Primeira Liga

The Primeira Liga, also known as Liga Portugal, is the top-tier professional football league in Portugal. Founded in 1934, it has a rich history and a strong tradition of producing top-class talent and competitive teams. The league consists of 18 clubs, and the competition typically runs from August to May, with each team playing 34 matches over the course of the season due to its round-robin format.

The Portuguese top flight was initially called Campeonato da Liga da Primeira Divisão following its inception. It was later named Campeonato Nacional da Primeira Divisão from 1938 until 1999 before ultimately rebranding once again to its current name.

As mentioned earlier, the competition consists of 18 teams battling it out in a round-robin format, with each club facing every other team twice per season — once at home and once away. The Primeira Liga boasts a promotion/relegation system, with the worst performers getting demoted to Liga Portugal 2, Portugal’s second division. The 2020-21 season saw the introduction of a relegation playoff, with the Primeira Liga’s 16th-placed team battling it out with the third-placed team in Liga Portugal 2 for a spot in the Portuguese top flight the following season.

While several teams have graced the Primeira Liga, “The Big Three” have historically dominated the competition. They are Benfica, Porto, and Sporting CP, with only two teams outside of those three — Belenenses and Boavista — winning the league between its inception and the 2022-23 campaign.

The Primeira Liga has launched several players into superstardom such as Eusébio, Luis Figo, Deco, Cristiano Ronaldo, Angel di Maria, and Bruno Fernandes. As a result, the Portuguese top flight has garnered a lovely following. Pay TV broadcaster Sport TV, which secured the domestic broadcasting rights for all Primeira Liga matches bar Benfica’s home games — those are broadcast live on Benfica TV — for 2023-24 to 2025-26, has played a huge role in growing the top-flight’s popularity.

Meanwhile, GOL TV secured a multi-year deal to broadcast Primeira Liga matches exclusively in English and Spanish from 2023 to 2026. GolTV's package allows for the live airings of weekly matches throughout the season. This includes games involving Benfica, Porto, and Sporting CP.

In 2021, the Primeira Liga and the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) reached an agreement to centralize the domestic television rights from the 2027/28 season onwards.