Liga F and the São Paulo Football Federation have turned ten months of visits and meetings into a formal cooperation agreement.
The partnership was presented in São Paulo on Wednesday, during the Dia F: Legado e Futuro do Futebol Feminino event held at the Brazilian federation’s headquarters. Those present included its president, Reinaldo Carneiro Bastos, and vice-president, Mauro Silva, alongside Liga F president Beatriz Álvarez and chief executive Pablo Vilches. The agreement creates a framework for joint work in management, technical and administrative training, women’s refereeing, research, social projects and internationalisation.
The two organisations also plan to arrange courses, workshops and technical visits and to facilitate exchanges between professionals. However, they have not announced the agreement’s duration, any associated investment, a schedule of activities or specific projects.
At least for now, it does not involve the creation of a competition, matches between Spanish and Brazilian clubs or a defined sporting programme. It provides the framework from which Liga F and the São Paulo Football Federation will have to develop those initiatives.
A relationship that began in Madrid
The agreement did not emerge from a single meeting.
In October 2025, a delegation from the São Paulo Football Federation visited Liga F’s headquarters. Its representatives were introduced to the organisation’s internal structure, departments and the changes in Spanish women’s football since the top flight was granted professional status.
Two months later, the journey was made in the opposite direction. Álvarez and Vilches travelled to São Paulo to attend a women’s football congress and meet officials from the Brazilian federation.
Those discussions already addressed the creation of a cooperation framework. The agreement announced this week formalises the process that began during those meetings.
Two models with different experiences
The Brazilian federation’s interest has focused particularly on Liga F’s professionalisation process, organisational structure and governance model.
The São Paulo Football Federation brings a different kind of experience. It has operated a department dedicated exclusively to women’s football since 2016 and has considerably expanded its activity over the past decade.
During that period, its women’s calendar grew from one competition to 11. The 98 matches organised in 2016 became 500 in 2025, while the number of teams involved in its competitions and programmes rose from 14 to 141.
The federation organises the Campeonato Paulista and youth competitions for girls, as well as courses and programmes for players, coaches, referees, officials and media professionals.
“We have come to share, but also to learn”
Álvarez rejected the idea that the relationship would involve knowledge moving in only one direction.
“This relationship is not about Liga F coming to Brazil to teach a model. We have come to share, but also to learn,” the Liga F president said during the announcement. “We are building a bridge between São Paulo and Spain to share knowledge, create opportunities and grow together.”
São Paulo Football Federation president Reinaldo Carneiro Bastos also described the agreement as a two-way relationship. The Brazilian organisation has worked with LALIGA for several years but wanted a specific route through which to cooperate on women’s football.
The new agreement provides that direct connection. Its true scope will depend on whether the institutional exchange produces courses, research, refereeing projects or training programmes with defined dates and objectives.
After ten months of discussions, Liga F and the São Paulo Football Federation have their framework. The next task is to turn it into something tangible.