Primeira Liga

Primeira Liga

Country	Portugal
Confederation	UEFA
Founded	1934
Number of teams	18 (from 2014–15)
Level on pyramid	1
Relegation to	Segunda Liga
Domestic cup(s)	Taça de Portugal Supertaça
League cup(s)	Taça da Liga
International cup(s)	UEFA Champions League UEFA Europa League
Current champions	Benfica (34th title) (2014–15)
Most championships	Benfica (34 titles)
TV partners	List of broadcasters
Website	LigaPortugal.pt
2015–16 Primeira Liga

The Primeira Liga (Portuguese: [pɾiˈmɐjɾɐ ˈliɣɐ]; English: First League), also known as Liga NOS for sponsorship reasons, is the top professional association football division of the Portuguese football league system. It is organised and supervised by the Liga Portuguesa de Futebol Profissional. As of the 2014–15 season, the Primeira Liga is contested by 18 teams, with the two lowest placed teams relegated to the Segunda Liga and replaced by the top-two non-reserve teams from this division.

Founded in 1934 as an experimental league, it was officialised in 1938 and named Primeira Divisão (First Division) until 1999, when it recovered the original naming. A total of 70 teams have competed in the Primeira Liga, but only five have been crowned champions. Among them, the "Big Three" – Benfica (34), Porto (27) and Sporting CP (18) – have won all but two Primeira Liga titles; the other winners are Belenenses (1945–46) and Boavista (2000–01). Benfica have won the Primeira Liga a record 34 times, followed by Porto with 27 and Sporting CP with 18 wins.^[1]

The Primeira Liga has increased its reputation in the last few years, occupying the 5th place of UEFA's league ranking. It broke into the top five for the first time in the 2011–12 season, passing the French Ligue 1, one of the historical "big five" European leagues, for the first time since 1990.^[2] The Primeira Liga also reached a world ranking of 4th according to IFFHS's 2011 ranking.^[3]

History

Before the Portuguese football reform of 1938, an experimental competition on a round-basis was already being held – the Primeira Liga (Premier League) and the winners of that competition were named "League champions". Despite that, a Championship of Portugal in a knock-out cup format was the most popular and defined the Portuguese champion, although the winners of this competition no longer count as Portuguese football champions.

Then, with the reform, a round-robin basis competition was implemented as the most important of the calendar and began defining the Portuguese champion. From 1938 to 1999, the name Campeonato Nacional da Primeira Divisão (National Championship of the First Division) or just Primeira Divisão (First Division), was used.

Porto won the inaugural edition of the new league championship and successfully defended the title in the next season. In 1939–40 the tournament was expanded from 8 to 10 clubs, due to an administrative battle between Porto and Académico do Porto, regarding a Regional Championship game that ended with only 43 minutes after the start, and later repeated (which FC Porto won) according to Porto FA decision. FPF came out with a decision to satisfy both clubs, expanding the championship to 10 teams (one more from Porto FA and another from Setúbal FA) and annulling the result from the repetition match. With this decision, FC Porto lost the Regional title and finished in 3rd, Leixões SC became the new regional champion, while Académico was 2nd place. All 3 teams qualified for 1939–40 Primeira Divisão.^[4]

In the 1941–42 season, it was decided to expand the championship from 8 to 10 teams to admit Braga FA and Algarve FA champions (until this season only the top teams from Porto, Coimbra, Lisboa and Setúbal were admitted).^[5] Porto finished the regional championship in third place again, which did not grant entry into the Primeira Liga.^[6] However, a second expand (from 10 to 12) in the same season was decided, which allowed the club to participate.^[7]

After the 1945–46 season, the qualifying system based on regional championships was abandoned and adopted a pyramid system, with relegations and promotions between the 3 tiers. The clubs in Primeira Divisão, Segunda Divisão and Terceira Divisão no longer had to play their district championships on the same season as they had been doing since the first seasons of the Liga.^[8]

When the Portuguese League for Professional Football took control of the two nationwide leagues in 1999, it was renamed Campeonato Nacional da Primeira Liga (Premier League National Championship), or simply Primeira Liga (Premier League).

"Big Three" since 2000
Season	Benfica	Porto	Sporting
1999–2000	3	2	1
2000–01	6	2	3
2001–02	4	3	1
2002–03	2	1	3
2003–04	2	1	3
2004–05	1	2	3
2005–06	3	1	2
2006–07	3	1	2
2007–08	4	1	2
2008–09	3	1	2
2009–10	1	3	4
2010–11	2	1	3
2011–12	2	1	4
2012–13	2	1	7
2013–14	1	3	2
2014–15	1	2	3

Big Three

Main article: Big Three (Portugal)

"The Big Three" (Portuguese: Os Três Grandes) is a nickname for the three most powerful sports clubs in Portugal. With the exception of Belenenses in 1945–46 and Boavista in 2000–01, only three clubs have won the Primeira Liga title – Benfica (thirty-four times), Porto (twenty-seven) and Sporting CP (eighteen times). These three clubs generally end up sharing the top three positions, appearing more frequently in UEFA competitions.

These clubs dominate Portuguese football, and it has become typical for fans to support any of these teams as a "first club", with a local team probably coming afterwards, if at all. The "Big Three" have the highest average attendance ratings every season in Portugal, while the other teams, lacking support from the locals (with the exception of Vitória de Guimarães and Braga, which are the next-most supported clubs), have suffered from poor attendance. The lack of support for local teams is considered to be one of the main reasons why Portuguese Football registers one of the worst attendance ratings in European Football's best championships, alongside the broadcast of almost all the games in television. In other sports, the rivalry between the big clubs is also considerable and it usually leads to arguments between the fans and players.

