Chapecoense will leave southern Brazil for Medellín this week carrying a fixture that reaches far beyond the ordinary rhythm of a league calendar. After a 1-1 draw with Atlético Mineiro in the 28th round of Brazil’s Serie A, the club are preparing for Saturday’s meeting with Atlético Nacional at the Atanasio Girardot, a match arranged in memory and solidarity.
The squad is due to fly to Colombia on Wednesday at 18:30 Brasília time. Kick-off in Medellín is scheduled for Saturday at 18:00 Brasília time, with the occasion known as the Game of Eternal Friendship bringing Chapecoense back to the city connected to the darkest chapter in the club’s history.
A return to Medellín
The friendly honours those lost in the 2016 air disaster involving Chapecoense’s delegation. The team had been travelling to Colombia for the first leg of the Copa Sudamericana final against Atlético Nacional when the aircraft crashed. Seventy-one people died.
November 29, 2026 will mark ten years since the tragedy. Atlético Nacional and Chapecoense have maintained a bond shaped by the response to that loss, and this weekend’s match offers another public moment of remembrance at a stadium that would have staged the final.
There will also be practical support attached to the event. A portion of the proceeds will go to people affected by the recent earthquake across several parts of Colombia, giving the fixture a charitable purpose alongside its memorial role.
League concerns wait
Chapecoense’s domestic season resumes on October 7, when they visit Vitória in the 29th round of Serie A at 20:00 Brasília time. The club currently sit last in the Brazilian top-flight table, leaving a difficult league fight to resume after their Colombian journey.
