It’s getting repetitive. The script even changes, but the end of the women’s Libertadores has always been the same: Corinthians champion.
On Saturday (18), in the decision of the 18th edition of the South American competition, Brabas, captained by forty-year-old attacking midfielder Gabi Zanotti, overcame Deportivo Cali, from Colombia, and became champions for the third time in a row.
The difference from the previous two times, when they defeated Independiente Santa Fe (Colombia), in 2024, and Palmeiras, in 2023, was that now the victory came in a penalty shootout. Without making a single mistake, Corinthians, after 0-0 in regulation time, made it 5-3 in the tiebreaker.
One thing to regret in the match in Banfield (Argentina), in addition to the lack of goals with the ball rolling, was the low attendance at the Florencio Sola stadium in the championship decision that elects the best South American team.
Conmebol, the organizing entity of the Libertadores, did not disclose the number of people present in the arena, but it looked very empty. In the penalty shootout, behind the goal where the kicks were taken, there was no one in the stands. An anticlimax.
Possibly Conmebol did not publish it precisely to avoid exposing the low audience, which is not good for the image. Innocuous. It’s like covering the sun with a sieve, since the void is visible.
The public’s lack of interest comes from other editions, and one has to wonder whether holding the competition in a single venue is the best alternative. To save money on travel, certainly, and perhaps it is the only way to currently make the women’s Libertadores viable while avoiding a huge financial loss.
If the product is good, it should attract interest. Why doesn’t it attract? Subject for the marketing and commercial departments to deal with. (If the product is bad, I don’t know if there’s a way.)
Returning to the sporting part, in total Corinthians has six Libertadores. It is easily the greatest champion (São José-SP comes next, with three victories) and, in addition to being the current three-time champion, it has won five of the last seven editions.
It is clear that Brabas are not having any worthy opponents here. South America is already theirs, so what they should aim for now is to expand the territory of conquest. Adapting to a well-known phrase, “the sky is the limit”, for them “the world is the limit”.
Before, it was impossible for the women’s Libertadores champion to try to become world champion. No more. This year, FIFA created the Women’s Champions Cup, a tournament that will crown a champion after the participation of winning teams from continental competitions.
The tournament, the embryo for the Women’s Club World Cup (scheduled for 2028), is the first to allow, for example, the winner of the Libertadores to face the winner of the European Champions League. This will happen in the final, if Corinthians, already semi-finalists according to the regulations, and Arsenal (England), also in the semi-finals (the other), get there.
For Gabi Zanotti, Vic Albuquerque, Nicole, Jhonson, Duda Sampaio and company to reach the decision, they will need to overcome Gotham FC, from the USA, champion of the Concacaf Champions Cup (North and Central America and the Caribbean).
The Corinthians coach, Lucas Piccinato, should soon start studying the New Jersey team, which has striker Gabi Portilho, a former Braba player, in its squad.
The final phase of the Women’s Champions Cup will be in London, from January 28th to February 1st, 2026, and it would be fantastic if the stadium hosting the matches was Wembley, a legendary arena in the capital of England, with FIFA giving due value to the unprecedented championship.
After all, it will be the first club to win a global women’s tournament approved by FIFA. And I risk that he will be called, by the media and fans, “world champion”. After all, the winner will be, admittedly, the best club in the world.
Then, FIFA will say no and will determine that the winner be called “intercontinental champion”.
It doesn’t matter. It will be an extremely important title that will test Brabas’ strength, talent and determination on an unknown front. Let the preparation be done now.
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