Primeira Liga

The Primeira Liga ([pɾiˈmɐjɾɐ ˈliɣɐ]; English: Premier League, also written as Liga Portugal 1[1]), also known as Liga Portugal Bwin for sponsorship reasons, is the top level of the Portuguese football league system. Organised and supervised by the Liga Portugal, it is contested by 18 teams since the 2014–15 season, with the three lowest placed teams relegated to the Liga Portugal 2 and replaced by the top-three non-reserve teams from this division.[lower-alpha 1]

For the Brazil regional cup with the same name, see Primeira Liga (Brazil). For the England regional cup with the same name translated into English, see Premier League.

Primeira Liga
Organising bodyLiga Portuguesa de Futebol Profissional (LPFP)
Founded1934 (1934)
Country Portugal
ConfederationUEFA
Number of teams18
Level on pyramid1
Relegation toLiga Portugal 2
Domestic cup(s)Taça de Portugal
Supertaça
League cup(s)Taça da Liga
International cup(s)UEFA Champions League
UEFA Europa League
UEFA Europa Conference League
Current championsPorto (30th title)
(2021–22)
Most championshipsBenfica (37 titles)
Most appearancesManuel Fernandes (486)
Top goalscorerFernando Peyroteo (332)
TV partnersList of broadcasters
Websiteligaportugal.pt
Current: 2022–23 Primeira Liga

Founded in 1934 as Campeonato da Liga da Primeira Divisão, it was named Campeonato Nacional da Primeira Divisão from 1938 until 1999, when it was changed to its current naming. Over 70 teams have competed in the Primeira Liga, but only five have been crowned champions. Among them, the "Big Three" teams – Benfica (37 wins), Porto (30 wins) and Sporting CP (19 wins) – have won all but two Primeira Liga titles; the other winners are Belenenses (1945–46) and Boavista (2000–01).[3]

The Primeira Liga has increased its reputation in recent years, occupying the sixth place of UEFA's national league ranking, as of 2021. 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. The Primeira Liga also reached a world ranking of fourth according to IFFHS's 2011 ranking.[4]

History

Before the Portuguese football reform of 1938, a 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 eight to ten 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.[5]

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

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.[6]

When the Portuguese League for Professional Football took control of the two nationwide leagues in 1999, it was renamed "Primeira Liga" (Premier League).

"Big Three" performance over the last 10 seasons
SeasonBenficaPortoSporting
2012–13217
2013–14132
2014–15123
2015–16132
2016–17123
2017–18213
2018–19123
2019–20214
2020–21321
2021–22312

Big Three

"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 (37 times), Porto (30) and Sporting CP (19). These three clubs generally end up sharing the top three positions (thus, appearing more frequently in UEFA competitions) and are the only clubs to have played in every season of the competition.

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 many other teams, lacking support from the locals, 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 on 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 (81) and overall titles won (83 or 84, if the Latin Cup is taken into account), including back-to-back European Cup trophies. Porto is the club with most Portuguese Super Cups and international titles won (7).

Sporting CP holds the third place when it comes to the most league and cup titles. 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 was 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 Cups. Sporting 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.[9][10]

Galp Energia acquired the naming rights to the league in 2002, titling the division SuperLiga GalpEnergia. A four-year deal with the Austrian sports betting bwin was announced on 18 August 2005 amid questioning by the other gambling authorities in Portugal (the Santa Casa da Misericórdia and the Portuguese Casinos Association), who claimed to hold the exclusive rights to legal gambling games in Portuguese national territory. After holding the name Liga betandwin.com for the 2005–06 season, the name was changed to bwin LIGA in July 2006.[11][12]

From the 2008–09 season to the 2009–10 season the league was named Liga Sagres due to sponsorship from Sagres beer. In 2010, they renewed the sponsorship from Sagres, but also got the sponsorship from ZON Multimédia. The league was named Liga ZON Sagres until 2013–14 after the sponsorship agreement between Sagres, ZON (now NOS) and the league ended. In 2015, the league was named Liga NOS until 2020–21 season.[13] Since 2021, it is known as Liga Portugal Bwin.

Sponsorship names for seasons
  • 2002–2005: SuperLiga GalpEnergia
  • 2005–2006: Liga betandwin.com
  • 2006–2008: bwin LIGA
  • 2008–2010: Liga Sagres
  • 2010–2014: Liga ZON Sagres
  • 2014–2021: Liga NOS
  • 2021–: Liga Portugal Bwin

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
  • 2015: Adidas Conext15[14]
  • 2016: Adidas Errejota[15]
  • 2016–18: Nike Ordem
  • 2018–19: Nike Merlin
  • 2019–20: Select Brillant Super TB
  • 2020–21: Select Brilliant Super TB
  • 2021–22: Select Brillant Super TB

Competition

Since the 2014–15 season, 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 stadium – 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 top two teams entering the group stage directly. The third placed team enters the playoffs for the group stage of the UEFA Champions League; if they fail to qualify, they enter the UEFA Europa League, along with the fourth placed team and the Taça de Portugal cup winners. If the Taça de Portugal cup winners qualify for the UEFA Champions League through league placing, the berth is given to the fifth placed team.