Benfica is the club with most league, cup and league cup titles, as well as the most domestic titles (73) and overall titles won (75), and the only to have won all Portuguese titles. Porto is the club with most Portuguese SuperCups and international titles won. Sporting CP holds the third place when it comes to the most Championships titles and Cup titles won. Benfica is the only Portuguese club to have won two consecutive European Cup/UEFA Champions League titles, reaching ten European finals: seven European Cups and three UEFA Cup/Europa League, and finished runner-up in two Intercontinental Cups. Porto is the only Portuguese club since 1987 to have won any international competition (excluding the UEFA Intertoto Cup), gathering a total of two European Cup/UEFA Champions Leagues, two UEFA Cup/Europa Leagues, one European Super Cup and two Intercontinental Cups and finished runner-up in one European Cup Winner's Cup and three UEFA Super Cup. Sporting CP won one European Cup Winner's Cup and was runner-up in one UEFA Cup. Apart from the big three, Braga won the last UEFA Intertoto Cup and was runner-up in one UEFA Europa League (against Porto).

Competition

From the 2014–15 season on, there are 18 clubs in the Primeira Liga, up from 16 in the previous seasons. During the course of a season, each club plays all teams twice – once at their home stadium and once at their opponent's – for a total of 34 games. At the end of each season, the two lowest placed teams are relegated to the Segunda Liga and the top two teams from Segunda Liga are promoted to the Primeira Liga.

Qualification for European competitions

The top teams in Primeira Liga qualify for the UEFA Champions League with the first and second placed teams directly entering the group stage and the third placed team entering the playoffs for the group stage of UEFA Champions League. Teams placed fourth and fifth play in the UEFA Europa League, along with the Taça de Portugal cup winners (unless they already qualify for the UEFA Champions League through league placing).

Current clubs in the Primeira Liga (2015–16)

Benfica
Sporting CP
Belenenses

Location of teams in Liga NOS 2015–16 (Mainland)

Marítimo
Nacional
União

Location of teams in Liga NOS 2015–16 (Madeira)

Team	Home city	Stadium	Capacity	2014–15 finish
Académica	Coimbra	Estádio Cidade de Coimbra	30,210	14th
Arouca	Arouca	Estádio Municipal de Arouca	5,000	16th
Belenenses	Lisbon	Estádio do Restelo	19,300	6th
Benfica	Lisbon	Estádio da Luz	65,647	1st
Boavista	Porto	Estádio do Bessa	28,263	13th
Braga	Braga	Estádio Municipal de Braga	30,154	4th
Estoril	Estoril	Estádio António Coimbra da Mota	8,000	12th
Marítimo	Funchal	Estádio dos Barreiros	7,000	9th
Moreirense	Moreira de Cónegos	Parque de Jogos Comendador Joaquim de Almeida Freitas	6,100	11th
Nacional	Funchal	Estádio da Madeira	5,142	7th
Paços de Ferreira	Paços de Ferreira	Estádio Capital do Móvel	5,250	8th
Porto	Porto	Estádio do Dragão	52,002	2nd
Rio Ave	Vila do Conde	Estádio do Rio Ave FC	12,820	10th
Sporting CP	Lisbon	Estádio José Alvalade	52,466	3rd
Tondela	Tondela	Estádio João Cardoso	5,000	1st in Segunda Liga
União da Madeira	Funchal	Centro Desportivo da Madeira^{[upper-alpha 1]}	2,500	2nd in Segunda Liga
Vitória de Guimarães	Guimarães	Estádio D. Afonso Henriques	30,146	5th
Vitória de Setúbal	Setúbal	Estádio do Bonfim	18,692	15th

↑ Due to lighting problems, União da Madeira will play their home matches that are broadcast on TV at Estádio da Madeira.

Television

Portugal

Within Portugal, Sport TV broadcasts Primeira Liga matches (up to 6 matches per round), except Benfica home matches which are broadcast by Benfica TV.

International broadcast

Belgium – Belgacom (Two live games a week)^[12]
Bosnia and Herzegovina – Sport Klub
Brazil – SporTV and ESPN Brasil
Bulgaria – TV+
Canada – Sport TV
Croatia – Sport Klub
Czech Republic – Slovak Sport
France – beIN Sport
Indonesia – TransVision Arena, Lejel Sport (several games)
Israel – Sport 5
Lithuania – Sport1
Netherlands – Sport1
Poland – SportKlub+, Orange Sport
Slovakia – Slovak Sport
Slovenia – Sport Klub
Serbia – Sport Klub
Spain – beIN Sports (Spain)
South Africa – SuperSport (Dedicated channel)
Turkey – TivibuSpor
United Kingdom – BT Sport (up to four live matches a week)
United States – Univision Deportes Network
Latin America – ESPN Latin America (Except Brazil) and DirecTV Sports
Lusophone Africa – RTP (one game a week on RTP África), Sport TV África
Middle East and North Africa – beIN Sports
Worldwide – RTP (one game a week on RTP Internacional)

Official match ball

2002–2004: Adidas Fevernova
2004–2006: Adidas Roteiro
2006–2007: Adidas +Teamgeist
2008: Adidas Europass
2008–2009: Adidas Europass Portugal
2009–2010: Adidas Terrapass Liga Sagres
2010–2011: Adidas Jabulani
2011: Adidas Speedcell
2012: Adidas Tango 12
2013: Adidas Cafusa
2014: Adidas Brazuca / Adidas Conext15^[13]

UEFA ranking

UEFA League Ranking at the end of the 2013–14 season: (Previous season (2012–13) rank in italics)^[14]

(see UEFA coefficients full list for more information)

Attendance

Since the beginning of the league, there are three clubs with an attendance much higher than the others: Benfica, Porto and Sporting CP. They have also the biggest stadiums in Portugal, with more than 50,000 seats. Other clubs, such as Vitória de Guimarães and Braga, also have good attendances. Académica de Coimbra, Vitória de Setúbal, Boavista, Belenenses, and Marítimo are historical clubs, with more than 30 top-flight seasons, from the biggest Portuguese cities, and have also many supporters. However, they do not have big attendances nowadays. Their stadiums have between 10,000 and 30,000 seats.

