The decisive stage of the tournament is set to take place on Friday and Saturday - watch on VBTV
Published 03:31, 26 Feb 2026
Minas defeated Praia three times already in the 2025-2026 season (Photo: Felipe Deslandes/Minas Tênis Clube)
Brazilian giants SESC RJ Flamengo, Osasco São Cristovão Saúde, Gerdau Minas and Dentil Praia Clube will fight for the first national title of the 2025-2026 season this weekend, when they compete in the Brazilian Cup Final Four.
The decisive stage of the domestic cup will be held in Londrina, with the semifinals taking place on Friday and the final following on Sunday.
Flamengo and Osasco meet in the first semifinal, on Friday, at 18:30 local time (21:30 UTC). Later, at 21:00 (00:00 UTC, Saturday), Minas and Praia battle for the second spot in the final, which is scheduled for Saturday, also at 21:00 (00:00 UTC, Sunday).
Flamengo enter the Final Four determined to bounce back from their biggest upset in the season so far, a home loss to Sancor Maringá Vôlei that took them off the top of the Superliga standings - they're now second.
The winners of four editions of the Brazilian Cup (2008, 2016, 2017 and 2020), they eliminated Paulistano Barueri in the quarterfinals and count on Olympic medalist opposite Tainara Santos, Brazilian national team middle blocker Lorena Viezel and American outside hitter Simone Lee to return to the final.
"We've defeated Osasco twice this season, but it's going to be a battle," libero Laís Vasques said. "We'll need to play even better this time to advance. We had two intense weeks preparing for this match and we hope we can make the most of our strengths to fight for the title."
Their opponents Osasco are currently fourth in the Superliga and have already played in two finals this season, winning the Brazilian Supercup and finishing second in the South American Championship. They overcame Fluminense in the Brazilian Cup quarterfinals.
Osasco are the reigning Brazilian Cup champions, having won the tournament for the fourth time last year (they also triumphed in 2009, 2014 and 2018). Olympic medalist libero Camila Brait, Argentine opposite Bianca Cugno and American outside hitter Caitie Baird form the core of the team.
"The Brazilian Cup is a very important tournament in our calendar," Brait reflected. "We'll fight to defend the title we won last year, but we know competition will be intense. We're coming straight from the South American Championship, and if on one hand we may be a little tired, on the other we have a good rhythm."
Stars in arguably the biggest Derby in Brazilian volleyball history, the teams have met twice this season in the Superliga, with Flamengo prevailing on both occasions. The last ten matches, however, show great balance, with five victories for each team.
Recently promoted to the top of the Superliga standings, Minas are undefeated in their last seven matches across all competitions. Among those victories is the triumph over Maringá in the Brazilian Cup quarterfinals.
With three Brazilian Cup titles (2019, 2021 and 2023) under their belts, they count on star middle blockers Thaisa Daher and Júlia Kudiess and Olympic medalist libero Nyeme Cost to lift the trophy again.
"I expect an incredible match in the semifinals," Thaisa revealed. "Praia have been our main rival for many seasons, and we recognize their strength. But we are also aware of the importance of this match and that we'll need to be very focused to deliver our best game."
Praia rank third in the Superliga and won their last three matches in the tournament. They obtained a big victory in the Brazilian Cup quarterfinals, knocking recently-crowned South American champions SESI Vôlei Bauru out in straight sets.
They have won the Brazilian Cup in 2024 and want to return to the top of the podium this season, having Olympic champion middle blocker Adenízia Ferreira, Olympic medalist setter Macris Carneiro and American outside hitter Payton Caffrey as some of the stars in their squad.
"We have high expectations for the Final Four and want to be in the final," Adenízia remarked. "We have a big rivalry with Minas and every match against them is always very complicated. We worked hard to win this match and hopefully take the title."
Minas have triumphed in all three matches against Praia this season, winning both Superliga encounters and the Minas Gerais State Championship final. The last ten duels in national and international events show five victories for each side.
Quick links:
Brazilian Women's Superliga
VBTV
Volleyball World Facebook
Volleyball World X
Volleyball World Instagram
Volleyball World YouTube
Subscribe to Volleyball World's Newsletter
