Campeonato Nacional de Juniores

The Campeonato Nacional de Juniores is the top league for youth soccer in Portugal, where 19-year-old players or younger play for a spot in their senior teams. The competition was established in 1938 and is organized by the Portuguese Football Federation.

The competition works under a similar format as most top leagues in the world, with promotion and relegation being the main goal to accomplish and to avoid. The league is divided into two groups, the north and south zones, each with twelve teams. After playing against their group rivals twice, the top four teams enter the Apuramento de Campeao stage, where they play two-legged semi finals to determine the group champions and go on to face their rivals from the opposite group. The winners will be crowned as champions.

Just as it happens in the Primeira Liga, three teams have dominated this competition over the years. Those clubs are known as the Big Three: Benfica, Porto, and Sporting, who have combined to win over sixty titles between them.

The Campeonato Nacional de Juniores has only been suspended twice: once in 1966, and the other between 2020 and 2022, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.