UEFA ranking
See also: UEFA coefficient

UEFA League Ranking as of the 2021–22 season:[16]

  1. English Premier League
  2. Spanish La Liga
  3. Italian Serie A
  4. German Bundesliga
  5. French Ligue 1
  6. Portuguese Primeira Liga
  7. Dutch Eredivisie
  8. Austrian Football Bundesliga
  9. Scottish Premiership
  10. Russian Premier League

Clubs
Braga
Famalicão
V. Guimarães
Boavista
Gil Vicente
P. Ferreira
Portimonense
Estoril
Vizela
Arouca
Rio Ave
Casa Pia
Chaves
Location of teams in 2022–23 Primeira Liga (Mainland)
Marítimo
Location of teams in 2022–23 Primeira Liga (Madeira)
Santa Clara
Location of teams in 2022–23 Primeira Liga (Azores)
Team Location Stadium Capacity 2021–22 1st season
in Primeira Liga		 No. of seasons
in Primeira Liga		 1st season of
current spell		 No. of seasons
of current spell		 League titles Last title
Arouca Arouca Estádio Municipal de Arouca 5,000 15th 2013–14 6 2021–22 2 0 -
Benfica Lisbon Estádio da Luz 64,642 3rd 1934–35 89 1934–35 89 37 2018–19
Boavista Porto Estádio do Bessa 28,263 12th 1935–36 60 2014–15 9 1 2000–01
Braga Braga Estádio Municipal de Braga 30,286 4th 1947–48 67 1975–76 48 0 -
Casa Pia Lisbon Estádio Nacional[17] 37,593 2nd (LP2) 1938–39 2 2022–23 1 0 -
Chaves Chaves Estádio Municipal Eng.º
Manuel Branco Teixeira		 8,400 3rd (LP2) 1985–86 17 2022–23 1 0 -
Estoril Estoril Estádio António Coimbra da Mota 8,015 9th 1944–45 28 2021–22 2 0 -
Famalicão Vila Nova de Famalicão Estádio Municipal 22 de Junho 5,307 8th 1946–47 9 2019–20 4 0 -
Gil Vicente Barcelos Estádio Cidade de Barcelos 12,504 5th 1990–91 21 2019–20 4 0 -
Marítimo Funchal Estádio do Marítimo 10,932 10th 1977–78 43 1985–86 38 0 -
Paços de Ferreira Paços de Ferreira Estádio Capital do Móvel 9,076 11th 1991–92 24 2019–20 4 0 -
Portimonense Portimão Estádio Municipal de Portimão 6,204 13th 1976–77 20 2017–18 6 0 -
Porto Porto Estádio do Dragão 50,033 1st 1934–35 89 1934–35 89 30 2021–22
Rio Ave Vila do Conde Estádio dos Arcos 9,065 1st (LP2) 1979–80 28 2022–23 1 0 -
Santa Clara Ponta Delgada Estádio de São Miguel 13,277 7th 1999–00 8 2018–19 5 0 -
Sporting CP Lisbon Estádio José Alvalade 50,095 2nd 1934–35 89 1934–35 89 19 2020–21
Vitória de Guimarães Guimarães Estádio D. Afonso Henriques 30,000 6th 1941–42 78 2007–08 16 0 -
Vizela Vizela Estádio do FC Vizela 6,000 14th 1984–85 3 2021–22 2 0 -

    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 2017–18 season saw the following average attendance by club:[18]

    Club Average Stadium
    capacity    		 Attendance(%) Accumulated Stadium
    1Benfica53,20964,64282.93%904,553Estádio da Luz
    2Sporting CP43,62350,04487.16%741,599Estádio José Alvalade
    3Porto42,67450,43185.29%725,461Estádio do Dragão
    4Vitória de Guimarães16,01530,00853.37%272,255Estádio D. Afonso Henriques
    5Braga11,70630,28638.65%198,998Estádio Municipal de Braga
    6Marítimo7,07210,93266.93%120,216Estádio dos Barreiros
    7Boavista5,62330,00020.55%95,585Estádio do Bessa
    8Vitória de Setúbal4,11113,46828.80%69,890Estádio do Bonfim
    9Feirense3,9075,60071.69%66,412Estádio Marcolino de Castro
    10Rio Ave3,8899,06543.42%66,116Estádio do Rio Ave FC
    11Chaves3,6279,00040.89%61,658Estádio Municipal Eng. Manuel Branco Teixeira
    12Paços de Ferreira3,5076,40438.63%59,612Estádio da Mata Real
    13Belenenses3,34419,85622.27%56,851Estádio do Restelo
    14Portimonense3,1589,54464.04%53,693Estádio Municipal de Portimão
    15Aves2,6355,44144.69%44,803Estádio do CD Aves
    16Tondela2,3735,00047.46%40,344Estádio João Cardoso
    17Estoril2,2758,00028.83%38,673Estádio António Coimbra da Mota
    18Moreirense2,2646,15336.80%38,494Estádio Municipal 25 de Abril

