The 2026 edition of the Campeonato Paulista begins next Saturday (10), with teams from the interior fighting to try to interrupt the hegemony of the state’s big four — Corinthians, Palmeiras, Santos and São Paulo.
The last time a team from the countryside lifted the championship cup was in 2014, when Ituano had a surprising campaign, defeating Palmeiras in the semi-finals and Santos in the final.
Since then, a team from outside the São Paulo Metropolitan Region has returned to the decision only once, in 2017, when Ponte Preta was beaten by Corinthians.
Among the 16 teams in the dispute, Novorizontino, Red Bull Bragantino and Mirassol, in group B, Ponte Preta, Guarani and Velo Clube, in group C, and Botafogo-SP, Noroeste, Capivariano and Primavera, in D, are the representatives of the interior.
Of the group, the Bragança team is the only one that has already been champion, in 1990. Ituano and Inter de Limeira, who also won, compete in the second division.
Owner of the best campaign of a debuting team in Series A of the Brazilian Championship, the Mirassol team emerges as one of the candidates with the capacity to threaten the quartet’s dominance.
“Expectations are naturally very high after a wonderful year like 2025, especially on the part of the fans. But we are going to maintain what worked last year, which was a down-to-earth campaign. We want to go far, but one step at a time”, said Edson Ermenegildo, president of Mirassol, to Sheet.
A victim of its own success, the team suffered dismantling in the last transfer window, with the departure of a series of names: defender Jemmes went to Fluminense, midfielder Danielzinho and right-back Lucas Ramon went to São Paulo, while striker Gabriel went to Sporting Cristal, in Peru.
On the other hand, the team also kept important players, such as goalkeeper Walter and left-back Reinaldo, the team’s top scorer last season, with 14 goals.
“We are going to compete in the strongest state championship in the country, the Brazilian Championship, the Copa do Brasil and our first Libertadores. We will have 40 games by the middle of the year. The challenge is enormous, it will demand a lot from everyone, but we are preparing ourselves”, said Ermenegildo.
The director added that, “maintaining the usual humility”, Mirassol’s first goal is to remain in the state’s elite.
SAF of Indaiatuba, Primavera debuts in the elite at age 99
Debuting in the first division of Paulista in the year in which it turns 99 years old, Primavera, from Indaiatuba, also arrives with the aim of remaining in the A1.
“We know the level of demand of the competition, but the club arrives prepared, with its feet on the ground, aware of the challenge and proud to represent football from the interior in such a competitive championship”, said Rodrigo Arroz, football director at Primavera, a club that adopted the SAF model in 2022.
With midfielder Yuri Lima, best known for being the singer Iza’s ex-boyfriend, one of the main signings, Primavera promoted a series of renovations at the Ítalo Mário Limongi stadium, increasing the capacity from 6,500 to 10,000 fans.
“Primavera SAF prepared and strengthened itself within its reality. We worked with planning, financial responsibility and a lot of discretion in choosing reinforcements”, stated Arroz. “We are looking for athletes who fit the technical, financial, physical and behavioral profile of the project, in addition to investing in improvements to the structure, internal processes and permanent technical committee.”
Reduction in box office without home games against the big ones
President of the board of directors of Botafogo-SP, Adalberto Baptista recognizes that competing financially against the big players is now a practically “impossible” task.
“It is important to make it clear that Botafogo’s competition is not directly against the big clubs in the state, but rather against clubs with similar budgets,” stated Baptista. “The focus is on running a consistent campaign within this reality and, if the opportunity arises to compete in a knockout stage, great. It will be the result of a job well done, without losing financial balance and management responsibility.”
Baptista said that the change in the calendar promoted by the CBF (Brazilian Football Confederation), which reduced the first phase from twelve to eight rounds, turns “each match into a true final”.
He stated that the main impact should be financial, with a reduction in ticket revenue for teams that used to fill their stadiums when hosting the state’s big teams — Botafogo-SP will be the home team in a duel against Palmeiras, in a sixth round game, on February 1st. “With the change in format, some clubs in the interior will not have this opportunity.”
After first national title, Ponte Preta faces financial crisis and strike
Ponte Preta arrives for the Paulista dispute after having won its first national title, with the title of Series C of the Brazilian Championship.
The team from Campinas, however, is going through a serious financial crisis and even delayed paying the salaries of the group of players, which led to a strike by the squad — after 12 days of stoppage, the athletes returned to activities on the 2nd, after the board settled part of the pending issues.
Among the reinforcements for the state championship, Ponte announced the signing of defender David Braz and right-back Lucas Justen, a duo that defended rival Guarani last season.
Guarani signed striker Lucca, the third highest scorer in the history of Ponte Preta, tied with Renato Cajá, with 45 goals, behind only Roger (67) and Washington (59).
Clubs from the interior champions of the Campeonato Paulista
Ituano: 2002 e 2014
Bragantino: 1990
Inter de Limeira: 1986
