Champion in the five finals they played in the Women’s Copa Libertadores, of which they are the biggest winner, Corinthians seeks this Saturday (18) to expand their hegemony and achieve an unprecedented third consecutive title.
The Parque São Jorge club is mainly responsible for Brazil’s dominance in the tournament. Of the 16 editions completed to date, 13 had teams from the country as champions.
Chile, Paraguay and Colombia, each with a trophy, are the only countries that managed to challenge the strength of the Brazilian teams, present in all decisions.
In their first final, Deportivo Cali will have the chance to make Colombia stand alone as the second nation with the most titles. After eliminating Colo-Colo, from Chile, the Colombian team will have its most difficult mission against Corinthians, at 4:30 pm (Brasília time), at the Florencio Sola stadium, in Lomas de Zamora, Argentina.
“I think it will be a final very similar to last year’s [contra o Independiente Santa Fe]. The Colombian school requires a lot of physical duels and a lot of strength. I believe they will give up possession of the ball to us, as they did in the competition”, said the coach of the Brazilian team, Lucas Piccinato, who took over the club in December 2023 after Arthur Elias was invited to take over the women’s team.
Elias left the club after a successful spell at Parque São Jorge, crowned with three Libertadores titles (2019, 2021 and 2023).
In the semifinals of the current edition, the black and white team beat Ferroviária, champion of the 2015 and 2020 editions. After a draw in normal time, the decision went to penalties, with Corinthians winning 6-5.
Despite the fierce dispute with the Araraquara team, the black and white classification reflected on the continental scene what is also seen at the national level. Over the last five years, the club has consolidated itself as the greatest power in women’s football in the country.
In September, the team celebrated winning its seventh Brazilian Championship, the sixth consecutively. The victorious and dominant trajectory is not by chance. In 2016, four years before Conmebol (South American Football Confederation) imposed the creation of women’s teams on clubs competing in its competitions, Corinthians signed a partnership with Audax to structure the sport.
Two years later, the black and white team took control of the project and professionalized the department at a time when many clubs were not yet investing in the category.
By taking the lead in Brazil, Corinthians also managed to impose themselves on the international stage. Just as in men’s football, there is a big economic difference between clubs in the country and others in South America. For winning this year’s Brazilian Championship, the Parque São Jorge club pocketed R$ 1.8 million, the biggest prize in the history of the tournament.
Colombian champion, Deportivo Cali received around 230 million pesos (around R$320 thousand).
Just by reaching the Libertadores decision, the Colombian team has already guaranteed a prize far above what it received in its country. With a record prize pool for the sport, Conmebol will pay US$600,000 (R$3.2 million) to the runner-up and US$2 million (R$10 million) to the champion.
According to the organization, third place will receive US$250,000 (R$1.3 million). Also this Saturday, at 11am (Brasília time), Ferroviária and Colo Colo will compete for third place in the continental tournament.
