São Paulo, Vitória Cup team up, brand on Tricolor shorts in 2026 | OneFootball

São Paulo and Vitória Cup, a brand that calls itself ‘the biggest pre-season tournament in Brazil’, announced on Friday night (5th) a partnership for brand exposure, but there is still no confirmation of Tricolor’s participation in the friendly tournament taking place next year.

Vitória Cup announced that it is now the newest sponsor of São Paulo until the end of 2026. From now on, the brand will be displayed on the front of the team’s shorts.

The partnership, however, has not yet confirmed Tricolor’s participation in the pre-season competition, which will be held both at the beginning of the year, without São Paulo’s participation, and in mid-2026, during the 2026 World Cup. At that point, Tricolor is still negotiating its presence.

As revealed by AVANTE MEU TRICOLOR last month, the club’s participation depends on approval from Crespo, as well as a possible qualification for the Libertadores, in case the team finishes 8th in the Brasileirão and Cruzeiro or Fluminense wins the Copa do Brasil.

The competition is actually a series of friendlies between Brazilian and foreign clubs, which was held in the capital of Espírito Santo (hence the name) this year.

According to AMT’s report, the club’s participation is not being treated with much optimism. In fact, a final decision will only be made after it is determined whether or not São Paulo will play in the preliminary phase of the Copa Libertadores.

Besides that, coach Hernán Crespo will have a crucial say in the decision, since the promise is for a hectic schedule next year due to changes made by the CBF and the Campeonato Paulista set to start as early as the second week of January.

In other words, as reported, São Paulo is considering the Vitória Cup as a revenue alternative for the middle of next year, when the Brazilian and continental calendars will pause for the World Cup.

Format and teams already confirmed

The plan for the Vitória Cup is to hold at least 12 friendly matches: six in January, six in July. It is not a competition, but rather a series of standalone matches with a trophy at stake. For the matches at the start of the year, the expectation is for Brazilian teams to face South Americans. During the World Cup, it will be national teams against Europeans.

On the official website, the confirmed Brazilian participants are Santos, Botafogo, Cruzeiro, and Santa Cruz. From abroad: Olimpia (Paraguay), América de Cali (Colombia), Vélez Sarsfield, Defensa y Justicia (Argentina), Sporting Cristal (Peru), and the European side Villarreal (Spain). All participants are promised to be revealed on December 8.

“The idea, at this first moment, is not to bring in major powerhouses, but good-level teams, like Sevilla and Valencia. In Portugal, we might get Benfica or Porto,” said Vinícius Domingues, the event organizer. For January, the idea is to replay Libertadores finals, always with one Brazilian team and one South American team.

What stands out is the CEO’s statement almost guaranteeing Morumbi as the venue for matches. By saying “affirm,” he has already secured the São Paulo stadium. This increases speculation about São Paulo’s participation, which is expected to be confirmed next Monday (8th).

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