The 2014–15 season saw an average attendance by club:^[15]

	Club	Average	Stadium capacity	Attendance(%)	Accumulated	Stadium
1	Benfica	48,520	64,642	75.06%	824,845	Estádio da Luz
2	Sporting CP	34,988	50,044	69.91%	594,800	Estádio José Alvalade
3	Porto	31,847	50,431	63.15%	541,403	Estádio do Dragão
4	Vitória de Guimarães	15,906	30,008	53.01%	270,408	Estádio D. Afonso Henriques
5	Braga	10,682	30,286	35.27%	181,588	Estádio Municipal de Braga
6	Académica	5,154	29,744	17.33%	87,621	Estádio Cidade de Coimbra
7	Boavista	4,614	30,000	15.38%	78,436	Estádio do Bessa
8	Marítimo	4,566	7,200	70.74%	77,618	Estádio dos Barreiros
9	Vitória de Setúbal	3,406	13,468	25.29%	57,909	Estádio do Bonfim
10	Belenenses	3,303	19,856	16.64%	56,159	Estádio do Restelo
11	Gil Vicente	3,150	12,032	26.18%	53,553	Estádio Cidade de Barcelos
12	Paços de Ferreira	3,053	6,404	47.67%	51,893	Estádio da Mata Real
13	Rio Ave	2,968	9,065	32.74%	50,458	Estádio do Rio Ave FC
14	Nacional	2,163	5,586	38.71%	36,763	Estádio da Madeira
15	Moreirense	2,151	6,153	34.95%	36,563	Estádio Municipal 25 de Abril
16	Estoril	2,071	8,000	27.08%	35,211	Estádio António Coimbra da Mota
17	Arouca	1,718	5,000	36.50%	29,202	Estádio Municipal de Arouca
18	Penafiel	1,579	5,230	30.19%	26,846	Estádio Municipal 25 de Abril

