The Copa São Paulo de Futebol Júnior 2025, widely referred to as Copinha, is underway with its second day of competition featuring lively matches. On this busy schedule, 22 games will occur on Friday, January 3, starting as early as 12:45 PM and wrapping up around 9:45 PM. Iconic Brazilian football clubs like Palmeiras, Atlético-MG, Santos, and Fluminense are set to make their debut appearances during this prestigious tournament.
The tournament's reigning champion, Corinthians, will be defending their title among the 128 participating teams, all of which are divided across 32 groups. The final showdown is set for January 25 at the Pacaembu Stadium, coinciding with the city of São Paulo's anniversary.
On the busy schedule for Friday (3), fans can look forward to the following matches:
12:45 PM: Comercial-SP vs. Retrô (Group 8)
1:00 PM: Tanabi vs. Operário-PR (Group 3)
1:00 PM: Bandeirante vs. Tuna Luso (Group 6)
1:00 PM: Tupã vs. Brasiliense (Group 9)
1:00 PM: Comercial de Tietê vs. Juventude (Group 12)
1:00 PM: Desportivo Brasil vs. Dom Bosco (Group 15)
3:00 PM: Vitória vs. São José-RS (Group 8)
3:15 PM: Santa Cruz vs. Força e Luz (Group 3)
3:15 PM: Azuriz vs. Botafogo-SP (Group 6)
3:15 PM: CRB vs. Água Santa (Group 9)
3:15 PM: América-RN vs. Operário de Caarapó (Group 12)
3:15 PM: Coritiba vs. Hercílio Luz (Group 15)
3:45 PM: Oeste vs. Santa Cruz-AC (Group 19)
4:45 PM: Linense vs. Coimbra (Group 10)
5:45 PM: Ferroviária vs. Jaciobá (Group 7)
6:00 PM: Palmeiras vs. Náutico-RR (Group 19)
7:00 PM: Fluminense vs. Inter de Limeira (Group 10)
7:15 PM: Francana vs. Nova Iguaçu (Group 5)
7:30 PM: Audax-SP vs. Mazagão (Group 17)
8:00 PM: Santos vs. Tirol (Group 7)
9:30 PM: Atlético-MG vs. Guarani (Group 5)
9:45 PM: Athletico-PR vs. Ferroviário (Group 17)
Palmeiras is placed in Group 19 based out of Barueri, matched against Náutico from Roraima, Santa Cruz from Acre, and Oeste. The green-clad team will face Náutico-RR on this Friday at 6 PM, proudly broadcasted on CazéTV. Following this, they will play against Santa Cruz-AC on January 6, at 9:45 PM on SporTV, and conclude their group matches against Oeste on January 9, at 5 PM again on CazéTV.
The Palmeiras squad for this year's Copinha is comprised of various young talents including goalkeepers Cesar, Deivid, Kauan Lima, and Luiz Sá, with defenders André Lucas, Arthur, Edney, and Gilberto among others. Midfielders feature Agner, David, Erick Belé, and more, alongside forwards like Allan, Antônio Marcos, Giulio, and Riquelme Fillipi.
The 2025 Copinha spans from January 2 until January 25, with its knockout stage set to commence after the initial group phase, followed by single-elimination matches leading up to the grand finale.
Historically, Palmeiras achieved back-to-back victories as champions of Copinha in 2022 and 2023. Back before these recent successes, their performances had been less fruitful, with finals appearances resulting only in defeats. Their first chance at the title came back in 1970 when they were beaten by Corinthians and later again by Santo André during the 2003 finals.
The anticipation builds as teams battle for the prestigious title within the vibrant setting of São Paulo. Fans are encouraged to check out various streaming platforms including the Paulistão YouTube channel, CazéTV, SporTV, and Globoplay, ensuring they can follow every captivating moment of the tournament.