S.L. Benfica B

History

As Benfica sought a way to provide playing time for their youth and reserve players, they created a B team in 1999. The team officially started competing in the 1999–2000 season, with their first match played away against Portimonense S.C. (2–2) in late August. After three seasons in the Portuguese Second Division, they suffered relegation to the Terceira Divisão, where they would spend three years, before achieving promotion to the Portuguese Second Division in 2005. In May of the following year, the board of directors extinguished the side, which returned to activity shortly after as part of the Liga Intercalar. As part of this competition, the team's best league finish was a second place, behind Estoril B, in the South Zone of the 2010–11 season.

Before the end of the 2011–12 football season in Portugal, seven Primeira Liga clubs announced their interest in creating a reserve team to fill the six vacancies available in the Segunda Liga (now Liga Portugal 2) for the 2012–13 campaign. Of those seven clubs, six were selected to take part in the competition: Benfica, Braga, Marítimo, Porto, Sporting CP and Vitória de Guimarães.

LPFP, who organize the professional football tiers in Portugal, announced that the clubs would have to pay €50,000 to register themselves at the league in order to compete in the upcoming season. In addition, LPFP also required them to follow new rules regarding player selection, in which each B team must have a squad with a minimum of ten players formed at the club's academy and with an age between 15 and 21 years, and a maximum of three players above 23 years old. LPFP also decided that reserve teams are unable to compete in cup competitions and to gain promotion to the Primeira Liga due to the possibility of playing against their club's first team.

In late May 2012, it was officially announced that the B teams of six Primeira Liga clubs would compete in the 2012–13 Segunda Liga, a decision that increased the number of teams from 16 to 22 and the number of matches from 30 to 42.

In 2014, Benfica B were invited to play in the first Premier League International Cup. On 29 May 2015, they played a friendly against F.C. United of Manchester in Broadhurst Park's official opening match. On 26 May 2019, they played a practice match against Liverpool in Marbella, Spain, five days before the latter's Champions League final.

Players

Current squad

Other players under contract

--

Out on loan

Coaching staff

Managerial statistics

As of match played 27 May 2025. Only competitive matches are counted, including those in the Premier League International Cup.

Competitive record in U21 Premier League International Cup

As of December 2025.

Honours

• Terceira Divisão
  • Winners (1): 2004–05

Under-23s

Current squad

Coaching staff

References

1. "Benfica B muda-se para a Tapadinha".
2. Pereira, David. (17 August 2018). "Liga Revelação estreia este sábado. Sabe como funciona?". Diário de Notícias.
3. "Despertador encarnado tocou tarde" ''[[A Bola]]'', 30 August 1999 {{in lang. pt
4. (17 February 2012). "Sete clubes interessados nas seis vagas para equipas B".
5. (28 May 2012). "Equipas B de FC Porto, Benfica e Sporting confirmadas".
6. (21 May 2012). "Equipas B custam 50 mil euros de inscrição". O Jogo.
7. (28 May 2012). "Liga: seis clubes inscreveram a equipa "B"".
8. Aaron Flanagan. "FC United of Manchester open new stadium against Benfica... and show what football fans can achieve". Daily Mirror.
9. Ben Collins. (29 May 2015). "FC United 0 Benfica 1: Match report of official opening of new Broadhurst Park stadium".
10. Chegodaev, Andrey. (26 May 2019). "Liverpool beat Benfica B before return from Marbella training camp". Tribuna.
11. "Plantel".
12. (July 2025). "Sport Lisboa e Benfica, Futebol, SAD B".
13. (6 July 2023). "Experience and Benfiquista DNA with an eye to the future!". S.L. Benfica.
14. "Coaching Staff".
15. "Squad 1999–2000".
16. "Squad 2000–2001".
17. "Portugal - Table of Honor".
18. "Plantel 2005–2006".
19. [https://www.ligaportugal.pt/en/liga/estatisticas/topmarcadores/20172018/ledmanligapro Top Scorers] {{Webarchive. link. (31 May 2023 Liga Portugal)
20. [https://www.ligaportugal.pt/en/liga/estatisticas/topmarcadores/20182019/ledmanligapro Top Scorers] {{Webarchive. link. (31 May 2023 Liga Portugal)
21. [https://www.ligaportugal.pt/en/liga/estatisticas/topmarcadores/20192020/ligapro Top Scorers] {{Webarchive. link. (18 July 2023 Liga Portugal)
22. [https://www.ligaportugal.pt/en/liga/estatisticas/topmarcadores/20202021/ligaportugalsabseg Top Scorers] {{Webarchive. link. (18 July 2023 Liga Portugal)
23. [https://www.ligaportugal.pt/en/liga/estatisticas/topmarcadores/20212022/ligaportugalsabseg Top Scorers] {{Webarchive. link. (31 May 2023 Liga Portugal)
24. [https://www.ligaportugal.pt/en/liga/estatisticas/topmarcadores/20222023/ligaportugalsabseg Top Scorers] {{Webarchive. link. (31 May 2023 Liga Portugal)
25. "Alan Murray".
26. "José Morais".
27. "António Veloso".
28. "Carlos Gomes".
29. "João Santos".
30. "Norton de Matos".
31. (3 July 2013). "Equipa entra hoje em cena". Record.
32. "Hélder Cristóvão".
33. (2 July 2018). "Bruno Lage is the new coach of Benfica B". S.L. Benfica.
34. "Bruno Lage".
35. "Nélson Veríssimo".
36. "Plantel".