São Paulo: road to the Brasileirão Feminino final | OneFootball

São Paulo reached the 2026 Brazilian Women’s Championship final with the best campaign in the competition. Under Thiago Viana, the team led the first stage with 41 points in 17 matches, totaling 13 wins, two draws, and two losses.

They scored 31 goals and conceded 11, for a goal difference of 20 and an 80% success rate. São Paulo also recorded its highest first-stage points total since the return of women’s football and finished ahead of Corinthians and Palmeiras.

In the last round, for example, the win over Mixto was Tricolor’s seventh straight, another tournament record. Giovanna Crivelari, Serrana, and Isa finished the first stage with five goals each and led the team’s scoring charts.

That consistency also put São Paulo in a privileged position for the knockout stage. As the first-place team, they faced Grêmio, who finished eighth, in the quarterfinals and earned the right to play the second leg at home.

São Paulo beats Grêmio

The first obstacle in the knockout stage was Grêmio. In the first leg, played on August 29 at Alfredo Jaconi Stadium in Caxias do Sul, the teams drew 0-0. The tie remained open for the decisive match in Campinas.

In the second match, on September 5, São Paulo beat Grêmio 2-0 at Brinco de Ouro. Giovanna Crivelari scored in the 44th minute, and Vi Amaral added another in stoppage time, securing Tricolor’s place in the semifinal.

The qualification was built mainly on defensive consistency. Across the 180 minutes against Grêmio, São Paulo did not concede and controlled the tie comfortably, advancing to the semifinal without needing a penalty shootout.

Semifinal against Flamengo

The next opponent was Flamengo, who had finished the first stage in fifth place in the Brazilian Women’s Championship. The first match took place at Luso-Brasileiro Stadium in Rio de Janeiro on September 12.

Flamengo took the lead through Mariana Fernandes, but São Paulo responded before halftime. Mylena Carioca equalized in the 27th minute, Robinha made it 2-1 in the 43rd, and Bruna Calderan, from the penalty spot, extended the lead with the final play of the first half.

Tricolor won 3-1 and took a significant advantage into the second leg. In the return match, on September 19, São Paulo confirmed qualification with another win. Késia Sena scored late in the game to seal a 1-0 victory at Brinco de Ouro.

The aggregate score finished 4-1 for São Paulo, who sealed qualification and returned to the Brazilian Women’s Championship final. This will be the club’s second final in the competition, repeating its 2024 run, when it faced Corinthians in the title decider.

The final against Corinthians

The campaign put São Paulo up against Corinthians once again. The final began at Neo Química Arena on September 26, and Tricolor returned home with the advantage. Corinthians opened the scoring through Gabi Zanotti, but Giovanna Crivelari equalized.

In the second half, Isa Guimarães took advantage of a defensive mistake and scored the comeback goal: 2-1 to São Paulo. With the result, Tricolor now needed only a draw at Morumbi to win the first Brazilian title in its history.

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