The holidays are over. Starting this Wednesday, the Paulista Championship 2025 kicks off surrounded by expectations. Palmeiras is ambitious and aims to secure a fourth consecutive title. Corinthians, carrying the strong momentum from the end of 2024, enters the championship with vigor. São Paulo, led by Oscar, is also ready to jump into the fray.
And Santos, who has just returned to Brazil's Serie A, is prepared to showcase what they have to offer on the pitch.
On the stage of the high-profile state championship in Brazil, there are two teams from the elite of Brazilian football that also draw attention: one is Red Bull Bragantino, which managed to maintain its presence in the national competition and continues to compete at a high level; the other is Mirassol, who made history by being promoted to Serie A of Brazilian football for the first time and is about to embark on a new journey.
Group A: Corinthians, Botafogo-SP, Mirassol and Inter de Limeira
Group B: Santos, Portuguesa, Guarani and Red Bull Bragantino
Group C: São Paulo, Água Santa, Noroeste and Novorizontino
Group D: Palmeiras, Ponte Preta, São Bernardo and Clube Atlético Viró
➡️General Table of the Paulista Championship 2025: check the dates
This year, the Paulista Championship has a unique characteristic. Due to a differentiated calendar, because of the Supercopa do Brasil taking place during the mid-year break, the Serie A teams had almost no time to prepare. Therefore, the opening round will likely be a test for the state's most popular teams.
Still, Palmeiras remains the favorite team to claim the title in the new year. The prospect of Palmeiras achieving the incredible feat of being four-time champions is linked to the fact that the team needs to respond after setbacks at the end of the season. To maintain their lead, Verdão invested in signing stars like Paulinho, who came from Atlético-MG.
With the star effect of Memphis Depay, Corinthians achieved nine consecutive victories in the last phase of Brazil's Serie A. They will stand side by side with their opponents, and a lot is expected from them. After all, can Ramon Díaz take the 2024 team to an even higher level and bring Timão back into title contention?
With the support of midfielder Oscar, São Paulo hopes to return to its peak and trusts that Luis Zubeldía's work continues to propel the tricolor to the group stage of the Copa Libertadores. On the other hand, after being promoted to Serie A, Santos has rebuilt and reformed a team, hoping to replicate last year's success.
Another new team is Portuguesa. The first challenge for Lusa in the Paulistão is to find a way to regain attention.
➡️Brazilian Football Calendar in 2025: check the dates
Player Registrations
List A: Each team can register a maximum of 30 players. Clubs can add players for the first phase until February 11. The deadline to swap four players in the semi-finals is February 28.
List B: The number of registered players is not limited, but only 10 players can be on the field at the same time. To be eligible to participate, they must meet the following requirements:
Be 16 years or older, meaning born before 2004;
Have been registered with the club without interruption for at least 12 months, even if loaned to other teams.
➡️Brazilian Football Calendar in 2025: check the dates
Regulations
The first phase is divided into four groups, with four teams in each group. Each team plays unilateral matches (a total of 12 matches) against opponents from other groups. The top two teams from each group advance to the quarter-finals. The two teams with the lowest points (regardless of the group) will be relegated to Group A2.
The scheduled dates are as follows:
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Quarter-finals: March 1
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Semi-finals: March 9
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Finals: March 16 and 27
Tiebreak criteria:
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Majority of victories;
- Highest goal difference;
- Highest number of goals scored;
- Lowest number of red cards;
- Lowest number of yellow cards;
The draw will be held publicly at the headquarters of the São Paulo Football Federation.
Video Assistant Referee
All matches of the Paulista Championship will have video assistant referees.
Standings
The top three clubs in the overall standings will secure qualification for the Brazilian League D of 2026, in addition to the clubs that have already qualified in the First, Second, or Third Division of Brazilian football.
As for the Copa do Brasil, the top five clubs in the final standings will qualify for the 2026 tournament.
