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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.
The Portuguese men's football league system consists of four national divisions and up to four district leagues (depending on the district).
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 | |||||||
| ↓↑ 2 clubs + 1 club play-off | ||||||||
| 2 | Liga Portugal 2 | |||||||
| ↓↑ 2 clubs + 1 club play-off | ||||||||
3 | Liga 3 | |||||||
| Serie A 10 clubs | Serie B 10 clubs | |||||||
| ↓↑ 4 clubs | ||||||||
4 | Campeonato de Portugal | |||||||
| Serie A 14 clubs | Serie B 14 clubs | Serie C 14 clubs | Serie D 14 clubs | |||||
| ↓↑ 20 clubs | ||||||||
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 | Division of Honour | First Division | Second Division |
| Lisbon FA | First Division | Second Division | Third Division | |
| Aveiro FA | Elite | First Division | Second Division | |
| Braga FA | Pro-National | Division of Honour | First Division | |
| Coimbra FA | Elite | Division of Honour14 clubs | First Division16 clubs | |
| Algarve FA | First Division12 clubs | Second Division19 clubs(Series 1 and 2) | ||
| Beja FA | First Division12 clubs | Second Division29 clubs(Series 1, 2 and 3) | ||
| Évora FA | Elite Division12 clubs | Division of Honour19 clubs(Series 1 and 2) | ||
| Guarda FA | First Division14 clubs | Second Division9 clubs | ||
| Leiria FA | Campeonato Lizsport16 clubs | First Division27 clubs(Series 1 and 2) | ||
| Madeira FA | Division of Honour12 clubs | First Division10 clubs | ||
| Santarém FA | First Division16 clubs | Second Division25 clubs(Series 1, 2 and 3) | ||
| Setúbal FA | First Division16 clubs | Second Division17 clubs | ||
| Viana do Castelo FA | First Division16 clubs | Second Division17 clubs | ||
| Viseu FA | Division of Honour18 clubs | First Division28 clubs(Series 1, 2 and 3) | ||
| Angra do Heroísmo FA | Azores Championship 10 clubs | Graciosa Championship2 clubs São Jorge Championship3 clubs Terceira Championship2 clubs | ||
| Horta FA | Horta Championship7 clubs | |||
| Ponta Delgada FA | São Miguel Championship9 clubs | |||
| Bragança FA | Division of Honour12 clubs | |||
| Castelo Branco FA | Division of Honour10 clubs | |||
| Portalegre FA | First Division7 clubs | |||
| Vila Real FA | Division of Honour19 clubs(Series 1 and 2) |
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 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
2 | Campeonato Nacional de Futebol Feminino II Divisão | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Serie North 8 clubs | Serie South 8 clubs | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| ↓↑ 2 clubs + 2 clubs play-off | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
3 | Campeonato Nacional de Futebol Feminino III Divisão | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 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 | |||||||||||||
Portuguese football is divided into divisions. The major teams play in the Primeira Liga. The other professional teams play against each other in the LigaPro. The other major competitions are the Portuguese Cup, Portuguese League Cup and Portuguese Super Cup.
The Liga Portugal 2, also known as Liga Portugal Meu Super for sponsorship reasons, is the second-highest division of the Portuguese football league system. At the end of each season, the two top-finishing teams are promoted to the top-tier Liga Portugal and the two lowest-ranked teams are relegated to the third-tier league. Starting with the 2021–22 season, relegated teams will no longer compete in the Campeonato de Portugal, which will become the fourth tier, but in a newly created third-level competition named Liga 3.
The Leiria Football Association is one of the 22 District Football Associations that are affiliated with the Portuguese Football Federation. The AF Leiria administers lower-tier football in the district of Leiria.
The Campeonato Paulista Série A1, commonly known as Campeonato Paulista, nicknamed Paulistão, is the top-flight professional state football league in the Brazilian state of São Paulo. Run by the Federação Paulista de Futebol (FPF), the league is contested by 16 clubs and typically lasts from January to April. Rivalries amongst four of the best-known Brazilian teams have marked the history of the competition. The Campeonato Paulista is the oldest established league in Brazil, being held since 1902 and professionally since 1933.
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The 2020–21 Campeonato de Portugal is the eighth season of Portuguese football's renovated third-tier league, since the merging of the Segunda Divisão and Terceira Divisão in 2013, and the sixth season under the current Campeonato de Portugal title. A total of 96 teams compete in this division.
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The 2022–23 Taça de Portugal was the 83rd edition of the Taça de Portugal, the premier knockout competition in Portuguese football. A total of 152 clubs competed in this edition, including all teams from the top four tiers of the Portuguese football league system – excluding reserve or B teams, which were not eligible – and representatives of the fifth-tier District leagues and cups.
| Men's |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Women's |
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| District Associations | |||||||
| Defunct competitions | |||||||
Clubs • Club honours • Silver ball • Venues • Derbies • Ultras • Foreign players • Footballers • Managers | |||||||
