Meet Ibrachina, Copinha sensation and Palmeiras’ next opponent | OneFootball

The Palmeiras Under-20 team will face Ibrachina this Monday (19th), at 6:30 PM (Brasília time), at Arena Crefisa Barueri, in the quarterfinals of the Copa São Paulo de Futebol Júnior. The opponent has been establishing itself in the youth categories and has even negotiated players with Verdão.

The club, based in Mooca, in the eastern zone of São Paulo, was created by brothers Henrique and Thomas Law, of Chinese origin, as part of the Brazil-China Sociocultural Institute in 2021. The team was founded with the goal of being a club focused on developing athletes and holds a youth license from the São Paulo Football Federation, meaning it cannot play professionally.

Despite its short existence, the team already holds the CBF’s Club Training Certificate and has been consolidating itself as one of the main youth teams in São Paulo in recent years.

In 2025, the team was runner-up in the São Paulo Under-17 Championship, its main achievement on the field so far, and has now managed to eliminate Atlético-MG and Internacional in the Copinha, reaching the quarterfinals and establishing its best campaign in the tournament.

In 2021, Palmeiras signed striker Riquelme Fillipi from Ibrachina, a standout in the youth categories, who is now in the professional squad, although registered for the Copinha. From the current Palmeiras squad, defender Rocha, 20 years old, was also recruited from the Mooca team.

International Spotlight

Ibrachina’s campaign in the Copinha has gained international attention and was the subject of a report by the Spanish newspaper As.

Palmeiras in the Copinha

Lucas Andrade’s team put on a great performance against Ituano in the round of 16, winning 3-1 last Saturday (17th), with goals from Luis Saboia, Victor Gabriel, and Juliano. Ibrachina, meanwhile, knocked out Internacional in the last round.

Palmeiras has already played six matches in the competition, with four wins and two draws, totaling 23 goals scored and seven conceded—the team’s top scorers in the tournament are forwards Sorriso and Victor Gabriel, with five goals each. The Palestra Under-20 team is defending a streak of 24 unbeaten matches, with 18 wins and six draws—the last defeat for the category was in July 2025.

Palmeiras fans will be able to watch the match at Arena Barueri for free. Tickets for all matches in the competition can be redeemed through the Sou da Liga website. Access to the stadium will be via facial recognition.

The “Crias da Academia” are seeking their third Copinha title. In 2022, Verdão won the tournament for the first time by thrashing Santos 4-0 in the final at Allianz Parque, with goals from Endrick, Giovani, and Gabriel Silva (twice). The following year, the team claimed back-to-back titles with a 2-1 victory over América-MG in the final at Canindé, with goals from Ruan Ribeiro and Patrick.

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