    List of champions and top scorers
    ClubsPlayers
    Season Champions Points Runners-up Points Third place Points Teams Rounds Bola de Prata
    (Top Scorer)    		 Club Goals
    Campeonato da Liga da Primeira Divisão
      1934–35 Porto22Sporting CP20Benfica19814 Manuel SoeiroSporting CP14
      1935–36 Benfica21Porto20Sporting CP18814 PingaPorto21
      1936–37 Benfica (2)24Belenenses23Sporting CP19814 Manuel SoeiroSporting CP24
      1937–38 Benfica (3)23Porto23Sporting CP22814 Fernando PeyroteoSporting CP34
    Campeonato Nacional da Primeira Divisão
      1938–39 Porto (2)23Sporting CP22Benfica21814 CosturasPorto18
      1939–40 Porto (3)34Sporting CP32Belenenses251018 F. Peyroteo / S. KodrnjaSporting CP / Porto29
      1940–41 Sporting CP23Porto20Belenenses19814 Fernando PeyroteoSporting CP29
      1941–42 Benfica (4)38Sporting CP34Belenenses301222 Correia DiasPorto36
      1942–43 Benfica (5)30Sporting CP29Belenenses281018 JulinhoBenfica24
      1943–44 Sporting CP (2)31Benfica26Atlético CP241018 Francisco RodriguesVitória de Setúbal28
      1944–45 Benfica (6)30Sporting CP27Belenenses271018 Francisco RodriguesVitória de Setúbal21
      1945–46 Belenenses38Benfica37Sporting CP321222 Fernando PeyroteoSporting CP37
      1946–47 Sporting CP (3)47Benfica41Porto331426 Fernando PeyroteoSporting CP43
      1947–48 Sporting CP (4)41Benfica41Belenenses371426 António AraújoPorto36
      1948–49 Sporting CP (5)42Benfica37Belenenses351426 Fernando PeyroteoSporting CP40
      1949–50 Benfica (7)45Sporting CP39Atlético CP301426 JulinhoBenfica29
      1950–51 Sporting CP (6)45Porto34Benfica301426 Manuel VasquesSporting CP29
      1951–52 Sporting CP (7)41Benfica40Porto361426 José ÁguasBenfica28
      1952–53 Sporting CP (8)43Benfica39Belenenses361426 MatateuBelenenses29
      1953–54 Sporting CP (9)43Porto36Benfica321426 João MartinsSporting CP31
      1954–55 Benfica (8)39Belenenses39Sporting CP371426 MatateuBelenenses32
      1955–56 Porto (4)43Benfica43Belenenses371426 José ÁguasBenfica28
      1956–57 Benfica (9)41Porto40Belenenses331426 José ÁguasBenfica30
      1957–58 Sporting CP (10)43Porto43Benfica361426 Arsénio DuarteCUF do Barreiro23
      1958–59 Porto (5)41Benfica41Belenenses381426 José ÁguasBenfica26
      1959–60 Benfica (10)45Sporting CP43Belenenses361426 Edmur RibeiroVitória de Guimarães25
      1960–61 Benfica (11)46Sporting CP42Porto331426 José ÁguasBenfica27
      1961–62 Sporting CP (11)43Porto41Benfica361426 VeríssimoPorto23
      1962–63 Benfica (12)48Porto42Sporting CP381426 José Augusto TorresBenfica26
      1963–64 Benfica (13)46Porto40Sporting CP341426 EusébioBenfica28
      1964–65 Benfica (14)43Porto37CUF do Barreiro351426 EusébioBenfica28
      1965–66 Sporting CP (12)42Benfica41Porto341426 Eusébio / E. FigueiredoBenfica / Sporting CP25
      1966–67 Benfica (15)43Académica40Porto391426 EusébioBenfica31
      1967–68 Benfica (16)41Sporting CP37Porto361426 EusébioBenfica43
      1968–69 Benfica (17)39Porto37Vitória de Guimarães361426 Manuel AntónioAcadémica19
      1969–70 Sporting CP (13)46Benfica38Vitória de Setúbal361426 EusébioBenfica20
      1970–71 Benfica (18)41Sporting CP38Porto371426 Artur JorgeBenfica23
      1971–72 Benfica (19)55Vitória de Setúbal45Sporting CP431630 Artur JorgeBenfica27
      1972–73 Benfica (20)58Belenenses40Vitória de Setúbal381630 EusébioBenfica40
      1973–74 Sporting CP (14)49Benfica47Vitória de Setúbal451630 Héctor YazaldeSporting CP46
      1974–75 Benfica (21)49Porto44Sporting CP431630 Héctor YazaldeSporting CP30
      1975–76 Benfica (22)50Boavista48Belenenses401630 Rui JordãoBenfica30
      1976–77 Benfica (23)51Sporting CP42Porto411630 Fernando GomesPorto26
      1977–78 Porto (6)51Benfica51Sporting CP421630 Fernando GomesPorto25
      1978–79 Porto (7)50Benfica49Sporting CP421630 Fernando GomesPorto27
      1979–80 Sporting CP (15)52Porto50Benfica451630 Rui JordãoSporting CP31
      1980–81 Benfica (24)50Porto48Sporting CP371630 NenéBenfica20
      1981–82 Sporting CP (16)46Benfica44Porto431630 Jacques PereiraPorto27
      1982–83 Benfica (25)51Porto47Sporting CP421630 Fernando GomesPorto36
      1983–84 Benfica (26)52Porto49Sporting CP421630 Fernando Gomes / NenéPorto / Benfica21
      1984–85 Porto (8)55Sporting CP47Benfica431630 Fernando GomesPorto39
      1985–86 Porto (9)49Benfica47Sporting CP461630 Manuel FernandesSporting CP30
      1986–87 Benfica (27)48Porto46Vitória de Guimarães411630 Paulinho CascavelVitória de Guimarães22
      1987–88 Porto (10)66Benfica51Belenenses482038Paulinho CascavelSporting CP23
      1988–89 Benfica (28)63Porto56Boavista492038 VataBenfica16
      1989–90 Porto (11)59Benfica55Sporting CP461834 Mats MagnussonBenfica33
      1990–91 Benfica (29)69Porto67Sporting CP572038 Rui ÁguasBenfica25
      1991–92 Porto (12)56Benfica46Boavista441834 RickyBoavista30
      1992–93 Porto (13)54Benfica52Sporting CP451834 Jorge CadeteSporting CP18
      1993–94 Benfica (30)54Porto52Sporting CP511834 Rashidi YekiniVitória de Setúbal21
      1994–95 Porto (14)62Sporting CP53Benfica491834 Hassan NaderFarense21
      1995–96 Porto (15)84Benfica73Sporting CP671834 Domingos PaciênciaPorto25
      1996–97 Porto (16)85Sporting CP72Benfica581834 Mário JardelPorto30
      1997–98 Porto (17)77Benfica68Vitória de Guimarães591834 Mário JardelPorto26
      1998–99 Porto (18)79Boavista71Benfica651834 Mário JardelPorto36
    Primeira Liga
      1999–2000 Sporting CP (17)77Porto73Benfica691834 Mário JardelPorto37
      2000–01 Boavista77Porto76Sporting CP621834 PenaPorto22
      2001–02 Sporting CP (18)75Boavista70Porto681834 Mário JardelSporting CP42
      2002–03 Porto (19)86Benfica75Sporting CP591834 Fary FayeBeira-Mar18
      2003–04 Porto (20)82Benfica74Sporting CP731834 Benni McCarthyPorto20
      2004–05 Benfica (31)65Porto62Sporting CP611834 LiédsonSporting CP25
      2005–06 Porto (21)79Sporting CP72Benfica671834 Albert MeyongBelenenses17
      2006–07 Porto (22)69Sporting CP68Benfica671630 LiédsonSporting CP15
      2007–08 Porto (23)75(1)Sporting CP55Vitória de Guimarães531630 Lisandro LópezPorto24
      2008–09 Porto (24)70Sporting CP66Benfica591630 NenêNacional20
      2009–10 Benfica (32)76Braga71Porto681630 Óscar CardozoBenfica26
      2010–11 Porto (25)84Benfica63Sporting CP481630 HulkPorto23
      2011–12 Porto (26)75Benfica69Braga621630 Óscar CardozoBenfica20
      2012–13 Porto (27)78Benfica77Paços de Ferreira541630 Jackson MartínezPorto26
      2013–14 Benfica (33)74Sporting CP67Porto611630 Jackson MartínezPorto20
      2014–15 Benfica (34)85Porto82Sporting CP761834 Jackson MartínezPorto21
      2015–16 Benfica (35)88Sporting CP86Porto731834 JonasBenfica32
      2016–17 Benfica (36)82Porto76Sporting CP701834 Bas DostSporting CP34
      2017–18 Porto (28)88Benfica81Sporting CP781834 JonasBenfica34
      2018–19 Benfica (37)87Porto85Sporting CP741834 Haris SeferovicBenfica23
      2019–20 Porto (29)82Benfica77Braga601834 Carlos ViníciusBenfica18
      2020–21 Sporting CP (19)85Porto80Benfica761834 Pedro GonçalvesSporting CP23
      2021–22 Porto (30)91Sporting CP85Benfica741834 Darwin NúñezBenfica26
    • Before 1995–96, the points were awarded in a format of two points for a win. In that season, Primeira Liga switched to the now standard three points for a win system.
    • (1) Porto saw six points subtracted for corruption allegations in the Apito Dourado,[19] but they recovered those points in July 2017.

