Historic Centenary

Historic Centenary The Mirassol team completed 100 years in 2025 and celebrated in a way that not even the club expected. At the start of the Brasileirão, the coaching staff and players talked about fighting for survival, as this was the team’s first season in Serie A. But the club went far beyond that. It reached 45 points – the ‘magic’ number for survival – in October, when it was already in the qualifying zone for the Libertadores and changed its speech to secure a spot in a continental competition, be it Libertadores or Sul-Americana. It achieved the best: Libertadores. The spot was secured last month, four rounds ahead, and earlier this week, it definitively secured a spot in the group stage. Mirassol became the first debutant club in the Brasileirão to secure a direct spot in the Libertadores. In the overall context, it is only the third to secure a spot in a continental competition, equaling Barueri and Cuiabá, who went to the Sul-Americana. The Paulista team is also the best debutant in the history of the points system. The 59% performance at Brasileirão surpasses Barueri’s 42% (2009) and Cuiabá’s 41% (2021). Looking ahead to 2026, next year will be a busy calendar for Mirassol. The team will compete in Paulistão, Brasileirão, Copa do Brasil, and Libertadores. Nevertheless, the coaching staff and management avoid discussing signings and possible departures from the squad. Internally, the club is resolving processes to avoid problems in the Libertadores. CONMEBOL requires participating clubs to fulfill certain requirements: a women’s team, stadium capacity, and an international airport nearby. Mirassol is speeding up the process to create its women’s team. In recent weeks, the board has been meeting with agents. The José Maria de Campos Maia stadium can host the group stage as it has 15,000 seats. The bar is raised in the knockout stage, as CONMEBOL requires a minimum of 20,000 seats until the quarterfinals and 30,000 in the semifinals. There is nothing stopping the club from playing elsewhere. CONMEBOL also requires an international airport within 150km of the stadium. São José do Rio Preto, a neighboring city of Mirassol, is in the process of internationalizing its airport.