Leagues bound together hierarchically by promotion and relegation
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.
Men's league system [ edit ]
The Portuguese
men's football league 💳 system consists of four national divisions and up to four
district leagues (depending on the district).
National leagues [ edit ]
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 2024–22.[1][2]
Level League(s)/Division(s) 1 Liga Portugal
18 clubs ↓↑ 2
clubs + 1 club play-off 💳 2 Liga Portugal 2
18 clubs ↓↑ 2 clubs + 1 club play-off 3 Liga
3
20 clubs divided into 2 groups 💳 Serie A
10 clubs Serie B
10 clubs ↓↑ 4 clubs 4
Campeonato de Portugal
56 clubs divided into 4 groups Serie A
14 💳 clubs Serie B
14 clubs
Serie C
14 clubs Serie D
14 clubs ↓↑ 20 clubs
District leagues [ edit ]
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.
Women's league system [ edit 💳 ]
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 Campeonato Nacional de Futebol Feminino
12
clubs ↓↑ 1 club + 2 clubs play-off 2 Campeonato 💳 Nacional de Futebol Feminino II
Divisão
16 clubs divided into 2 groups Serie North
8 clubs Serie South
8 clubs ↓↑ 4
clubs 💳 3 Campeonato Nacional de Futebol Feminino III Divisão
71 clubs divided into 12
groups 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
See also [ edit ]