List of champions and top scorers

Clubs											Players
	Season	Champion	Points	Runner-up	Points	Third place	Points	Teams	Rounds	Points /win	Bota de Prata (Top Scorer)	Club	Goals
Campeonato da Liga da Primeira Divisão
	1934–35	Porto	22	Sporting CP	20	Benfica	19	8	14	2 pts	Manuel Soeiro	Sporting CP	14
	1935–36	Benfica	21	Porto	20	Sporting CP	16	8	14	2 pts	Pinga	Porto	21
	1936–37	Benfica (2)	24	Belenenses	23	Sporting CP	19	8	14	2 pts	Manuel Soeiro	Sporting CP	24
	1937–38	Benfica (3)	23	Porto	23	Sporting CP	23	8	14	2 pts	Fernando Peyroteo	Sporting CP	34
Campeonato Nacional da Primeira Divisão
	1938–39	Porto (2)	23	Sporting CP	22	Benfica	21	8	14	2 pts	Costuras	Porto	18
	1939–40	Porto (3)	34	Sporting CP	32	Belenenses	25	10	18	2 pts	Fernando Peyroteo Slavko Kodrnja	Sporting CP Porto	29
	1940–41	Sporting CP	23	Porto	20	Belenenses	19	8	14	2 pts	Fernando Peyroteo	Sporting CP	29
	1941–42	Benfica (4)	38	Sporting CP	34	Belenenses	30	12	22	2 pts	Correia Dias	Porto	36
	1942–43	Benfica (5)	30	Sporting CP	29	Belenenses	28	10	18	2 pts	Julinho	Benfica	24
	1943–44	Sporting CP (2)	31	Benfica	26	Atlético CP	24	10	18	2 pts	Francisco Rodrigues	Vitória de Setúbal	28
	1944–45	Benfica (6)	30	Sporting CP	27	Belenenses	27	10	18	2 pts	Francisco Rodrigues	Vitória de Setúbal	21
	1945–46	Belenenses	38	Benfica	37	Sporting CP	32	12	22	2 pts	Fernando Peyroteo	Sporting CP	37
	1946–47	Sporting CP (3)	47	Benfica	41	Porto	33	14	26	2 pts	Fernando Peyroteo	Sporting CP	43
	1947–48	Sporting CP (4)	41	Benfica	41	Belenenses	37	14	26	2 pts	António Araújo	Porto	36
	1948–49	Sporting CP (5)	42	Benfica	37	Belenenses	35	14	26	2 pts	Fernando Peyroteo	Sporting CP	40
	1949–50	Benfica (7)	45	Sporting CP	39	Atlético CP	30	14	26	2 pts	Julinho	Benfica	29
	1950–51	Sporting CP (6)	45	Porto	34	Benfica	30	14	26	2 pts	Manuel Vasques	Sporting CP	29
	1951–52	Sporting CP (7)	41	Benfica	40	Porto	36	14	26	2 pts	José Águas	Benfica	28
	1952–53	Sporting CP (8)	43	Benfica	39	Belenenses	36	14	26	2 pts	Matateu	Belenenses	29
	1953–54	Sporting CP (9)	43	Porto	36	Benfica	32	14	26	2 pts	João Martins	Sporting CP	31
	1954–55	Benfica (8)	39	Belenenses	39	Sporting CP	37	14	26	2 pts	Matateu	Belenenses	32
	1955–56	Porto (4)	43	Benfica	43	Belenenses	37	14	26	2 pts	José Águas	Benfica	28
	1956–57	Benfica (9)	41	Porto	40	Belenenses	33	14	26	2 pts	José Águas	Benfica	30
	1957–58	Sporting CP (10)	43	Porto	43	Benfica	36	14	26	2 pts	Arsénio Duarte	CUF do Barreiro	23
	1958–59	Porto (5)	41	Benfica	41	Belenenses	38	14	26	2 pts	José Águas	Benfica	26
	1959–60	Benfica (10)	45	Sporting CP	43	Belenenses	36	14	26	2 pts	Edmur Ribeiro	Vitória de Guimarães	25
	1960–61	Benfica (11)	46	Sporting CP	42	Porto	33	14	26	2 pts	José Águas	Benfica	27
	1961–62	Sporting CP (11)	43	Porto	41	Benfica	36	14	26	2 pts	Veríssimo	Porto	23
	1962–63	Benfica (12)	48	Porto	42	Sporting CP	38	14	26	2 pts	José Augusto Torres	Benfica	26
	1963–64	Benfica (13)	46	Porto	40	Sporting CP	34	14	26	2 pts	Eusébio	Benfica	28
	1964–65	Benfica (14)	43	Porto	37	CUF do Barreiro	35	14	26	2 pts	Eusébio	Benfica	28
	1965–66	Sporting CP (12)	42	Benfica	41	Porto	34	14	26	2 pts	Eusébio Ernesto Figueiredo	Benfica Sporting CP	25
	1966–67	Benfica (15)	43	Académica	40	Porto	39	14	26	2 pts	Eusébio	Benfica	31
	1967–68	Benfica (16)	41	Sporting CP	37	Porto	36	14	26	2 pts	Eusébio	Benfica	43
	1968–69	Benfica (17)	39	Porto	37	Vitória de Guimarães	36	14	26	2 pts	Manuel António	Académica	19
	1969–70	Sporting CP (13)	46	Benfica	38	Vitória de Setúbal	36	14	26	2 pts	Eusébio	Benfica	20
	1970–71	Benfica (18)	41	Sporting CP	38	Porto	37	14	26	2 pts	Artur Jorge	Benfica	23
	1971–72	Benfica (19)	55	Vitória de Setúbal	45	Sporting CP	43	16	30	2 pts	Artur Jorge	Benfica	27
	1972–73	Benfica (20)	58	Belenenses	40	Vitória de Setúbal	38	16	30	2 pts	Eusébio	Benfica	40
	1973–74	Sporting CP (14)	49	Benfica	47	Vitória de Setúbal	45	16	30	2 pts	Héctor Yazalde	Sporting CP	46
	1974–75	Benfica (21)	49	Porto	44	Sporting CP	43	16	30	2 pts	Héctor Yazalde	Sporting CP	30
	1975–76	Benfica (22)	50	Boavista	48	Belenenses	40	16	30	2 pts	Rui Jordão	Benfica	30
	1976–77	Benfica (23)	51	Sporting CP	42	Porto	41	16	30	2 pts	Fernando Gomes	Porto	26
	1977–78	Porto (6)	51	Benfica	51	Sporting CP	42	16	30	2 pts	Fernando Gomes	Porto	25
	1978–79	Porto (7)	50	Benfica	49	Sporting CP	42	16	30	2 pts	Fernando Gomes	Porto	27
	1979–80	Sporting CP (15)	52	Porto	50	Benfica	45	16	30	2 pts	Rui Jordão	Sporting CP	31
	1980–81	Benfica (24)	50	Porto	48	Sporting CP	37	16	30	2 pts	Nené	Benfica	20
	1981–82	Sporting CP (16)	46	Benfica	44	Porto	43	16	30	2 pts	Jacques Pereira	Porto	27
	1982–83	Benfica (25)	51	Porto	47	Sporting CP	42	16	30	2 pts	Fernando Gomes	Porto	36
	1983–84	Benfica (26)	52	Porto	49	Sporting CP	42	16	30	2 pts	Fernando Gomes Nené	Porto Benfica	21
	1984–85	Porto (8)	55	Sporting CP	47	Benfica	43	16	30	2 pts	Fernando Gomes	Porto	39
	1985–86	Porto (9)	49	Benfica	47	Sporting CP	46	16	30	2 pts	Manuel Fernandes	Sporting CP	30
	1986–87	Benfica (27)	48	Porto	46	Vitória de Guimarães	41	16	30	2 pts	Paulinho Cascavel	Vitória de Guimarães	22
	1987–88	Porto (10)	66	Benfica	51	Belenenses	48	20	38	2 pts	Paulinho Cascavel	Sporting CP	23
	1988–89	Benfica (28)	63	Porto	56	Boavista	49	20	38	2 pts	Vata	Benfica	16
	1989–90	Porto (11)	59	Benfica	55	Sporting CP	46	18	34	2 pts	Mats Magnusson	Benfica	33
	1990–91	Benfica (29)	69	Porto	67	Sporting CP	57	20	38	2 pts	Rui Águas	Benfica	25
	1991–92	Porto (12)	56	Benfica	46	Boavista	44	18	34	2 pts	Ricky	Boavista	30
	1992–93	Porto (13)	54	Benfica	52	Sporting CP	45	18	34	2 pts	Jorge Cadete	Sporting CP	18
	1993–94	Benfica (30)	54	Porto	52	Sporting CP	51	18	34	2 pts	Rashidi Yekini	Vitória de Setúbal	21
	1994–95	Porto (14)	62	Sporting CP	53	Benfica	49	18	34	2 pts	Hassan Nader	Farense	21
	1995–96	Porto (15)	84	Benfica	73	Sporting CP	67	18	34	3 pts	Domingos Paciência	Porto	25
	1996–97	Porto (16)	85	Sporting CP	72	Benfica	58	18	34	3 pts	Mário Jardel	Porto	30
	1997–98	Porto (17)	77	Benfica	68	Vitória de Guimarães	59	18	34	3 pts	Mário Jardel	Porto	26
	1998–99	Porto (18)	79	Boavista	71	Benfica	65	18	34	3 pts	Mário Jardel	Porto	36
Primeira Liga
	1999–00	Sporting CP (17)	77	Porto	73	Benfica	69	18	34	3 pts	Mário Jardel	Porto	37
	2000–01	Boavista	77	Porto	76	Sporting CP	62	18	34	3 pts	Pena	Porto	22
	2001–02	Sporting CP (18)	75	Boavista	70	Porto	68	18	34	3 pts	Mário Jardel	Sporting CP	42
	2002–03	Porto (19)	86	Benfica	75	Sporting CP	59	18	34	3 pts	Fary Faye	Beira-Mar	18
	2003–04	Porto (20)	82	Benfica	74	Sporting CP	73	18	34	3 pts	Benni McCarthy	Porto	20
	2004–05	Benfica (31)	65	Porto	62	Sporting CP	61	18	34	3 pts	Liédson	Sporting CP	25
	2005–06	Porto (21)	79	Sporting CP	72	Benfica	67	18	34	3 pts	Albert Meyong	Belenenses	17
	2006–07	Porto (22)	69	Sporting CP	68	Benfica	67	16	30	3 pts	Liédson	Sporting CP	15
	2007–08	Porto (23)	69⁽¹⁾	Sporting CP	55	Vitória de Guimarães	53	16	30	3 pts	Lisandro López	Porto	24
	2008–09	Porto (24)	70	Sporting CP	66	Benfica	59	16	30	3 pts	Nenê	Nacional	20
	2009–10	Benfica (32)	76	Braga	71	Porto	68	16	30	3 pts	Óscar Cardozo	Benfica	26
	2010–11	Porto (25)	84	Benfica	63	Sporting CP	48	16	30	3 pts	Hulk	Porto	23
	2011–12	Porto (26)	75	Benfica	69	Braga	62	16	30	3 pts	Óscar Cardozo	Benfica	20
	2012–13	Porto (27)	78	Benfica	77	Paços de Ferreira	54	16	30	3 pts	Jackson Martínez	Porto	26
	2013–14	Benfica (33)	74	Sporting CP	67	Porto	61	16	30	3 pts	Jackson Martínez	Porto	20
	2014–15	Benfica (34)	85	Porto	82	Sporting CP	76	18	34	3 pts	Jackson Martínez	Porto	21