    Performance by club

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

    Club Winners Runners-up Winning seasons Runner-up seasons
    Benfica 37 29 1935–36, 1936–37, 1937–38, 1941–42, 1942–43, 1944–45, 1949–50, 1954–55, 1956–57, 1959–60, 1960–61, 1962–63, 1963–64, 1964–65, 1966–67, 1967–68, 1968–69, 1970–71, 1971–72, 1972–73, 1974–75, 1975–76, 1976–77, 1980–81, 1982–83, 1983–84, 1986–87, 1988–89, 1990–91, 1993–94, 2004–05, 2009–10, 2013–14, 2014–15, 2015–16, 2016–17, 2018–19 1943–44, 1945–46, 1946–47, 1947–48, 1948–49, 1951–52, 1952–53, 1955–56, 1958–59, 1965–66, 1969–70, 1973–74, 1977–78, 1978–79, 1981–82, 1985–86, 1987–88, 1989–90, 1991–92, 1992–93, 1995–96, 1997–98, 2002–03, 2003–04, 2010–11, 2011–12, 2012–13, 2017–18, 2019–20
    Porto 30 28 1934–35, 1938–39, 1939–40, 1955–56, 1958–59, 1977–78, 1978–79, 1984–85, 1985–86, 1987–88, 1989–90, 1991–92, 1992–93, 1994–95, 1995–96, 1996–97, 1997–98, 1998–99, 2002–03, 2003–04, 2005–06, 2006–07, 2007–08, 2008–09, 2010–11, 2011–12, 2012–13, 2017–18, 2019–20, 2021–22 1935–36, 1937–38, 1940–41, 1950–51, 1953–54, 1956–57, 1957–58, 1961–62, 1962–63, 1963–64, 1964–65, 1968–69, 1974–75, 1979–80, 1980–81, 1982–83, 1983–84, 1986–87, 1988–89, 1990–91, 1993–94, 1999–2000, 2000–01, 2004–05, 2014–15, 2016–17, 2018–19, 2020–21
    Sporting CP 19 22 1940–41, 1943–44, 1946–47, 1947–48, 1948–49, 1950–51, 1951–52, 1952–53, 1953–54, 1957–58, 1961–62, 1965–66, 1969–70, 1973–74, 1979–80, 1981–82, 1999–2000, 2001–02, 2020–21 1934–35, 1938–39, 1939–40, 1941–42, 1942–43, 1944–45, 1949–50, 1959–60, 1960–61, 1967–68, 1970–71, 1976–77, 1984–85, 1994–95, 1996–97, 2005–06, 2006–07, 2007–08, 2008–09, 2013–14, 2015–16, 2021–22
    Belenenses 01 03 1945–46 1936–37, 1954–55, 1972–73
    Boavista 01 03 2000–01 1975–76, 1998–99, 2001–02
    Académica 00 01 — 1966–67
    Vitória de Setúbal 00 01 — 1971–72
    Braga 00 01 — 2009–10

