Palmeiras' Copinha rivals Batalhão travelled nearly 2,000km after New Year | OneFootball

The Palmeiras Under-20 team will face Batalhão-TO this Thursday (08) at 7:30 PM (Brasília time) at Arena Crefisa Barueri, for the second round of the initial phase of the São Paulo Junior Football Cup.

Unlike Palmeiras, which spent the entire month of December training at the Football Academy, the team from Tocantins departed from Palmas to São Paulo last Thursday (1st) and arrived more than 24 hours later, on the night of Friday (2nd). They traveled 1814 km.

The team, the only representative of Tocantins football in this edition of the Copinha, secured their spot after the 2025 Tocantinense Under-20 champion, Tocantinópolis, withdrew from the competition. The Batalhão team was the runner-up.

In their Copinha debut, Batalhão was defeated 2-0 by Remo-PA, while Palmeiras won 4-2 against Monte Roraima-RR.

Youngest Player in the Copinha

At 15 years and 5 days old, young José Augusto Aires Ramos from Batalhão-TO was registered for the 2026 Copinha but ended up missing the trip. The Paulista Football Federation (FPF) confirmed that the Tocantins player, alongside Henry França from Noroeste-SP, is one of the youngest in the tournament – both were born on the same day.

According to the club, the decision to leave the athlete out of the tournament was technical.

Military Police Team

The team is competing in the Copinha for the first time in history. Founded in 2009, in blue and yellow colors, the team was created with the idea of competing in youth categories and having a football school – linked to the 1st Battalion of the Tocantins Military Police.

In 2023, the team competed in the access division and was promoted with the title, but was relegated the following year. In 2025, they returned to play in the access division and returned to the elite, but were relegated again.

The team is based in Palmas. The football school project and the youth team training are held at the 1st Battalion field.

Palmeiras Arrives After Victory in the Debut

In the competition debut, the green team defeated Monte Roraima-RR 4-2 last Monday (05). The goals from the Academy's Youth were scored by Luis Saboia, Fabio, Victor Gabriel, and Arthur. With the result, the team leads Group 27, which also includes Remo.

Palmeiras fans can watch the match at Arena Barueri for free. Tickets for all competition games will be available on the Sou da Liga website. Access to the stadium will be through facial recognition.

The Academy's Youth are in pursuit of 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, they claimed the championship again with a 2-1 victory over América-MG in the final at Canindé, with goals from Ruan Ribeiro and Patrick.

Where to Watch Palmeiras vs. Batalhão-TO in the Copinha

The national competition match will have LIVE BROADCAST on CAZÉ TV via YOUTUBE.

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