(1) Porto saw six points subtracted in the Apito Dourado bribery allegations, reducing their 20-point lead (total 75 points) to 14. But on May 2011, the Central Administrative Court of the South of Portugal ruled that decision, taken in 2008 on a controversial meeting made by the Justice Council of the Portuguese Football Federation, as being "inexistent". The Portuguese Football Federation has announced it would appeal from this decision the Administrative Supreme Court.

Performance by club

All Primeira Liga champions have come from either Lisbon or Porto.

Club	Winners	Runners-up	Winning Years and Runner-Up Years
Benfica	34	27	1936, 1937, 1938, 1942, 1943, 1944, 1945, 1946, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1950, 1952, 1953, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1998, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015
Porto	27	25	1935, 1936, 1938, 1939, 1940, 1941, 1951, 1954, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1969, 1975, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015
Sporting CP	18	20	1935, 1939, 1940, 1941, 1942, 1943, 1944, 1945, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1958, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1966, 1968, 1970, 1971, 1974, 1977, 1980, 1982, 1985, 1995, 1997, 2000, 2002, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2014
Belenenses	01	03	1937, 1946, 1955, 1973
Boavista	01	03	1976, 1999, 2001, 2002
Académica	–	01	1967
Vitória de Setúbal	–	01	1972
Braga	–	01	2010

Primeira Liga all-time ranking

Last updated following the 2014–15 season

For comparison, older seasons have been calculated according to the three-points-per-win rule. Source up to end of 2004–05 season.^[16]

