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Primeira Liga

Primeira Liga

Primeira Liga


Primeira Liga is the top professional football division in Portugal. It was first played in 1934–35 as an experimental league and later became the official national championship after the 1938 reform. Since then, it has been the main competition deciding the Portuguese champions.

History and facts

Before the modern league structure, Portuguese football was organized in regional leagues and a national cup-style tournament called the Campeonato de Portugal. In 1934, a round-robin league – the early Primeira Liga – was introduced, and from the 1938–39 season it became the top official championship.

Over time, the competition changed its name from Primeira Liga to Primeira Divisão and back again in 1999. Today, it features 18 clubs playing 34 matches per team each season, with three clubs relegated to Liga Portugal 2.

The league is dominated by the so-called “Big Three”: Benfica, Porto and Sporting CP. Apart from them, only Belenenses and Boavista have managed to win the title.

League system


Primeira Liga is the first tier of the Portuguese football league system. Clubs are relegated to Liga Portugal 2, while promoted teams come from the second division. Below the professional tiers, the structure continues with Liga 3, Campeonato de Portugal, and regional district leagues.


Table 1. Portuguese football tiers
League Tier
Primeira Liga (Liga Portugal Betclic)1
Liga Portugal 22
Liga 33
Campeonato de Portugal4
Regional district leagues5
Below the national leagues, several district competitions complete the Portuguese pyramid.

Stats

Teams with most titles


This table lists all clubs that have won the Portuguese top division at least once since the league era started in 1934.

Table 2. Primeira Liga champions
Club Titles
Benfica38
Porto30
Sporting CP21
Belenenses1
Boavista1

All league champions come from either Lisbon or Porto. Benfica, Porto and Sporting CP have won almost every edition of the competition, which is why they are known as the “Big Three”.


Teams with most league participation


This table lists the clubs with the highest number of seasons played in the Primeira Liga.

Table 3. Clubs and league participation
Club Seasons in top division
Benfica90+
Porto90+
Sporting CP90+
Vitória de Guimarães80+
Belenenses70+
SC Braga60+
Boavista60+
Benfica, Porto and Sporting CP have been ever-present in the league since its creation.

Audience

Capacity of Primeira Liga stadiums


Table 4 presents the capacities of some of the largest stadiums used in the Primeira Liga.

Table 4. Selected stadium capacities in Primeira Liga
Team Stadium name Capacity
BenficaEstádio da Luz68,100
Sporting CPEstádio José Alvalade50,095
PortoEstádio do Dragão50,033
SC BragaEstádio Municipal de Braga30,286
Vitória de GuimarãesEstádio D. Afonso Henriques30,029
BoavistaEstádio do Bessa28,263

Players

Top goalscorers and appearances


The all-time top scorer of the Portuguese league is Fernando Peyroteo, who scored more than 330 goals for Sporting CP. The player with the most league appearances is Manuel Fernandes, with almost 500 matches in the competition.

Over the decades, Primeira Liga has produced and developed many world-class forwards and playmakers that later shone in major European competitions.

Famous players

Some of the most famous players that have participated in the Primeira Liga are:

  • Eusébio
  • Mário Coluna
  • Fernando Peyroteo
  • Joaquim Agostinho
  • Rui Costa
  • Luís Figo
  • Deco
  • Ricardo Quaresma
  • Cristiano Ronaldo
  • Hulk
  • Radamel Falcao
  • Ángel Di María
  • David Luiz
  • João Félix
  • Viktor Gyökeres

Primeira Liga timeline



1934 The experimental national league (Primeira Liga) is created alongside regional championships.
1938 The league is reformed and becomes the main competition deciding the Portuguese champions.
1954 Professional football becomes firmly established in Portugal, strengthening the league structure.
1972 Benfica complete one of the most dominant seasons in league history, going undefeated.
1999 The competition is officially branded again as Primeira Liga.
2014 The league expands to 18 teams, a format that continues in the modern era.
2020 The season is heavily affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, with games being played behind closed doors.
References:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primeira_Liga
https://www.footballhistory.org/league/primeira-liga.html
https://www.ligaportugal.pt/

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