of 32, or 18.8%. In the other seasons, the share of those days remained below 10%, with the exception of the three years mentioned.

The contrast becomes even clearer when looking at 2019. That year, Corinthians played 41 matches in state and national competitions and none of them took place on a Monday or Friday.

In 2016 and 2021, there was only one match on those days in each season, corresponding to 2.8% of the respective schedules.

Weekend matches are moving in the opposite direction

While Mondays and Fridays have gained space, Saturdays and Sundays now make up a much smaller portion of the Brabas’ calendar in 2026.

Considering the same survey and including the already confirmed matches against Bahia, only six of the 31 matches were or will be played during the weekend, four on Saturdays and two on Sundays. The number corresponds to just 19.4% of the fixtures.

It is, by a wide margin, the lowest proportion recorded by Corinthians Women since 2016. Until then, 2024 had the lowest percentage, with 15 weekend matches out of 38 games, or 39.5%.

In other words, the share of Saturdays and Sundays in Corinthians’ schedule dropped by more than 20 percentage points when comparing 2024 and 2026.

The scenario also contrasts with seasons in which the weekend accounted for more than half of the matches. That happened in 2017, with 52.4%; 2018, also with 52.4%; 2021, with 52.8%; 2022, with 56.4%; and 2025, when 24 of the 45 fixtures took place on Saturday or Sunday, a rate of 53.3%.

The highest concentration occurred in 2019, precisely the year in which there were no matches on Mondays or Fridays. That season, 26 of the 41 games were played on the weekend, equivalent to 63.4%.

See the distribution since 2016

In 2016, Corinthians played 36 matches in this sample, with 2.8% of them on Mondays or Fridays and 41.7% on weekends. The following year, there were 42 games, with rates of 7.1% and 52.4%, respectively.

In 2018, also with 42 fixtures, 9.5% took place on Mondays or Fridays and 52.4% on Saturdays or Sundays. In 2019, the numbers were 0% and 63.4%. In 2020, there were 32 matches, with 18.8% on the two weekdays analyzed and 40.6% on the weekend.

The 2021 season ended with 36 games, with 2.8% on Mondays or Fridays and 52.8% on weekends. In 2022, there were 39 fixtures, with rates of 7.7% and 56.4%. The following year, also in 39 matches, the percentages reached 23.1% and 46.2%.

In 2024, Corinthians played 38 games, with 31.6% on Mondays or Fridays and 39.5% on weekends. In 2025, there were 45 fixtures, with 8.9% and 53.3%, respectively. In 2026, considering 31 matches and the dates already confirmed against Bahia, the numbers jump to 58.1% on Mondays or Fridays and drop to 19.4% on Saturdays or Sundays.

Semifinal dates intensified the debate

The calendar distribution returned to the center of discussions after the kickoff times for the Women’s Brazilian Championship semifinals were confirmed.

Corinthians will face Bahia in the first leg next Tuesday (15), at 9:30 p.m., at Arena Fonte Nova, in Salvador. The decisive clash will be played on Monday (21), also at 9:30 p.m., at Neo Química Arena.

The choice of dates drew criticism from fans and also from within the squad. After the schedule was released, forward Vic Albuquerque spoke out on social media and wrote: “Congratulations to those involved for the terrible decision”.

The second leg, therefore, will add another Monday to Corinthians’ calendar and raise the number of matches played on that day within the analyzed sample to ten.

On the field, the Brabas reach the semifinal after eliminating Cruzeiro in the quarterfinals. Corinthians won 1-0 away from home and secured qualification with a 3-1 victory at Canindé. Now, Bahia stands as the last obstacle before a possible new national final.

The black-and-white team is chasing its eighth Women’s Brazilian Championship title and seventh in a row, while also trying to win its first trophy of the 2026 season.

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