#	Club	District	S	Pl.	W	D	L	Pts	GF	GA	GD	First	Last	Best classification	Notes
1	Benfica	Lisbon	82	2262	1534	433	295	5035	5469	2016	3453	1935	2016	19 !1st (34 titles)	Never relegated, present in all editions.
2	Porto	Porto	82	2262	1493	413	356	4886^[17]	5026	2040	2986	1935	2016	18 !1st (27 titles)	Never relegated, present in all editions.
3	Sporting CP	Lisbon	82	2262	1387	479	396	4640	4961	2172	2789	1935	2016	17 !1st (18 titles)	Never relegated, present in all editions.
4	Belenenses	Lisbon	75	2044	849	497	698	3041	3248	2588	660	1935	2016	16 !1st (1 title)
5	Vitória de Guimarães	Braga	71	2052	795	487	770	2872	2897	2913	-16	1942	2016	14 !3rd
6	Vitória de Setúbal	Setúbal	68	1902	656	451	795	2419	2632	2876	-244	1935	2016	15 !2nd
7	Braga	Braga	60	1786	661	431	694	2414	2360	2530	-170	1948	2016	15 !2nd
8	Boavista	Porto	53	1568	612	392	564	2228	2111	2181	-70	1936	2016	16 !1st (1 title)
9	Académica	Coimbra	64	1670	511	377	782	1910	2314	2943	-629	1935	2016	15 !2nd
10	Marítimo	Madeira	36	1142	389	323	430	1490	1298	1417	-119	1978	2016	12 !5th
11	Beira-Mar	Aveiro	27	858	218	242	398	896	883	1340	-457	1962	2013	11 !6th
12	Farense	Faro	23	754	222	191	341	857	796	1093	-297	1971	2002	12 !5th
13	Estoril	Lisbon	24	670	208	173	289	797	939	1087	-148	1945	2016	13 !4th
14	Salgueiros	Porto	24	740	197	183	360	774	804	1377	-573	1944	2002	12 !5th	Ended football team in 2005.
15	CUF do Barreiro	Setúbal	23	610	207	148	255	769	829	1004	-175	1943	1976	14 !3rd	Renamed Fabril do Barreiro in 2000.
16	Rio Ave	Porto	22	670	191	194	285	767	668	895	-219	1980	2016	12 !5th
17	Leixões	Porto	25	670	183	164	323	713	750	1186	-436	1937	2010	12 !5th
18	União de Leiria	Leiria	18	584	184	159	241	711	620	771	-151	1980	2012	12 !5th
19	Atlético CP	Lisbon	24	632	192	134	306	710	976	1285	-309	1944	1977	14 !3rd
20	Nacional	Madeira	17	520	183	141	196	690	645	671	-26	1989	2016	13 !4th
21	Varzim	Porto	21	618	169	176	273	683	638	913	-275	1964	2003	12 !5th
22	Gil Vicente	Braga	18	604	169	155	280	662	601	839	-238	1991	2015	12 !5th
23	Paços de Ferreira	Porto	18	546	165	160	221	655	567	720	-153	1992	2016	14 !3rd
24	Barreirense	Setúbal	24	592	166	119	307	617	758	1195	-437	1938	1979	13 !4th
25	Estrela da Amadora	Lisbon	16	540	144	176	220	608	521	680	-159	1989	2009	10 !7th	Folded in 2011.
26	Olhanense	Faro	20	516	147	124	245	565	800	1057	-257	1942	2014	13 !4th
27	Portimonense	Faro	14	440	140	108	192	528	460	576	-116	1977	2011	12 !5th
28	Chaves	Vila Real	13	446	131	123	192	516	492	619	-127	1986	1999	12 !5th
29	Sporting da Covilhã	Castelo Branco	15	406	126	79	201	457	585	834	-249	1949	1988	12 !5th
30	Penafiel	Porto	14	434	106	117	211	435	351	625	-274	1981	2015	07 !10th
31	Lusitano de Évora	Évora	14	364	116	64	184	412	494	722	-228	1953	1966	12 !5th
32	Sporting de Espinho	Aveiro	11	354	96	91	167	379	336	523	-187	1975	1997	10 !7th
33	Tirsense	Porto	8	256	65	73	118	268	219	370	-151	1968	1996	09 !8th
34	Famalicão	Braga	6	196	53	48	95	207	205	346	-141	1947	1994	04 !13th
35	Naval 1º de Maio	Coimbra	6	184	49	46	89	193	160	257	-97	2006	2011	09 !8th
36	Oriental	Lisbon	7	190	50	37	103	187	224	438	-214	1951	1975	12 !5th
37	Alverca	Lisbon	5	170	48	37	85	181	192	266	-74	1999	2004	06 !11th
38	Campomaiorense	Portalegre	5	170	48	34	88	178	186	287	-101	1996	2001	06 !11th	Ended football team in 2013.
39	União da Madeira	Madeira	6	174	41	54	79	177	150	250	-100	1990	2016	07 !10th
40	Torreense	Lisbon	6	164	44	31	89	163	183	316	-133	1956	1992	10 !7th
41	União de Tomar	Santarém	6	172	43	33	96	162	178	331	-153	1969	1976	07 !10th
42	O Elvas	Portalegre	5	146	37	37	72	148	211	283	-72	1948	1988	09 !8th	Ended football team in 2014.
43	Moreirense	Braga	6	166	44	54	68	186	168	215	-47	2003	2016	08 !9th
44	Leça	Porto	4	124	33	25	66	124	120	231	-111	1942	1998	05 !12th
45	Académico de Viseu	Viseu	4	128	27	24	77	105	81	237	-156	1979	1989	04 !13th
46	Caldas	Leiria	4	104	26	25	53	103	124	235	-111	1956	1959	07 !10th
47	Santa Clara	Ponta Delgada	3	102	24	31	47	103	106	150	-44	2000	2003	03 !14th
48	Montijo	Setúbal	3	90	23	20	47	89	91	155	-64	1973	1977	04 !13th	Folded in 2007.
49	Amora	Setúbal	3	90	22	23	45	89	90	143	-53	1981	1983	05 !12th
50	Feirense	Aveiro	4	120	18	22	80	76	97	245	-148	1963	2012	03 !14th
51	Desportivo das Aves	Porto	3	94	16	25	53	73	78	152	-74	1986	2007	04 !13th
52	Lusitano VRSA	Faro	3	78	21	9	48	72	94	210	-116	1948	1950	05 !12th
53	Sanjoanense	Aveiro	4	104	16	22	66	70	86	249	-163	1947	1969	07 !10th
54	Carcavelinhos	Lisbon	5	82	19	12	51	69	103	223	-120	1936	1942	13 !4th	Merged to form Atlético in 1942.
55	Unidos de Lisboa	Lisbon	3	54	18	8	28	62	151	145	6	1941	1943	13 !4th	Ended football team in 2009.
56	Académico do Porto	Porto	5	82	18	6	58	60	137	300	-163	1935	1942	10 !7th	Ended football team in 1964.
57	Arouca	Aveiro	3	64	15	14	35	59	54	92	-38	2014	2016	05 !12th	Never relegated.
58	SL Elvas	Portalegre	2	48	17	3	28	54	108	167	-59	1946	1947	08 !9th	Merged to form O Elvas in 1947.
59	Fafe	Braga	1	38	9	14	15	41	29	47	-18	1989	1989	01 !16th
60	Felgueiras	Porto	1	34	8	9	17	33	29	47	-18	1996	1996	01 !16th	Folded in 2005.
61	Seixal	Setúbal	2	52	7	8	37	29	44	150	-106	1964	1965	05 !12th	Ended football team in 2007.
62	Riopele	Braga	1	30	6	9	15	27	23	51	-28	1978	1978	02 !15th	Folded in 1984.
63	Recreio de Águeda	Aveiro	1	30	7	5	18	26	25	55	-30	1984	1984	02 !15th
64	Trofense	Porto	1	30	5	8	17	23	25	42	-17	2009	2009	01 !16th
65	União de Coimbra	Coimbra	1	30	5	7	18	22	22	54	-32	1973	1973	02 !15th	Ended football team in 2009.
66	Ginásio de Alcobaça	Leiria	1	30	4	7	19	19	20	56	-36	1983	1983	01 !16th
67	Vizela	Braga	1	30	4	7	19	19	31	71	-40	1985	1985	01 !16th
68	União de Lisboa	Lisbon	1	14	3	2	9	11	30	49	-19	1935	1935	11 !6th	Merged to form Atlético in 1942.
69	Oliveirense	Aveiro	1	22	3	2	17	11	22	73	-51	1946	1946	05 !12th
70	Casa Pia	Lisbon	1	14	1	0	13	3	12	56	-44	1938	1938	09 !8th
71	Tondela	Viseu	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2016	2016	01 !none	Never relegated.

