Primeira Liga

Publication date: 12 Aug 2025

About the Primeira Liga

The Primeira Liga (Liga Portugal Bwin) is a competition among Portuguese professional football clubs involving 18 teams. It takes place annually.

Official website of the Liga Portugal Bwin

2025/26 Primeira Liga

The 2025/2026 season of the Portuguese Primeira Liga will start on August 10 and will last until May 17. 18 clubs will enter the fight for the championship title, including the giants of national football – Sporting, Benfica and Porto. Tondela and Alverca, who returned to the elite following the results of last season, have also joined the participants.

The tournament format has remained unchanged: the teams will play two matches against each other – home and away, a total of 34 rounds. Champion and the best clubs of the tournament will receive tickets to the European Cups, and the teams that take the last places will fight for survival. The main favorites of the season are the current champion Sporting, as well as Benfica and Porto, who traditionally fight for gold until the last rounds.

Clubs participating in the Primeira Liga 2025/2026

The championship traditionally includes three main giants of Portuguese football:

• Benfica is the current champion and the record holder for the number of titles.
• Porto is the main competitor, always aiming for the trophy.
• Sporting Lisbon is another top club, which has become champion more than once.

In addition to them, mid-table clubs such as Braga, Vitoria Guimaraes, Boavista and others are also joining the fight for high positions. It is important to note that several new teams from Segunda have also risen to Primeira this season.

Season favourites

Benfica, Porto and Sporting remain the main contenders for the title. These clubs consistently perform in European competitions and have strong squads. However, Braga has repeatedly proven its competitiveness, so it can intervene in the championship race.

Key players of the season:

• Angel Di Maria (Benfica) is the team leader, capable of deciding the outcome of matches.
• Pepe (Porto) is an experienced defender, holding the defense of the “dragons”.
• Pedro Gonçalves (Sporting) is one of the most creative midfielders in the league.

History of the League

The first Liga Portugal Bwin took place in 1922 under the name Campeonato de Portugal.

In 1934, the Campeonato da Liga da Primeira Divisão was set up. FC Porto was the first Primera Liga champion. During the history of the Portuguese football championship, the team has 30 wins under its belt. Only S.L. Benfica has more victories than FC Porto – 37. The top scorer of the Primera Liga in the 1934-35 season is Manuel Soeiro of FC Sporting CP.

The name of the Primeira Liga has been in use since 1999 to the present day.  

Results of the previous seasons of the championship

2026/2027 Liga Portugal Bwin

Information about the dates and venue of the next Primeira Liga season is currently unknown.

Keep an eye on the dates of football tournaments and other events in our Sports Events Calendar.