For the former Brazilian regional cup with the same name, see Primeira Liga (Brazil)

Football league

The Primeira Liga (Portuguese pronunciation: [pɾiˈmɐjɾɐ ⚽️ ˈliɣɐ]), also known as Liga Portugal, and officially known as Liga Portugal Betclic for sponsorship reasons, is the top level ⚽️ of the Portuguese football league system. Organised and supervised by the Liga Portugal, it is contested by 18 teams since ⚽️ the 2014–15 season, with the three lowest-placed teams relegated to the Liga Portugal 2 and replaced by the top-three non-reserve ⚽️ teams from this division.[a]

Founded in 1934 as Campeonato da Liga da Primeira Divisão, it was named Campeonato Nacional da Primeira ⚽️ Divisão from 1938 until 1999, when it was changed to its current naming. Over 70 teams have competed in the ⚽️ Primeira Liga, but only five have been crowned champions. Among them, the "Big Three" teams – Benfica (38 wins), Porto ⚽️ (30) and Sporting CP (19) – have won all but two Primeira Liga titles; the other winners are Belenenses (1945–46) ⚽️ and Boavista (2000–01).[2]

The Primeira Liga has increased its reputation in recent years, occupying the sixth place of UEFA's national league ⚽️ ranking, as of 2024. It broke into the top five for the first time in the 2011–12 season, passing the ⚽️ French Ligue 1, one of the historical "big five" European leagues, for the first time since 1990. The Primeira Liga ⚽️ also reached a world ranking of fourth according to IFFHS's 2011 ranking.[3]