The 2026 Campeonato Paulista kicks off this weekend with a shortened pre-season, prompting clubs like Corinthians, Palmeiras, São Paulo, and Santos to use cautious strategies to prevent physical strain. The Federação Paulista de Futebol introduced a new format with fewer dates, akin to the Champions League, while prioritizing state derbies. Coaches criticize the limited preparation time, even as club leaders back the CBF's revamped schedule.
The Brazilian football calendar overhaul by the CBF shortens pre-season for Paulista clubs, turning the Campeonato Paulista's start into a luxury training session for major teams. Corinthians, Palmeiras, São Paulo, and Santos return to action less than a week after resuming training, leading coaches to protect their key players.
At Palmeiras, Abel Ferreira plans squad rotation for the opener against Portuguesa on Saturday (January 10), at 8:30 PM, at Canindé. The team had only five days of preparation after their last 2025 match on December 7 against Ceará in the Brasileiro. "It doesn't seem sensible to me," Ferreira summarized about the tournament's organization. Despite the criticism, president Leila Pereira supported the changes: "The CBF took a very important step so that, in the near future, we have an even better calendar that fully respects the athletes' integrity."
Corinthians, the defending Paulista champions, ended 2025 by winning the Copa do Brasil on December 21 against Vasco, with just two weeks off. Dorival Júnior's debut is Sunday (January 11), at 4 PM, against Ponte Preta at Itaquera, featuring youth players due to injuries to Rodrigo Garro, Memphis Depay, and Yuri Alberto. The club targets a full squad for the Supercopa against Flamengo on February 1.
São Paulo under Hernán Crespo and Santos, who renewed with Neymar and signed Gabigol, will also rotate squads in their debuts: Mirassol vs São Paulo (January 11, 8:30 PM) and Santos vs Novorizontino (January 10, 4 PM).
The Paulista now features 12 first-phase dates (previously 16), with intra-group matches and five against outsiders, totaling eight rounds including derbies. The top eight advance to single-leg knockouts, except the two-match final (March 4 and 8). The bottom two drop to Série A2. These tweaks aim to ease fixture congestion, with the Brasileiro from January 28 to December 2 and a World Cup break (June 11 to July 19), plus a single-game Copa do Brasil final on December 6.