    All-time Primeira Liga table

    The all-time Primeira Liga table is an overall record of all match results, points, and goals of every team that has played in Primeira Liga since its inception in 1934. The table is accurate as of the end of the 2021–22 season.[20] For comparison, older seasons have been calculated according to the three-points-per-win rule.

    Pos Team S Pts GP W D L GF GA GD 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th T Debut Since/
    Last App    		 Best Notes
    1Benfica885596250017104663236029219338363729174–1881934–351934–351[A]
    2Porto885485250016784513775554220033543028131131861934–351934–351[A]
    3Sporting CP88518125001554519427543223633069192229134–871934–351934–351[A]
    4Vitória de Guimarães7732102290888546856322332194––4101214401941–422007–083
    5Belenenses7731582146877527742335227456071314988431934–352017–181
    6Braga662857202479347875327622768-6–121663281947–481975–762
    7Vitória de Setúbal722590207269450887027943119-325–13296211934–352019–202
    8Boavista 592506180668146366223422482-1401321045251935–362014–151
    9Académica641935170451638780123463003-657–1–268171934–352015–162
    10Marítimo421734138046537853715411742-201––––65111977–781982–835
    11Rio Ave2710518742682473599151148-233––––3251979–802022–235
    12Estoril2795180624820735110801274-194–––23–51944–452021–224
    13Paços de Ferreira239007502282163068131044-231––1–1241990–912019–203
    14Beira-Mar278968582182423988831340-457–––––111961–622012–136
    15Farense248887882292013588271141-314––––1231970–712020–215
    16Nacional20802656210172274773917-144–––22151988–892020–214
    17Gil Vicente21795706204183319720966-246––––2–21990–912019–205
    18Salgueiros247747401971833608041377-573––––1121943–442001–025
    19CUF Barreiro237696102071482558281003-175––122161942–431975–763[B]
    20Leixões257136701831643237501186-436––––1121936–372009–105
    21União de Leiria18711584184159241620771-151––––2241979–802011–125
    22Portimonense19710610187150275651826-175––––1121976–772017–185
    23Atlético CP247106321921343069761285-309––211371943–441976–773
    24Varzim21683618169176273638913-275––––1121963–642002–035
    25Chaves16633548160153235608773-165––––2241985–862022–235
    26Barreirense246175921661193077581195-437–––12471937–381978–794
    27Estrela da Amadora16608540144176220521680-159–––––––1988–892008–097
    28Olhanense205655161471242458001057-257–––12251941–422013–144
    29Sporting da Covilhã1545740612679201585834-249––––1341947–481987–885
    30Moreirense12454404112118174419559-140–––––112002–032021–226
    31Penafiel14435434106117211351625-274–––––––1980–812014–1510
    32Lusitano de Évora1441236411664184494722-228––––1121952–531965–665
    33Sporting de Espinho113793549691167336523-187–––––––1974–751996–977
    34Famalicão93402388682130343496-153–––––111946–472019–206
    35Santa Clara7274238687090267326-59–––––111999–20002018–196
    36Tirsense82682566573118219370-151–––––––1967–681995–968
    37Tondela72352386152125251378-127–––––––2015–162021–2210
    38União da Madeira6206208486298177300-123–––––––1989–902015–1610[C]
    39Naval 1º de Maio6193184494689160255-95–––––––2005–062010–118[D]
    40Oriental71871905037103224438-214––––1–11950–511974–755
    41Alverca5181170483785192266-74–––––––1998–992003–0411
    42Campomaiorense5178170483488186287-101–––––––1995–962000–0111[E]
    43Arouca5176166444478164241-77––––1–12013–142021–225
    44Feirense71752224443135187403-216–––––––1962–632018–198
    45Torreense6163164443189183316-133–––––––1955–561991–927
    46União de Tomar6162172433396178331-153–––––––1968–691975–7610
    47Desportivo das Aves61601964040116173320-147–––––––1985–862019–2013
    48O Elvas5148146373772211283-72–––––––1947–481987–888
    49B-SAD4144136334558117195-78–––––––2018–192021–229
    50Leça4124124332566120231-111–––––––1941–421997–9812
    51Académico de Viseu410512827247781237-156–––––––1978–791988–8913
    52Caldas4103104262553124235-111–––––––1955–561958–5910
    53Montijo3899023204791155-64–––––––1972–731976–7713[F]
    54Amora3899022234590143-53–––––––1980–811982–8312
    55Lusitano VRSA372782194894210-116–––––––1947–481949–5012
    56Sanjoanense47010416226686249-163–––––––1946–471968–6910
    57Carcavelinhos56982191251103223-120–––1–121935–361941–424[G]
    58Unidos de Lisboa36254188281511456–––1––11940–411942–434[H]
    59Académico do Porto5608218658137300-163–––––––1934–351941–427[I]
    60Elvas2544817328108167-59–––––––1945–461946–479[J]
    61Vizela2526411193468129-61–––––––1984–852021–2214
    62Fafe14138914152947-18–––––––1988–891988–8916
    63Felgueiras1333489172947-18–––––––1995–961995–9616[K]
    64Seixal22952783744150-106–––––––1963–641964–6512
    65Riopele1273069152351-28–––––––1977–781977–7815[L]
    66Águeda1263075182555-30–––––––1983–841983–8415
    67Trofense1233058172542-17–––––––2008–092008–0916
    68União de Coimbra1223057182254-32–––––––1972–731972–7315
    69Ginásio de Alcobaça1193047192056-36–––––––1982–831982–8316
    70União de Lisboa111143293049-19–––––111934–351934–356[G]
    71Oliveirense1112232172273-51–––––––1945–461945–4612
    72Casa Pia131410131256-44–––––––1938–392022–238
    A. ^ Never relegated.
    B. ^ Renamed Fabril in 2000.
    C. ^ Club folded in 2021.
    D. ^ Club folded in 2017. Successor club Naval 1893 was founded in 2017.
    E. ^ Club ended football team in 2013.
    F. ^ Club folded in 2007. Successor club Olímpico Montijo was founded in 2007.
    G. ^ Merged to form Atlético CP in 1942.
    H. ^ Club ended football team in 2009.
    I. ^ Club ended football team in 1964.
    J. ^ Merged to form O Elvas in 1947.
    K. ^ Club folded in 2005. Successor club Felgueiras 1932 was founded in 2006.
    L. ^ Club folded in 1984.
    Last updated: 30 May 2021
    Primeira Liga
    Liga Portugal 2
    Liga 3
    Campeonato de Portugal
    Portuguese District Championships
    Clubs no longer in competition

