In search of the third championship, the Palmeiras enters as one of the favorites in the 2026 São Paulo Junior Football Cup. Verdão’s debut will be on Monday (05/01), when they face Monte Roraima-RR, at 7:30 pm (Brasília time), at Arena Barueri (SP), the venue for all the club’s games in the group stage.
Due to renovations to the pitch at Allianz Parque, the stadium in Barueri will be Palmeiras’ home during the Copinha and will also share space with the professional squad at the start of the season.
Palmeiras squad for Copinha 2026
In the current edition of Copinha, clubs now have the right to assemble a pre-list with up to 40 athletes, although only 30 players can be included in the final list. At Palmeiras, the final cut is scheduled for this Friday (02/01), when ten names will be removed from the initial list.
The pre-list includes athletes who have already had opportunities in the first team in 2025, such as defender Benedetti and midfielder Erick Belé. Another name that draws attention is that of goalkeeper Aranha, a constant presence in the activities led by coach Abel Ferreira throughout the season.
Among the younger players, striker Eduardo Conceição appears as one of the main bets. Having just turned 16, the player stood out in the club’s under-17 team in 2025 and is treated internally as one of the great promises of the generation.
On the other hand, midfielder Allan, a prominent athlete on the professional squad, will not be able to compete in the Copinha because he has exceeded the 20-year limit – the player is 21 years old. Striker Luighi, although he is still 19 years old, did not make the pre-list.
The definition of the pre-list took place before the club’s planning for 2026 was fully concluded. This process involves the technical committee and the board, who evaluate which athletes will transition to the professional squad and which will remain in the youth categories.
Just as he did at the beginning of 2025, Abel Ferreira can take advantage of Copinha to closely observe some names and integrate them into the main team’s training, whether to form part of the group on a daily basis, or to receive opportunities in the Campeonato Paulista.
The coaching staff has already mapped out some players with immediate transition potential, but the Copinha campaign could open up space for new talents that were not yet on the radar.
Arena Barueri as home of Palmeiras in Copinha 2026
Top seed in Group 27, which also includes Monte Roraima-RR, Batalhão-TO and Remo, Palmeiras will compete in all the first phase commitments at Arena Barueri, located in the metropolitan region of São Paulo. If they advance to the knockout stages and present a better campaign than their opponents, the club will have priority in choosing the field manager.
The tendency is for Verdão to choose to keep the games in Barueri, a stadium managed by president Leila Pereira, which would facilitate logistics in a period in which Allianz Parque will remain unavailable.
Palmeiras games in the group stage of Copinha 2026
Group 27
- January 5th (Monday), 7:30 pm (Brasília time): Palmeiras x Monte Roraima-RR – Arena Barueri
- January 8th (Thursday), 7:30 pm (Brasília time): Palmeiras x Batalhão-TO – Arena Barueri
- January 11th (Sunday), 11am (Brasília time): Palmeiras x Remo – Arena Barueri
Palmeiras’ recent history in the Copinha and Under-20
Palmeiras were champions in 2022, with a 4-0 victory over Santos, at Allianz Parque, and lifted the cup again in 2023, by beating América-MG 2-1, at Canindé. In 2024, the team was eliminated in the third phase, falling to Aster Itaquá-SP. In 2025, the fall happened in the quarterfinals, against Grêmio.
In the Brazilian Under-20 Championship, Verdão is the current two-time champion in the competition. The club won the title in 2025, beating Red Bull Bragantino on penalties after two draws in the final, and in 2024, when they beat Cruzeiro 5-2 on aggregate. Alviverde still wins the cups in 2018, against Vitória, and 2022, against Corinthians.
MORE: Copinha 2026 table: groups, games and where to watch
