São Paulo in form, defence shining for final v Corinthians Women | OneFootball

Corinthians will face São Paulo this Saturday (26) at 4:30 p.m. (Brasília time) at Neo Química Arena in the first leg of the 2026 Brazilian Women’s Championship final. Opponent of the Brabas in the title race, Tricolor reached the final after leading the first stage, eliminating Grêmio and Flamengo in the knockout rounds, and conceding just one goal in the four elimination matches.

Coached by Thiago Viana, São Paulo finished the qualifying stage at the top of the table with 41 points from 17 rounds. They recorded 13 wins, two draws, and two losses. The team also ended the first stage with the best defense in the competition, having conceded only 11 goals.

Photo: Miguel Schincariol / São Paulo FC / CP

This performance meant Tricolor finished ahead of Corinthians themselves. The Brabas ended up in second place with 38 points after collecting 12 wins, two draws, and three defeats. Having built the better overall campaign on the way to the final, São Paulo will have home-field advantage in the second Majestoso of the final.

The first match will be played in Itaquera, while the return leg is scheduled for October 3, also a Saturday, at 4:30 p.m. (Brasília time), at MorumBIS.

São Paulo conceded just one goal in the knockout rounds

The defensive display shown during the first stage continued in the quarterfinals and semifinals. In four knockout matches, São Paulo conceded just one goal and recorded three wins and one draw.

In the quarterfinals, the opponent was Grêmio. The first match ended in a 0-0 draw in Caxias do Sul. In the second leg, Tricolor won 2-0 and advanced to the semifinals.

Flamengo came next. On September 12, at Estádio Luso-Brasileiro in Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo built an important advantage by winning 3-1. Mylena Carioca, Robinha, and Bruna Calderan scored for the São Paulo side, all in the second half.

In the return leg, played last Saturday (19) at Brinco de Ouro da Princesa in Campinas, São Paulo won again. Kesia Sena scored in the 43rd minute of the second half to seal the 1-0 victory. With that, the team closed out the semifinal with a 4-1 aggregate score.

Considering the entire Brasileirão campaign up to the final, Corinthians and São Paulo have similar numbers. Both won 16 of their 21 matches. The Brabas have two draws and three losses, while their rival has three draws and two defeats.

Tricolor arrives in strong form for the final

In addition to advancing past Flamengo, São Paulo is going through a run of positive results. In their six most recent matches before the final, considering the Brasileirão and the Campeonato Paulista, they posted four wins, one draw, and one loss.

In the Brasileirão, the team drew 0-0 with Grêmio on August 29 and then beat the same opponent 2-0 on September 5, securing a place in the semifinals.

Then they beat Flamengo twice: 3-1 on September 12 and 1-0 on the 19th. Before this run in the national tournament, São Paulo had thrashed Mixto 5-0 and lost to Ferroviária 3-0 in the Campeonato Paulista.

In the state championship, Tricolor currently sits in fourth place with 12 points from seven matches. The campaign includes four wins and three losses, as well as seven goals scored and seven conceded. Corinthians and São Paulo are therefore also simultaneously involved in the Paulista title race.

Thiago Viana bets on continuity at São Paulo

Thiago Viana’s work is one of the continuity points of São Paulo’s project. The coach has been involved with the club’s women’s football for eight years, a period in which he also worked with the youth teams, and he is now in his fourth consecutive season in charge of the professional side.

On the field, São Paulo has been playing with a three-defender setup and constant involvement from the wing-backs. Bia Menezes and Duda Serrana are used out wide, while Robinha and Karla Alves provide options in the central area.

For the first Majestoso of the final, the rival has no confirmed absences due to suspension or injury based on the information released before the match. Tayla, called up by Arthur Elias for Brazil’s upcoming fixtures, will also be available, since the friendlies against Argentina will only take place in October, after the final.

The tendency is for Thiago Viana to keep a lineup close to the one used in the second match against Flamengo. Thus, a likely São Paulo lineup is: Carlinha; Bruna Calderan, Tayla, and Carol Gil; Bia Menezes, Robinha, Aline, and Karla Alves; Vi Amaral, Isa, and Serrana.

Mylena Carioca and Kesia Sena, who found the net during the semifinal, appear among the coach’s alternatives to change the attacking sector during the match. Giovanna Crivelari also emerges as an option up front.

Second straight Brasileirão final

The qualification also represents São Paulo’s second consecutive Brazilian Women’s Championship final. Their opponent in the previous edition was Corinthians.

In 2024, the rivals met for the first time in a final of the competition. On that occasion, the Brabas won both Majestosos and lifted the title after building a 5-1 aggregate score. The first clash ended 3-1, while the return leg, played at Neo Química Arena in front of 44,529 fans, ended 2-0.

Now, São Paulo is trying to win the current Brazilian Women’s Championship title for the first time. Reaching the 2026 final also secured the club a place in the 2027 Women’s Libertadores, which will be São Paulo’s second appearance in the continental tournament.

Rival had the better first stage, but lost the Majestoso

Despite finishing three points above Corinthians in the standings, São Paulo was beaten by the Brabas in the head-to-head meeting in this edition of the Brasileirão. The teams faced each other on May 11 at Fazendinha. Corinthians won 2-1, with goals from Andressa Alves and Duda Sampaio.

The result came just a few days after a São Paulo victory in the derby. On May 7, also at Fazendinha, São Paulo beat Timão 2-1, but in the Campeonato Paulista. In the previous season, Corinthians had the upper hand in all three meetings in the state competition, winning 3-1 and twice by 2-1.

This new meeting, however, will carry different weight. Corinthians and São Paulo begin a 180-minute battle for the Brazilian title this Saturday, with the first chapter at Neo Química Arena and the decider set for MorumBIS.

While Corinthians tries to expand its national dominance, São Paulo reaches the final backed mainly by the campaign that put them atop the first stage and by the defensive consistency shown in the knockout rounds. In the four elimination matches before the final, the rival conceded only once and heads into the Majestoso after two straight wins over Flamengo.

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