Welcome back to the Brazil Sports newsletter. This week, we look at the Copa São Paulo, Brazil’s most important youth football tournament that attracts European scouts by the busload. Also, with the transfer market heating up, we have a run-down of the five most significant moves so far this offseason. That, and much more!
Copa São Paulo: the little cup that means a whole lot
For over 50 years, it has become a football tradition. On January 25—the anniversary of the city of São Paulo and a local holiday—supporters fill out the municipal Pacaembu stadium to watch the final of the most prestigious junior football tournament in the country: the Copa São Paulo, affectionately known as the Copinha or “Little Cup.”
This past weekend, we saw the latest edition of the Gre-Nal rivalry, as the under 20 sides of Grêmio and Internacional faced off in the 2020 final. The latter came out on top, beating their rivals on penalties after a thrilling 90 minutes of football, which ended 1-1. With that win, Internacional won the fifth Copinha title in their history.
What is it? Every year, some 128 clubs take part in the tournament, coming from all over Brazil and sometimes overseas. Matches are played in towns around the state of São Paulo. After playing a brief group stage, the competition becomes full knock-out, with the finalists disputing the title in the state capital. Thanks to the attention it receives from fans, the press, and foreign scouts, the Copinha became one of the main shop windows for young footballing talent in Brazil and a proving ground for players looking to break into their respective first teams.
Why it matters. With the youth sides of all of Brazil’s top clubs taking part, the Copinha is yet another opportunity for bragging rights. Teams take matches very seriously indeed, with major São Paulo sides often filling out provincial stadiums to cheer their kids on to victory. A Copinha title is also a significant trophy for Brazilian clubs, with São Paulo side Corinthians regularly bragging about their 10 wins, and ribbing their rivals Palmeiras, who have yet to win it once.
Granted, a part of the “importance” of the tournament nowadays is that it takes place in January—the only month of the Brazilian calendar which has next to no first-team club football. Fans need something to scratch the football itch, and TV stations are happy to have...
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