From Surf Wiki (app.surf) — the open knowledge base
Portuguese football league system
Leagues bound together hierarchically by promotion and relegation
Leagues bound together hierarchically by promotion and relegation
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.
| Level | League(s)/Division(s) |
|---|---|
| 1 | |
| ↓↑ 2 clubs + 1 club play-off | |
| 2 | |
| ↓↑ 2 clubs + 1 club play-off | |
| Serie A | |
| 10 clubs | Serie B |
| 10 clubs | |
| ↓↑ 4 clubs | |
| Serie A | |
| 14 clubs | Serie B |
| 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 | ||||
| Lisbon FA | ||||
| Aveiro FA | ||||
| Braga FA | ||||
| Coimbra FA | ||||
| Algarve FA | ||||
| Beja FA | ||||
| Évora FA | ||||
| Guarda FA | ||||
| Leiria FA | ||||
| Madeira FA | ||||
| Santarém FA | ||||
| Setúbal FA | ||||
| Viana do Castelo FA | ||||
| Viseu FA | ||||
| Angra do Heroísmo FA | ||||
| Horta FA | ||||
| Ponta Delgada FA | ||||
| Bragança FA | ||||
| Castelo Branco FA | ||||
| Portalegre FA | ||||
| Vila Real FA |
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 | |
| ↓↑ 1 club + 2 clubs play-off | |
| Serie North | |
| 8 clubs | Serie South |
| 8 clubs | |
| ↓↑ 2 clubs + 2 clubs play-off | |
| Serie A | |
| 6 clubs | Serie B |
| 6 clubs |
References
References
- (6 May 2020). "FPF avança com 3.ª Liga em 2021/22 e cria megaplano para o Campeonato de Portugal".
- (8 April 2021). "Conhecido o formato da Liga 3".
This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.
Ask Mako anything about Portuguese football league system — get instant answers, deeper analysis, and related topics.
Research with MakoFree with your Surf account
Create a free account to save articles, ask Mako questions, and organize your research.
Sign up freeThis content may have been generated or modified by AI. CloudSurf Software LLC is not responsible for the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of AI-generated content. Always verify important information from primary sources.
Report