    Records

    Team records
    • In 1972–73, Benfica became the first team to win the Portuguese league without defeat, with 58 points in 30 games (28 wins and 2 draws), the best efficiency ever obtained (96.7%) where 2 points were awarded for a victory. In that season, Benfica set the Portuguese league and European leagues record for most consecutive victories (23) – 29 wins overall, between 1971–72 and 1972–73. Benfica also set the league record for the 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 league unbeaten for the second time (21 wins and 9 draws).
    • In 1990–91, Benfica achieved the highest number of wins in a single season – 32 (out of 38 matches).
    • In 1998–99, Porto became the only team to win five consecutive titles.
    • In 2010–11, Porto won the Portuguese league without defeat, with 84 points in 30 games (27 wins and 3 draws), the best efficiency ever obtained (93.3%) where 3 points were awarded for a victory. That season, Porto also set the league record for the 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 league unbeaten for the second time (24 wins and 6 draws).
    • In 2020–21, Sporting CP set the record for the longest unbeaten run in a single season with 32 matches (25 wins and 7 draws) out of 34.
    • From 8 November 2020 to 21 April 2022, Porto set the record for the longest unbeaten run in the league: 58 matches (47 wins and 11 draws).
    • In 2021–22, Porto achieved a record 91 points in the Portuguese league (29 wins and 4 draws in 34 games).

    Individual records

    Player transfer fees
    Top transfer fees paid by Primeira Liga clubs
    Rank Player Fee (min.) Date Transfer Reference(s)
    1 Darwin Núñez €24M 4 September 2020 Almería Benfica [23]
    2 Raúl Jiménez €21.8M 21 July 2016 Atlético Madrid Benfica [24]
    3 Giannelli Imbula €20M 1 July 2015 Marseille Porto [25]
    Óliver Torres 9 February 2017 Atlético Madrid Porto [26]
    Raúl de Tomás 3 July 2019 Real Madrid Benfica [27]
    Julian Weigl 2 January 2020 Borussia Dortmund Benfica [28]
    Everton Soares 14 August 2020 Grêmio Benfica [29]
    8 Hulk €19M 14 May 2011 Tokyo Verdy Porto [30]
    9 Pedrinho €18M 11 March 2020 Corinthians Benfica [31]
    10 Carlos Vinícius €17M 20 July 2019 Napoli Benfica [32]
    Top transfer fees received by Primeira Liga clubs
    Rank Player Fee (min.) Date Transfer Reference(s)
    1 João Félix €126M 3 July 2019 Benfica Atlético Madrid [33]
    2 Rúben Dias €68M 29 September 2020 Benfica Manchester City [34][35]
    3 Bruno Fernandes €55M[lower-alpha 2] 29 January 2020 Sporting CP Manchester United [36]
    4 Éder Militão €50M 14 March 2019 Porto Real Madrid [37]
    5 James Rodríguez €45M 24 May 2013 Porto Monaco [38]

    Television

    2020–21 until 2022–23

    The league is currently distributed internationally by Sportfive.[39]

    Portugal

    Within Portugal, Sport TV broadcasts all live Primeira Liga matches except Benfica's home matches which are broadcast live on Benfica TV.

