Do Corinthians still have a shot at the Libertadores? | OneFootball

Corinthians is heading into the final stretch of the season and still dreams of a spot in the next edition of the Copa Libertadores. Timão has seen its chances decrease in recent days, but there is still a possible path to secure qualification for the much-desired tournament.

Copa do Brasil is the most ‘accessible’ path

Winning the Copa do Brasil is, at this moment, the only possible way for Corinthians to secure a place in the 2026 Copa Libertadores. The title of the knockout competition guarantees a direct spot in the group stage of the continental tournament.

Timão is in the semifinals of the Copa do Brasil, where they will face Cruzeiro for a place in the grand final. The first leg will take place on December 10 at Mineirão, in Belo Horizonte (MG). The return leg is scheduled for the 14th of the same month, at Neo Química Arena, in São Paulo (SP).

If they advance to the Copa do Brasil final, Timão will face the winner of the Rio de Janeiro derby between Fluminense and Vasco. Regardless of the scenario, however, the Alvinegro would play the final away from home. The home and away legs were determined in a draw held by the CBF in October.

Via Brasileirão, Corinthians hopes for a G8

If they fail to win the title, Corinthians will have to hope that the current G7 of the Campeonato Brasileiro becomes a G8. For this to happen, one of the teams currently in the G7 needs to win the Copa do Brasil. At the moment, there are two contenders: Cruzeiro and Fluminense.

Cruzeiro is in third place, with 68 points, while the Tricolor from Rio is in seventh, with 55. If either of them wins the Copa do Brasil, the number of spots via the Brasileirão will increase from seven to eight, which would renew Corinthians' hopes.

Even if the G7 becomes a G8, Corinthians needs to beat Botafogo this Sunday to depend only on themselves to reach eighth place in the Brasileirão. The Alvinegro team is currently in 11th place, with 45 points. If they win, Timão would match São Paulo's points (eighth place) and surpass their rival on tiebreaker criteria.

Until the end of Série A, Corinthians will face Botafogo (at home), Fortaleza (away), and Juventude – the last two are in the relegation zone. However, the Alvinegro needs to collect as many points as possible and may also depend on slip-ups from Red Bull Bragantino (tenth place), Grêmio (ninth), and São Paulo (eighth).

Libertadores brings sporting and financial gains

The Libertadores is a highly sought-after competition by clubs not only for the sporting achievement and visibility it brings. The prizes paid by Conmebol are also usually important for the club. This year, for example, Timão was eliminated in the third phase of the tournament and did not even reach the group stage.

As a result, the Alvinegro team missed out on an amount that could have reached almost US$5 million (about R$28.9 million at the exchange rate at the time). This is the total amount Corinthians could have earned if they had qualified for the group stage and won all their matches.

It’s worth remembering that Corinthians had set a goal at the start of the season to reach the round of 16 in the current edition of the Copa Libertadores. However, that was far from happening. As they only played in the Pre-Libertadores, Timão earned just US$1.1 million (R$6.4 million).

Upcoming Corinthians matches

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