Competing in Primeira Liga
Competing in Segunda Liga
Competing below Segunda Liga
Not competing (See Notes)

For standardisation purposes, a win is worth three points for all clubs.

Records

Top ten goalscorers
Player		Period	Club	Goals
1	Fernando Peyroteo	1937–1950	Sporting CP	331 (1.68/game)
2	Eusébio	1960–1977	Benfica, Beira-Mar	319 (1.02/game)
3	Fernando Gomes	1974–1991	Porto, Sporting CP	318 (0.79/game)
4	José Águas	1950–1963	Benfica	290 (1.03/game)
5	Nené	1968–1986	Benfica	262 (0.62/game)
6	Manuel Fernandes	1970–1988	CUF, Sporting CP, Vitória de Setúbal	243 (0.50/game)
7	Matateu	1951–1967	Belenenses, Atlético de Lisboa	218 (0.75/game)
8	José Torres	1959–1980	Benfica, Vitória de Setúbal, Estoril-Praia	217 (0.57/game)
9	Rui Jordão	1971–1989	Benfica, Sporting CP, Vitória de Setúbal	215 (0.60/game)
10	Arsénio Duarte	1943–1959	Benfica, CUF	211 (0.67/game)

Other records

In 1972–73, Benfica won the Portuguese Liga without defeat, with 58 points in 30 games (28 wins and 2 draws), the most ever obtained (96.7% of points available) where victory was awarded 2 points. This season Benfica set the Portuguese league and European leagues record for most consecutive victories (23). Benfica also set the league record for greatest margin of victory in points over the second-placed team (18 points) in a 2 points per win championship.
In 1977–78, Benfica completed the Portuguese Liga unbeaten for the second time (21 wins and 9 draws).
In 2010–11, Porto won the Portuguese Liga without defeat, with 84 points in 30 games (27 wins and 3 draws), the most ever obtained (93.3% efficiency) where victory was awarded 3 points. This season Porto also set the league record for greatest margin of victory in points over the second-placed team (21 points) in a 3 points per win championship.
In 2012–13, Porto won the Portuguese Liga unbeaten for the second time (24 wins and 6 draws).

References

↑ "BENFICA CAMPEÃO: todos os vencedores da Liga" [BENFICA CHAMPIONS: all the league winners] (in Portuguese). Maisfutebol. 17 May 2015. Retrieved 22 May 2015.
↑ "UEFA Country Ranking 1990". Bert Kassies. Retrieved 4 September 2012.
↑ "Current Ranking – IFFHS". Retrieved 4 September 2012.
↑ Stadium Newspaper, 10 January 1940
↑ http://www.record.xl.pt/Arquivo/interior.aspx?content_id=9114
↑ Tovar 2011, p. 191.
↑ Tovar, p. 136
↑ http://www.record.xl.pt/Arquivo/interior.aspx?content_id=9114
↑ http://www.lpfp.pt/default.aspx?SqlPage=content_noticias&CpContentId=286631
↑ http://www.lpfp.pt/default.aspx?SqlPage=content_noticias&CpContentId=286890
↑ http://www.jornaldenegocios.pt/empresas/desporto/detalhe/liga_nos_mantem_se_por_tres_anos_e_meio.html
↑ Belgacom
↑ "Bola oficial da Liga Portugal" [Liga Portugal's official ball] (in Portuguese). Retrieved 3 January 2015.
↑ "UEFA Country Ranking 2014 – kassiesA – Xs4all". Retrieved 18 July 2014.
↑ "Painel de espectadores por clube". www.ligaportugal.pt. Retrieved 13 July 2015.
↑ http://www.rsssf.com/tablesp/portallt.html
↑ 6 points deducted in 2007–08

External links

Official website (Portuguese)
League at UEFA
Official regulation (Portuguese)
Official statistics (Portuguese)
Portugal – List of Champions, RSSSF.com
Primeira Liga – All matches and standings since season 08/09, SofaScore.com

Primeira Liga

2015–16 clubs	Académica Arouca Belenenses Benfica Boavista Braga Estoril Marítimo Moreirense Nacional Paços de Ferreira Porto Rio Ave Sporting CP Tondela União da Madeira Vitória de Guimarães Vitória de Setúbal

Former clubs	Académico de Viseu Académico do Porto Águeda Alcobaça Alverca Amora Atlético CP Barreirense Beira-Mar Caldas Campomaiorense Carcavelinhos Casa Pia CUF Desportivo de Aves Desportivo de Chaves Elvas Estrela da Amadora Fafe Famalicão Farense Feirense Felgueiras Gil Vicente Leixões Leça Lusitano de Évora Lusitano VRSA Montijo Naval O Elvas Oliveirense Olhanense Oriental Penafiel Portimonense Riopele Salgueiros Sanjoanense Santa Clara Seixal Sporting da Covilhã Sporting de Espinho Tirsense Torreense Trofense União de Coimbra União de Leiria União de Lisboa União de Tomar Unidos de Lisboa Varzim Vizela

Top-level football seasons in Portugal

Experimental Primeira Liga	1934–35 1935–36 1936–37 1937–38

Primeira Divisão	1938–39 1939–40 1940–41 1941–42 1942–43 1943–44 1944–45 1945–46 1946–47 1947–48 1948–49 1949–50 1950–51 1951–52 1952–53 1953–54 1954–55 1955–56 1956–57 1957–58 1958–59 1959–60 1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99

