Corinthians youth chief on hosting plans, targets 2026 Copinha groups

In partnership with

Central do Timão

·26 November 2025

Corinthians youth chief on hosting plans, targets 2026 Copinha groups

By Fabio Luigi / Central do Timão Editorial Team

On the night of last Tuesday (25), the launch ceremony for the 2026 São Paulo Junior Football Cup took place at Mercado Livre Arena Pacaembu. Corinthians, the tournament’s all-time leading champion with 11 titles, is in Group 8 along with XV de Jaú (the seeded team), Trindade-GO, and Luverdense-MT.

The group’s matches will be held in Jaú, in the interior of São Paulo. The dates and times of the games are yet to be set by the São Paulo Football Federation. In an interview with corinthiansnabase social media, Corinthians’ youth academy general director, Carlos Roberto Aurrichio (Nenê do Posto), analyzed the group’s opponents and the host city.

OneFootball Videos

Photo: Rodrigo Gazzanel/Agência Corinthians

“We got a group in a city we already expected could be one of the ones we chose. Jaú is a city we already know. We asked someone from our youth academy to check out the city’s facilities. The group’s expectations, even though it’s a strong group, are good, because Corinthians always has good campaigns in the Copinha, and this time will be no different“, he said.

Nenê do Posto took over as director of Corinthians’ youth academy at the end of May, when Osmar Stabile became president of the club after Augusto Melo’s removal. Since then, the director has been cutting costs in the department, releasing high-cost players who contributed little to the club. Beyond the pitch, changes have also been made to the staff.

During this period, after the Kauê Furquim case, Corinthians has also been reviewing contracts of several youth players, signing addendums and protecting its assets from the interests of clubs in Brazil and even Europe. It’s worth remembering that Corinthians is the team with the greatest tradition in the Copinha, winning the tournament in 1969, 1970, 1995, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2009, 2012, 2015, 2017, and 2024.

In the current season, Timãozinho reached its second consecutive final in the tournament, but ended up being defeated by São Paulo 3-2, after a comeback, at Pacaembu. The 2026 Copinha will begin on January 2, with the final scheduled for January 25, the anniversary of the city of São Paulo – at Pacaembu, as in previous editions.

The competition features 128 teams, organized into 32 groups of four teams each. The team will seek to win the competition again – the last trophy lifted by Corinthians was in 2024, when the squad led by Danilo Andrade and captained by midfielder Breno Bidon overcame all opponents, beating Cruzeiro in the final.

See More: