On a cold Wednesday morning on the River Thames, where Brentford touches Kew Bridge, the clock ticks past 10:30 a.m., and the typical leafy riverside neighborhood in west London meets its visitors. Joggers hug the Thames path. Geese and seagulls mudlark on the bank. Then suddenly, drums and flags fill the air. A mosaic of São Paulo soccer culture has arrived. The plaza outside the old Victorian warehouse-turned-pub, One Over the Ait, is filling up with black-and-white-clad SC Corinthians Paulist
Joggers hug the Thames path. Geese and seagulls mudlark on the bank. Then suddenly, drums and flags fill the air. A mosaic of São Paulo soccer culture has arrived.
The plaza outside the old Victorian warehouse-turned-pub, One Over the Ait, is filling up with black-and-white-clad SC Corinthians Paulista fans from all over the world. It is still two hours before Corinthians kick off against NJ/NY Gotham FC in the inaugural FIFA Women’s Champions Cup semifinals at the Gtech Community Stadium, a short six-minute walk away.
The atmosphere is building as more fans congregate, pinning up their flags and banners, and joining in with the chorus of chants. Soon, a few hundred will march through the streets to the match.
Holding a 12-foot pole with the Corinthians flag at the top proudly flying high, Deborah, who lives in London but was born and raised in Brazil, says that around 400-500 Corinthians supporters are expected to be at the semifinal.
No matter the physical distance from Corinthians, the passion for the club endures. “We are born like this. We live Corinthians. Corinthians is our lifestyle. Corinthians is everything for us,” she said.
This is also not Corinthians’ first rodeo. As many fans in London were keen to share, at the 2012 men’s Club World Cup, they said more than 20,000 Corinthians traveled to Yokohama, Japan, to watch their 1-0 win over Chelsea in the final.
There is a small traveling contingent of Corinthians’ largest supporters group from São Paulo, Gaviões da Fiel, founded in 1969, but the vast majority of the group attending the Women’s Champions Cup are expats who have joined or created international chapters of Fiel.
“There are fans from Europe, London, São Paulo, Dublin, Porto and Lisbon in Portugal, some people from Malta, a lot of places,” Deborah said.
Deborah and her cohort showed off another enormous banner, printed for this particular crusade, that read “As Brabas in London” (The fierce ones in London). Brabas is a popular Brazilian slang word referring to empowered women.
A Corinthians fan since birth, over the last few years, Deborah has become a keen follower of the women’s team. On her hat is printed “Minas do Timão,” which translates loosely to a very local São Paulo slang word for “girls of the big team.” This is also the name of a popular fan-led media group that closely covers the Corinthians women’s team.
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Meanwhile, Joao, a Corinthians fan who travelled especially for the game that morning from Dublin, Ireland, had never attended a women’s match before and struggled to see the men’s team while living in Europe. He said he wasn’t going to miss his chance to support his team, no matter who adorned the crest.
“It doesn’t matter if it’s basketball or football, women’s or men’s, I’m a Corinthian supporter,” he said. “It’s so special for me because Corinthians coming to play in Europe is so hard (rare).”
Many of the faithful are like Joao. They have taken a vow to Corinthians many years ago but for the first time are taking to the streets and a stadium for the women’s team.
“I would fly miles and miles to support Corinthians. For me, it’s just a train ride away,” said Natalia, based in London. “I wouldn’t miss the chance to be here and support the girls, the very first Women’s Champions Cup. I’m here. I watched the men in Brazil two years ago. Watching the women, it’s my very first time.”
But there’s more than one supporter group represented at the inaugural women’s club competition. Camisas 12, which translates to the “shirts 12,” akin to the concept of a 12th player, is another Corinthians supporters group, founded in 1971, with members adorning custom white bomber jackets, complete with a small stitching of a young man and the number 12.
What are the differences between the two factions?
“We wear black, all black,” said Neto, from Dublin, referring to Gaviões da Fiel. “They wear white, sometimes white and black,” he said, referring to Camisas 12. “Both are crazy. They give their lives for this support.”
No matter the chapter, no matter the group, in London everything swells together like a great Brazilian monochromatic gumbo. As the banner for Fiel Londres read: “The favela is here.”
As more fans arrive, more banners are unfurled. Fiel Londres, Fiel Dublin, Fiel Drogheda, Fiel Porto, Fiel Lisbon, Fiel Malta and so on. Fiels’ banners are all on black fabric with white lettering in yin and yang harmony with the white banners and black lettering that reads, “Fiel Torcida Jovem Camisa 12.”