Primeira Liga	1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16

Football in Portugal

FPF LPFP

National teams	Portugal captains hat-tricks Women's B U-23 U-21 U-20 U-19 U-18 U-17 U-16 U-15

League system	Primeira Liga (hat-tricks) LigaPro Campeonato de Portugal Campeonato Nacional de Futebol Feminino

District Associations	Algarve Angra do Heroísmo Aveiro Beja Braga Bragança Castelo Branco Coimbra Évora Guarda Horta Leiria Lisbon Madeira Ponta Delgada Portalegre Porto Santarém Setúbal Viana do Castelo Vila Real Viseu

Domestic cups	Taça de Portugal Taça da Liga Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira Taça de Portugal de Futebol Feminino Supertaça de Futebol Feminino

Defunct competitions	Segunda Divisão Terceira Divisão Taça Ribeiro dos Reis Taça Federação Portuguesa de Futebol Liga Intercalar

Clubs Club honours Foreign players Records Venues

Top-level football leagues in Europe (UEFA)

Active	Albania Andorra Armenia Austria Azerbaijan Belarus Belgium Bosnia and Herzegovina Bulgaria Croatia Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark England Estonia Faroe Islands Finland France Georgia Germany Gibraltar Greece Hungary Iceland Israel Italy Kazakhstan Latvia Lithuania Luxembourg Macedonia Malta Moldova Montenegro Netherlands Northern Ireland Norway Poland Portugal Republic of Ireland Romania Russia San Marino Scotland Serbia Slovakia Slovenia Spain Sweden Switzerland Turkey Ukraine Wales

Non-recognized	Isle of Man Kosovo Northern Cyprus

Defunct	Czechoslovakia East Germany Serbia and Montenegro Soviet Union Yugoslavia

Top level men's association football leagues around the world

Africa (clubs)

North Africa	Botola (Morocco) Ligue Professionnelle 1 (Algeria) Ligue Professionnelle 1 (Tunisia) Premier League (Egypt) Premier League (Libya)

West Africa	Campeonato Nacional (Cape Verde) Campeonato Nacional (Guinea-Bissau) Championnat National (Guinea) Championnat National (Togo) First Division (Gambia) Ligue 1 (Ivory Coast) Ligue 1 (Mauritania) National Premier League (Sierra Leone) Première Division (Mali) Premier League (Benin) Premier League (Burkina Faso) Premier League (Ghana) Premier League (Liberia) Premier League (Niger) Premier League (Nigeria) Premier League (Senegal) Primera División (Equatorial Guinea)

Central Africa	Championnat National D1 (Gabon) Central African Republic League Elite One (Cameroon) São Tomé and Príncipe Championship

East Africa	Premier League (Burundi) Premier League (Djibouti) Premier League (Eritrea) Premier League (Ethiopia) Premier League (Kenya) Premier League (Sudan) Premier League (Tanzania) Premier League (Zanzibar) Rwanda National Football League Somali League South Sudan Football Championship Ugandan Super League

Southern Africa	First Division (Seychelles) Girabola (Angola) Mauritian League Moçambola (Mozambique) Premier Division (Zanzibar) Premier League (Botswana) Premier League (Comoros) Premier League (Lesotho) Premier League (Namibia) Premier League (Swaziland) Premier League (Zambia) Premier Soccer League (South Africa) Premier Soccer League (Zimbabwe) THB Champions League (Madagascar)

Asia (clubs)

West Asia	Saudi Professional League (Saudi Arabia) Kuwaiti Premier League (Kuwait) Qatar Stars League (Qatar) UAE Arabian Gulf League Iraqi Premier League (Iraq) Oman Professional League (Oman) Jordan Premier League (Jordan) Lebanese Premier League (Lebanon) Bahraini Premier League (Bahrain) Yemeni League (Yemen)

Central Asia	Persian Gulf Pro League (Iran) Uzbek League (Uzbekistan) Ýokary Liga (Turkmenistan)

South Asia	I-League/Indian Super League (India) Bangladesh Super Soccer League (Bangladesh)

East Asia	Chinese Super League (China PR) J. League Division 1 (Japan) K League Classic (Korea Republic) Hong Kong Premier League (Hong Kong)

Southeast Asia	Thai Premier League (Thailand) Malaysia Super League (Malaysia) S.League (Singapore) Indonesia Super League (Indonesia) A-League (Australia/New Zealand) V.League 1 (Vietnam) Myanmar National League (Myanmar) United Football League (Philippines)

Europe (clubs)

Belgian Pro League (Belgium)
Premier League (England)
Ligue 1 (France)
Bundesliga (Germany)
Superleague Greece (Greece)
Serie A (Italy)
Eredivisie (Netherlands)
Primeira Liga (Portugal)
Russian Football Premier League (Russia)
La Liga (Spain)
Swiss Super League (Switzerland)
Süper Lig (Turkey)
Ukrainian Premier League (Ukraine)
Czech First League (Czech Republic)
Liga I (Romania)
Scottish Premiership (Scotland)

North & Central America,
and the Caribbean (clubs)

North America	Major League Soccer (USA/Canada) Liga MX (Mexico)

Caribbean	Jamaican National Premier League TT Pro League (Trinidad and Tobago)

Oceania (clubs)

South America (clubs)

National championships in Portugal

Association football
- Men's
- Women's
Basketball
- Men's
- Women's
Beach soccer
- Men's
Cycling- Time trial
- Men's
Cycling - Road
- Men's
Futsal
- Men's
- Women's
Roller hockey (quad)
- Men's
Rugby union
- Men's
- Women's
Swimming
Team handball
- Men's
- Women's
Volleyball
- Men's
- Women's

Motorsport	Clássicos Cross country Hillclimbing Karting Off-roading Rallying Velocidade

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