    International broadcasters
    • Albania – Tring Sport[40]
    • Austria – Sportdigital and DAZN[41]
    • Belarus – Belarus 5[42]
    • Belgium – RMC Sport[43]
    • Bosnia and Herzegovina – Arena Sport[44]
    • Brazil – ESPN[45]
    • Brunei – Astro SuperSport[46]
    • Canada – GOLTV Play[47]
    • China – K-Ball[48]
    • Croatia – Arena Sport[44]
    • Cyprus – CytaVision[49]
    • Czech Republic – Sport1[50]
    • France – RMC Sport[43]
    • Georgia – Silk Sport[51]
    • Germany – Sportdigital and DAZN[41]
    • Greece – Cosmote TV[52]
    • Hungary – Sport1[53]
    • Indonesia – Mola TV[54]
    • Ireland – FreeSports[55]
    • Israel – Sport 1[56]
    • Italy – OneFootball[57]
    • Japan – SKY PerfecTV![58]
    • Latin America – GOLTV[59]
    • Liechtenstein – Sportdigital[41]
    • Lithuania – Sport 1[60]
    • Luxembourg – RMC Sport[43] and Sportdigital[41]
    • Macau – Macau Cable TV and TDM (when in overnight simulcast with RTP Internacional on Canal Macau)[61]
    • Malaysia – Astro SuperSport[46]
    • Montenegro – Arena Sport[44]
    • Netherlands – Ziggo Sport[62]
    • North Macedonia – Arena Sport[44]
    • Puerto Rico – GOLTV[63]
    • Poland - Eleven Sports[64]
    • Romania – Prima Sport[65]
    • Russia – Match TV[66]
    • Serbia – Arena Sport[44]
    • Slovakia – Sport1[50]
    • Slovenia – Arena Sport[44]
    • Switzerland – Sportdigital and DAZN[41]
    • Turkey – S Sport[67]
    • Ukraine – Sport1[68]
    • United Kingdom – FreeSports[55][69]
    • United States – GOLTV[63]
    • Lusophone Africa – RTP (one game from one of the Big Three a week on RTP África and RTP Internacional), Sport TV África
    • Worldwide – RTP (one game from one of the Big Three a week on RTP Internacional)

    See also
    • LPFP Primeira Liga Player of the Year
    • Portuguese Golden Ball
    • SJPF Player of the Month
    • SJPF Young Player of the Month
    • CNID Footballer of the Year
    • Bola de Prata
    • Campeonato Nacional Feminino
    • List of sports attendance figures
    • List of association football competitions in Portugal
    • List of foreign Primeira Liga players

    Notes
    1. In the 2018–19 season, the three lowest placed teams were relegated to the LigaPro due to the integration of Gil Vicente in the Primeira Liga in the following season. The Portuguese Football Federation appealed to proceed with this integration as soon as possible.[2]
    2. plus €25 million in bonuses.