The march to the stadium gets underway and soon the stadium security team is helping stop traffic on the A4 so this black and white parade can begin its cacophonous trot to the concourse. The streets outside the stadium are filled with a chorus of “Eu Nunca Vou Te Abandonar” (I will never abandon you), as the fan groups stop and perform.
Inside the Gtech Community Stadium, section N125 is the designated Corinthians fans section. For anyone attending the match, it becomes the epicenter of the action. Two of the best teams in global women’s soccer may be on the pitch, but the phenomenon that is the traveling Corinthians quickly steals the show.
Just a few weeks into preseason, Gotham and Corinthians labor through a tense, low-quality semifinal. While the players on the pitch show plenty of rust, this patchwork tapestry of supporters groups, who are coalescing for the first time, appears orchestral.
There is unwavering support from the Corinthians fans. Steady drums, chants and adoration roll for 90 minutes. Certain big tackles, hopeful shots and fouls draw the odd reactive shriek, but this is a group that has come to sing for 90 minutes off the same hymn sheet.
The game is settled late in the second half, when Corinthians captain Gabi Zanotti produces the semifinal’s best bit of quality and spins the ball into the net. Pandemonium ensues in section N125.
“I can’t explain the feeling, this feeling inside. The love for this team,” said Deborah, when asked how she felt when Zanotti scored the only goal. “She (Zanotti) is amazing. She’s the best woman in football now.”
After the full-time whistle, Zanotti and her teammates paid homage to the hundreds of Corinthians fans. They celebrated among them, took selfies, sang songs, all while Zanotti stood on the advertising hoardings, arms stretched out, like some sort of prodigal conductor.
“It had to be her, she is our queen,” said Sabrina, a Brazilian living in Munich, Germany.
Twenty minutes after the final whistle and Corinthians players lingered on the pitch while the fans continued to sing songs and hurl praise at the heroes. Eventually, the masses began to disassemble and head back to the pub on the river to celebrate.
But not all. About 60 fans waited outside the stadium by the Corinthians’ team bus for over an hour to see the team depart after their historic victory. High-pitched cries and guttural roars began as each player walked on and waved to the crowd, some stopping for selfies and signatures. The loudest noise, of course, came for Zanotti.
One of the dedicated fans waiting was Nayara. She is one of the minority of fans who has not only traveled from São Paulo to see Corinthians but is also already invested in the women’s team.
While Nayara is not surprised to see such tremendous support for Corinthians, she was moved by just how many chapters turned up.
“It means a lot,” she said. “They are amazing, the most passionate fans in Brazil. Yes, the most passionate fans. We follow connections everywhere. We can’t explain. It’s like religion.”
While many expat Brazilians traveled in groups based on their respective supporters groups, some fans came alone and soon made friends with strangers who shared the same passion for Corinthians. Tainara, a Brazilian based in Canada, and Sabrina, a Brazilian living in Germany, met in section N125, in adjacent seats.
The two had many things in common. Both have been following Corinthians and the women’s team for many years. Neither felt they could miss the chance to be at the FIFA Women’s Champions Cup, even if it meant traveling thousands of miles alone.
“We’re always there. We’re always supporting the Corinthians. Doesn’t matter where or when, it’s even one of our chants,” said Tainara.
Now fast friends, Tainara and Sabrina are looking forward to spending the rest of the week exploring London and preparing for Sunday’s final against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium. For Tainara, there is more than just pride and $2.3 million at stake for Corinthians.
“It would be proof of what’s happening in women’s football South America,” said Tainara. “It’s so important.” Brazil will have its moment to shine even more when it hosts the 2027 Women’s World Cup for the first time on the continent.
As the sun sets on the Thames, though, drums and songs fill the dimly lit rooms of One Over the Ait. The festivities feel like they could go on forever, but as evening turns to night, the crowd begins to dwindle for the first time.
The Fiels believe there will be thousands of Corinthians fans marching to the Emirates on Sunday. A 12:30 p.m. kick-off on a Wednesday versus a 6:00 p.m. kick-off on a Sunday would certainly give cause for that argument.
As the Women’s Champions Cup battles to establish its own identity and purpose, the Corinthians supporters have already shown how much fans and the power of soccer bring people together from all over the world.
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
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