Portuguese football league system

The Portuguese football league system consists of several leagues bound together hierarchically by promotion and relegation. Reserve teams are allowed to compete in the main league system, as is the case with most of Europe. However, they are not allowed to compete in the same tier as their senior team, thus no reserve team has ever competed in Portugal's top flight, the Primeira Liga.

Men's league system

The Portuguese men's football league system consists of four national divisions and up to four district leagues (depending on the district).

National leagues

All four national divisions provide access to the Portuguese Cup. The first two leagues are operated by the Portuguese Professional Football League, and they also guarantee participation in the Portuguese League Cup. Lastly, the third and fourth divisions are divided into two and four leagues respectively and are the only divisions operated by the Portuguese Football Federation. The federation announced the creation of Liga 3 (League 3) for 2021–22.[1][2]

Level League(s)/Division(s)
1

Liga Portugal
18 clubs

↓↑ 2 clubs + 1 club play-off
2

Liga Portugal 2
18 clubs

↓↑ 2 clubs + 1 club play-off

3

Liga 3
20 clubs divided into 2 groups

Serie A
10 clubs		 Serie B
10 clubs
↓↑ 4 clubs

4

Campeonato de Portugal
 56 clubs divided into 4 groups

Serie A
14 clubs		 Serie B
14 clubs		 Serie C
14 clubs		 Serie D
14 clubs
↓↑ 20 clubs

District leagues

District leagues are operated by 22 District Associations: 18 from each district, plus 1 from Madeira Islands, and 3 from Azores Islands (western, central and eastern groups). The winner of each district league is promoted to the fourth national tier, the Campeonato de Portugal. Moreover, all district leagues provide access to their correspondent district cup, and the winner of the district cup, along with the second-placed team in the district league, is allowed to participate in the next season's Portuguese Cup. The bottom tier of each association is open to any new club or reserve team based on that district.

District Association Level 5 Level 6 Level 7 Level 8
Porto FA

Elite Pro-National
32 clubs (Series 1 and 2)

Division of Honour
32 clubs (Series 1 and 2)

First Division
32 clubs (Series 1 and 2)

Second Division
36 clubs (Series 1 and 2)

Lisbon FA

First Division
16 clubs

Second Division
32 clubs (Series 1 and 2)

Third Division
45 clubs (Series 1, 2 and 3)

Aveiro FA

Elite
18 clubs

First Division
18 clubs

Second Division
36 clubs (Series 1 and 2)

Braga FA

Pro-National
18 clubs

Division of Honour
32 clubs (Series 1 and 2)

First Division
66 clubs (Series 1, 2, 3 and 4)

Algarve FA

First Division 12 clubs

Second Division 14 clubs

Beja FA

First Division 13 clubs

Second Division 26 clubs (Series 1 and 2)

Coimbra FA

Division of Honour 16 clubs

First Division 18 clubs

Évora FA

Elite Division 14 clubs

Division of Honour 15 clubs

Guarda FA

First Division 14 clubs

Second Division 7 clubs

Leiria FA

Campeonato Lizsport 16 clubs

First Division 25 clubs (Series 1 and 2)

Madeira FA

Division of Honour 12 clubs

First Division 7 clubs

Santarém FA

First Division 16 clubs

Second Division 22 clubs (Series 1 and 2)

Setúbal FA

First Division 16 clubs

Second Division 16 clubs

Viana do Castelo FA

First Division 16 clubs

Second Division 16 clubs

Viseu FA

Division of Honour 16 clubs

First Division 27 clubs (Series 1 and 2)

Angra do Heroísmo FA

Azores Championship 10 clubs

Graciosa Championship 3 clubs

São Jorge Championship 5 clubs

Terceira Championship 5 clubs

Horta FA

Horta Championship 5 clubs

Ponta Delgada FA

São Miguel Championship 10 clubs

Bragança FA

Division of Honour 11 clubs

Castelo Branco FA

Division of Honour 10 clubs

Portalegre FA

First Division 9 clubs

Vila Real FA

Division of Honour 17 clubs

Women's league system

The Portuguese women's football league system consists of three national divisions and no district leagues.

All divisions provide access to the Women's Portuguese Cup and are operated by the Portuguese Football Federation. The second and third divisions are divided in series by geographical proximity.

Level League(s)/Division(s)
1

Campeonato Nacional de Futebol Feminino
12 clubs

↓↑ 1 club + 2 clubs play-off

2

Campeonato Nacional de Futebol Feminino II Divisão
16 clubs divided into 2 groups

Serie North
8 clubs		 Serie South
8 clubs
↓↑ 4 clubs

3

Campeonato Nacional de Futebol Feminino III Divisão
71 clubs divided into 12 groups

Serie A
6 clubs		 Serie B
6 clubs		 Serie C
6 clubs		 Serie D
6 clubs		 Serie E
6 clubs		 Serie F
6 clubs		 Serie G
6 clubs		 Serie H
6 clubs		 Serie I
6 clubs		 Serie J
6 clubs		 Serie L
6 clubs		 Serie M
5 clubs

See also

References
  1. "FPF avança com 3.ª Liga em 2021/22 e cria megaplano para o Campeonato de Portugal" [FPF advances with 3rd League in 2021–22 and creates megaplan for the Championship of Portugal]. Record.pt (in Portuguese). 6 May 2020. Archived from the original on 13 May 2020. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
  2. "Conhecido o formato da Liga 3". FPF (in Portuguese). 8 April 2021. Archived from the original on 14 April 2021. Retrieved 14 April 2021.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.