By Yuri Coghe
Mirassol players celebrate during a 2-0 win over Vasco, securing a top 4 finish (Photo: Pedro Zacchi/Agência Mirassol)
Mirassol, an up-and-coming club from a small city in the countryside of the São Paulo state in Brazil, made history in its first season in the Brazilian Championship. With a 2-0 away victory over Rio de Janeiro giants Vasco, they became the first first division debutant to secure a place in the group stage of the Copa Libertadores, the top-tier continental tournament in South America.
The win crowns a monumental job and an incredible rise through Brazilian football ranks. Mirassol won the fourth division in 2020, adding the third-tier trophy two years later. In 2024, they kept on making waves as they reached the second division top 4, meaning they would play in the top-tier Brazilian league in 2025.
Many thought a “happy to be here” attitude would be fit for the club, which comes from a small city with under 65,000 inhabitants, hosts games in a 15,000-fan stadium, and are based a little less than five hours away from the city of São Paulo. They couldn’t be more wrong.
Mirassol enchanted Brazilian football fans all over, playing a fun, collective and attacking football en route to finishing in the top 4 regardless of their limited budget. Now, other than showing everyone they belong, they will also feature in the 2026 Copa Libertadores – “South America’s Champions League”. All that in the year the club celebrated its 100th anniversary.
Mirassol’s stadium, Estádio Municipal José Maria de Campos Maia, known as “Maião”, has a capacity for approximately 15,000 spectators (Photo: JP Pinheiro – Agência Mirassol)
With 18 wins, 13 draws and only seven losses, Mirassol scored 63 goals while only conceding 39. A brilliant campaign that only fell behind champions Flamengo, runner-ups Palmeiras and third-ranked Cruzeiro. Mirassol finished ahead of recent Libertadores winners Botafogo and Fluminense, and São Paulo giants Corinthians and São Paulo.
By betting on sustainable growth, investing in training infrastructure, data-based scouting and performance-incentivized contracts, Mirassol gave a masterclass on how to run and grow a Brazilian club – precisely when giants like Corinthians, Internacional, Santos, São Paulo and Vasco see themselves in dire financial situations.
Club director Paulinho, a former midfielder who played in two World Cups with Brazil and won trophies with Corinthians and Spain’s Barcelona, is proud of Mirassol’s efficiency, to which he’s definitely a key part to.
“This is a very serious club that pays on time, and every month we are always looking to stay updated on the market in terms of structure and projections, because we can’t fall behind,” he said.
The club’s monthly payroll is slightly more than the R$ 3.5 million per month Dutch star Memphis Depay makes at Corinthians. Another São Paulo-based club, Palmeiras spends 10 times as much as Mirassol in player wages.
“Today I joke that to convince some athletes we need 15 days, 20 days, a month, but that’s no problem for me, it’s my job,” said Paulinho. “And I’ve always made it clear to these athletes that when I try to convince them, I’ll go to my limit. It might take two months, but as long as I see hope that I can bring them here, I’ll keep going.”
Veteran left-back makes league team of the year
Mirassol hired players who many thought had nothing more to offer, such as left back Reinaldo, a 36-year-old who recently played for three-time Libertadores winners São Paulo and Grêmio. Even though fans of his former clubs were happy to see him leave, the veteran bounced back and posted 13 goals and six assists in 34 matches, becoming an instant idol for Mirassol fans and making the Brazilian league team of the year.
“It was an excellent season wearing the Mirassol jersey. I didn’t imagine it would be this good, but I imagined we would have a good campaign. Our work was very well done, the club provides excellent conditions to achieve this performance, and it crowned a job that didn’t just start in 2025,” Reinaldo said in the Brazilian Championship award ceremony.
Head coach Rafael Guanaes had an award-winning season too. The 44-year-old won the coach of the year prize in Brazil, leading Mirassol to an unbeaten-at-home sensational campaign during his first season in Brazil’s top division.
“We can’t start the 2026 Brazilian Championship in fourth place. Unfortunately, everything will start from scratch,” Guanaes said in the event. “Mirassol’s objective will continue to be to remain in the division, even though expectations have changed due to the 2025 results. Still, it’s an objective that reflects the club’s current capabilities, even though we’ve achieved these other surprising results.”
“It’s important to keep our feet on the ground, to understand that we’re going to need to work harder, always in a high-quality way, starting with me, to find new levels of performance, new game ideas, and appropriate strategic planning when playing at altitude, etc. New challenges for the club, so that we can face them and respond accordingly,” he added.
Rafael Guanaes came and conquered: the Mirassol head coach won the coach of the year prize in his first season in Brazil’s top division (Photo: Staff Images/CBF)
Big European clubs from small cities include Germany’s Bayer Leverkusen and Hoffenheim, Belgium’s Genk, Norway’s Molde, Austria’s RB Salzburg, and England’s Nottingham Forest, all punching above their weight with domestic and European success despite small populations.
But maybe not even Genk, from a city under 70,000, Hoffenheim, from a town of just over 3,000 people, Molde FK, from a town not in Norway’s top 30 by population, or England’s Brentford, a town in West London with a population of around 27,907 in 2011, can claim they did the unthinkable quite as Mirassol did.
From Brazil’s fourth-tier to qualifying to South America’s top continental tournament in five years, this example of hard and intelligent work to defy the odds is definitely one for the ages and something all Mirassol fans should be incredibly proud of.