São Paulo miss Libertadores, set for Copa Sul-Americana 2026 | OneFootball

São Paulo, finally, already knows the course of its complete season in 2026. And, deservedly, the team will indeed compete in the Copa Sudamericana next year, since the eighth spot for the Libertadores did not open up via the Brasileirão.

The decision came on the night of this Sunday (14), when Vasco eliminated Luis Zubeldía's Fluminense in penalties and confirmed itself as the second finalist of the 2025 Copa do Brasil.

In the grand final, Vasco will face Corinthians, who earlier also needed penalties to dispatch Cruzeiro in their arena and secure their place in the final.

Since both teams did not secure a spot for the Libertadores via the G7 of the Brasileirão, the spot will remain with the Copa do Brasil champion. São Paulo only had a chance if Fluminense or Cruzeiro lifted the trophy of the national tournament.

São Paulo will participate in its 13th edition of the Copa Sudamericana, a competition it won in 2012, in its last international title. In 2022, it still suffered the runner-up position. In the last participation, in 2023, it fell in the quarter-finals to LDU, in penalties, with James Rodriguez being responsible for the missed penalty that eliminated Tricolor.

Coach Hernán Crespo had already stated that the club was planning for the 2026 season, regardless of what was decided. But, clearly, competing in the Libertadores allows for a slightly larger budget for the year.

However, Crespo did not lie. The club's situation in this transfer window remains the same model seeking exchanges, players at the end of their contracts, like the midfielder Danielzinho, who arrives from Mirassol, or names that come on loan, since Tricolor's financial situation remains dire and does not allow for major investments.

Undoubtedly, within São Paulo, not going to the Libertadores must also have been celebrated. This is because if it were to compete in the South American competition, it would still play its pre-qualifying phase to the group stage.

And the match dates, at the end of February and beginning of March, coincide with three sold-out shows that the Australian rock band AC/DC will perform at the Morumbi stadium, once again rented without a definition if football would need to use it for some important commitment, as could occur. In this case, the incompetent ones got lucky and must have smiled for not having to solve yet another problem.

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