São Paulo miss out on Libertadores after Corinthians and Vasco go through

Sunday ended in frustration for São Paulo fans. With the qualifications of Corinthians and Vasco for the final of the Copa do Brasil , the combination of results that could have taken the Tricolor Paulista to the 2026 Pre-Libertadores did not materialize, and the club ended up out of the main continental competition in South America.

Corinthians secured their spot in the big final by beating Cruzeiro on penalties 5-4 , after losing 2-1 in regular time at Neo Química Arena. Since they had won the first leg 1-0 at Mineirão, the aggregate score was tied, taking the decision to penalty kicks.

Vasco also needed penalty kicks to secure their place in the final. Even after losing 1-0 in regulation time, the Cruzmaltino side came out on top against Fluminense in the shootout, winning 4-3 at Maracanã. As they had won the first leg 1-0, the aggregate score was tied.

– Monday, 15 December 2025

Since Corinthians and Vasco did not finish the Brazilian Championship in positions that would guarantee a direct spot in the Libertadores group stage, the spots opened by the continental tournament did not “drop down” the table.

Timão finished the competition in 13th place, while Cruzmaltino was right behind in 14th.

The only scenario that would have secured Tricolor in the preliminary phase of the Libertadores this Sunday would have been the qualification of Cruzeiro and Fluminense for the final of the Copa do Brasil , a scenario that did not happen.

Thus, the São Paulo team will play in the Copa Sudamericana in 2026.

In addition, Botafogo, who finished sixth in the Brasileirão , did not inherit a spot in the group stage and ended up with the place destined for the preliminary phase of the continental tournament.

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