Corinthians enter Paulista basketball championship, signal continuity | OneFootball

By Fabio Luigi / Central do Timão Editorial Team

According to information published by Café Belgrado, Corinthians has confirmed its registration for the 2026 Paulista Basketball Championship. This means the continuation of the sport, reactivated in 2018, is guaranteed at least until the state competition, scheduled to begin in August. It is worth remembering that, in November 2025, the possibility of dissolving the professional team at the end of the 2025/2026 season was considered as part of Osmar Stabile’s cost-cutting policy.

The reaction to the possible shutdown of the sport, as reported by Meu Timão, led other sectors of the club to look for alternatives to keep the professional basketball team at Parque São Jorge. In total, the Corinthians team has won 14 Paulista Championship titles, the most recent of them in 1985, more than 40 years ago.

Photo: Beto Miller/Agência Corinthians

One of the reasons behind the push to keep the sport going is the team’s strong campaign in the 2025/2026 Novo Basquete Brasil (NBB). In the first phase, Timão advanced with the sixth-best record — 27 wins and 11 losses — totaling 65 points. In the round of 16, Jece Leite’s team eliminated Unifacisa and is currently ahead against Minas in the best-of-five quarterfinal series, 2–1.

A place in the semifinals could come this Tuesday (12), when Alvinegro will face Minas at 7 p.m. (Brasília time) at Arena UniBH in the fourth game of the series. At the same time as the NBB, the club from Parque São Jorge is also competing in the Copa Paulista, organized by the São Paulo Basketball Federation. In the tournament, Timão is using its Under-22 team in order to give the young players more playing time and development.

Currently, the team leads its group with two wins and one loss, returning to the court on May 20 to face Liga Sorocabana in the fourth round. According to Meu Timão, although it has not yet been formalized, the expectation is that Corinthians will take part in the 2026/2027 Novo Basquete Brasil (NBB) season. The report also says that the Corinthians fans’ strong support during the quarterfinal games made a good impression on the club’s top brass, strengthening the idea of continuing the project.

However, despite the state championship registration, there is still uncertainty regarding the stay of some players for the 2026/2027 season. As is customary in indoor sports, players sign contracts valid for one season. Because of this, after the end of the NBB, the Meu Timão outlet reported that the board will discuss the budget to be allocated to the sport. Among the alternatives is the search for exclusive basketball partnerships aimed at increasing revenue.

Women’s Basketball

According to Meu Timão, there is no forecast for the return of the sport, which was discontinued after the end of the 2025 season. It is worth noting that Alvinegro did not submit the minimum guarantees by the deadline — January 19 — set by the Women’s Basketball League (LBF). The decision not to participate came from the Corinthians leadership itself, in line with the cost-cutting policy.

The sport had been reactivated by the club in 2024, at the beginning of the administration of impeached president Augusto Melo, eight years after its extinction. Since then, the Furiosas had competed in two editions of the Women’s Basketball League, the Paulista Championship, and the Copa LBF.

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