    References
    1. Official English site -Main sponsors-
    2. "FPF não se vincula a "memorando de entendimento" entre Belenenses e Gil Vicente". Record (in Portuguese). 13 December 2017. Retrieved 15 December 2017.
    3. "BENFICA CAMPEÃO: todos os vencedores da Liga" [BENFICA CHAMPIONS: all the league winners]. Maisfutebol.iol.pt (in Portuguese). 17 May 2015. Retrieved 22 May 2015.
    4. "Current Ranking – IFFHS". Iffhs.de. Retrieved 4 September 2012.
    5. Stadium Newspaper, 10 January 1940
    6. "Pesquisa". Record.xl.pt. Retrieved 6 June 2017.
    7. Tovar 2011, p. 191.
    8. Tovar, p. 136
    9. Lee Scott (20 February 2020). "Rangers Beware – Braga are One of European Football's Form Teams". footballcritic.com. Retrieved 26 September 2020.
    10. "Portugal's European debacle – what's gone wrong?". portugoal.net. 28 February 2020. Retrieved 26 September 2020.
    11. "Liga Portugal". Lpfp.pt. Retrieved 6 June 2017.
    12. "Liga Portugal". Lpfp.pt. Retrieved 6 June 2017.
    13. "Liga Nos mantém-se por três anos e meio". Jornaldenegocios.pt. Retrieved 6 June 2017.
    14. "Bola oficial da Liga Portugal" [Liga Portugal's official ball]. Ligaportugal.pt (in Portuguese). Retrieved 3 January 2015.
    15. "Errejota, a nova bola oficial da Liga" [Errejota, the new Portugal's official ball]. Desporto.sapo.mz (in Portuguese). Retrieved 4 January 2016.
    16. UEFA.com. "Country coefficients | UEFA Coefficients".
    17. "Casa Pia will start next season in Estádio (Nacional) do Jamor". O Jogo. Retrieved 19 May 2022.
    18. "Painel de espectadores por clube". Ligaportugal.pt. Retrieved 25 July 2018.
    19. FC Porto perde seis pontos UEFA (in Portuguese)
    20. "Primeira Liga numbers". www.thefinalball.com. Retrieved 6 August 2018.
    21. "Primeira Liga Usage stats". playmakerstats.
    22. "Primeira Liga Goals Scored stats". playmakerstats.
    23. "Comunicado" [Announcement] (PDF). CMVM (in Portuguese). S.L. Benfica. 4 September 2020.
    24. Pritchett, David (21 July 2016). "Raúl becomes Benfica's record signing". Planet Benfica. Archived from the original on 24 July 2016. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
    25. "Official: Porto sign Imbula for €20m". Goal.com. 1 July 2015. Retrieved 1 July 2015.
    26. "FC Porto anuncia compra do passe de Óliver" [FC Porto announces purchase of Óliver's pass]. O Jogo (in Portuguese). Global Media Group. 9 February 2017. Retrieved 9 February 2017.
    27. "Welcome, Raúl de Tomás!". S.L. Benfica. 3 July 2019. Retrieved 3 July 2019.
    28. "Weigl is already a Benfica player!". S.L. Benfica. 2 January 2020. Retrieved 2 January 2020.
    29. "Comunicado" [Announcement] (PDF). CMVM (in Portuguese). S.L. Benfica. 14 August 2020.
    30. "Hulk é o mais caro da história: Porto gasta 19 milhões". Maisfutebol (in Portuguese). 14 May 2011. Retrieved 12 October 2017.
    31. "Comunicado" [Announcement] (PDF). CMVM (in Portuguese). S.L. Benfica. 19 August 2020.
    32. Nascimento, Diogo (20 July 2019). "Welcome, Carlos Vinícius!". S.L. Benfica. Retrieved 20 July 2019.
    33. "Comunicado à CMVM" [Announcement to CMVM]. S.L. Benfica (in Portuguese). 3 July 2019. Retrieved 3 July 2019.
    34. "Comunicado" [Announcement] (PDF). CMVM (in Portuguese). S.L. Benfica. 27 September 2020.
    35. "City Complete Ruben Dias Signing". Manchester City F.C. 29 September 2020. Retrieved 29 September 2020.
    36. "Sporting oficializa venda de Bruno Fernandes ao Man. United: todos os detalhes do negócio". Record (in European Portuguese). Lisbon. 29 January 2020. Retrieved 2 February 2020.
    37. "Real Madrid confirma Militão até 2025 por 50 milhões de euros" [Real Madrid confirms Militão until 2025 for 50 million euros] (in Portuguese). zerozero. 14 March 2019. Retrieved 14 March 2019.
    38. "Monaco sign João Moutinho and James Rodríguez from Porto for £60m". The Guardian. 24 May 2013. Retrieved 26 August 2013.
    39. "Sportfive awarded Primeira Liga international rights to 2023". SportBusiness. 19 August 2020. Retrieved 19 September 2020.
    40. "Do t'ju lëmë pa frymë". Retrieved 23 September 2017.
    41. "Die portugiesische Liga NOS für weitere 3 Jahre bei sportdigital und bei DAZN" (PDF). Retrieved 7 August 2017.
    42. "Программа телепередач". Retrieved 3 February 2019.
    43. "Le championnat portugais en exclusivité sur SFR Sport". Retrieved 7 June 2017.
    44. "Arena Sport kupila Špance, Portugalce i produžila Ligu šampiona". Retrieved 13 September 2020.
    45. "Além da ESPN, Bandsports também exibirá Campeonato Português a partir deste fim de semana". Retrieved 11 August 2017.
    46. "Astro adds Portuguese Primeira Liga to its live sports offerings". Retrieved 17 September 2020.
    47. "GolTV offers Canadian viewers live streaming of Portuguese Liga NOS On new over-the-top (OTT) soccer platform – GolTV Play". Retrieved 15 April 2018.
    48. "China's K-Ball adds rights to Portuguese league". Retrieved 3 December 2018.
    49. "Sports content 2017–18 from 20 Sports Channels". Retrieved 7 September 2017.
    50. "Fotbalová sezóna 2018/19 na televizních programech". Retrieved 7 August 2018.
    51. "ინგლისის, იტალიის, ესპანეთისა და საფრანგეთის ლიგები უკვე "სილქ სპორტის" პაკეტში". Retrieved 21 January 2018.
    52. "Και το Πορτογαλικό Πρωτάθλημα Ποδοσφαίρου στην COSMOTE TV". Retrieved 7 August 2017.
    53. "TV Műsor". Archived from the original on 31 July 2018. Retrieved 7 August 2018.
    54. "Liga Portugal". Retrieved 8 August 2021.
    55. "About FreeSports". Retrieved 28 August 2017.
    56. "לוח שידורים". Archived from the original on 30 August 2017. Retrieved 7 September 2017.
    57. "📕 la guida di Natale di OneFootball 🎄 alle partite GRATIS in app 📲". Retrieved 24 December 2021.
    58. "Meciuri din campionatul de fotbal al Portugaliei, în exclusivitate la TVR HD". Retrieved 1 March 2018.
    59. "La Primeira Liga de Portugal con los partidos del Oporto, Sporting y Benfica la puedes disfrutar por la señal de GolTV". Retrieved 14 September 2020.
    60. "SPORT1 eteryje – tiesioginės Portugalijos futbolo lygos transliacijos Visą straipsnį galite rasti". Retrieved 3 June 2020.
    61. "MCTV presents Serie A, French Ligue, Portuguese" (PDF). Retrieved 25 August 2018.
    62. "Onze Sporten". Retrieved 9 August 2019.
    63. "GolTV acquires US media rights to Portugal's Primeira Liga for 2017/18 season". Retrieved 7 June 2017.
    64. "Eleven Sports TV bought the rights to the Portuguese league for the next three seasons". Retrieved 12 October 2020.
    65. "Primeira Liga". Retrieved 2 March 2019.
    66. "Match TV acquires rights to show Portugal's Primeira Liga". Retrieved 15 June 2019.
    67. "Yayin akisi". Retrieved 9 August 2018.
    68. ""Поверхность ТВ" покажет Чемпионат Португалии по футболу". Retrieved 7 November 2018.
    69. "FreeSports Football". Retrieved 25 August 2017.

    Sources
    • Tovar, Rui (2011). Almanaque do FC Porto 1893–2011 (in Portuguese). Alfragide: Caderno. ISBN 9789892315430.
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