Portuguese League - Liga Portugal 2026/2027

[joker_josue]

Here in my country, even the TV commentators all expected to see this defeat. Even when I was discussing it with someone before the game started, we both agreed they would lose. Someone was even laughing and told me that if Benfica won, he would give me money. That's why I said it was expected. Because I'm talking about myself. I don't know how the bookmakers could have made the mistake of putting Benfica as the favorite in this game. It was utter madness. I still can't stop laughing when I read the comments on Benfica's page. That's because most of the comments are from people who think like me, who don't believe in this new coach.

With the current squad and without some of the key starters, it's difficult to assess, regardless of who the coach was in charge.

It's rare to see a coach who has been on the job for less than a month achieving great things.

Right now, I don't see this coach as the problem. The problem is the lack of time Benfica has to reorganize things.

[bangjoe]

The new round of the Portuguese league this season, I still believe very much in the big teams that have always had the best positions, namely FC Porto and Sporting CP, and two more teams between Braga and Benfica.
Sporting CP is very interesting, his achievements last season were good enough to go far in the champions League until the quarter-finals, should be a candidate to win again in the Portuguese league this season and of course besides Porto.

I am a little bit skeptical with Benfica, because they are now left by Mourinho to go to Real Madrid, I really doubt what they will achieve in the current season, his new coach Marco Silva is expected to give much better results.

[SportbetOne]

I don't know how the bookmakers could have made the mistake of putting Benfica as the favorite in this game. It was utter madness. I still can't stop laughing when I read the comments on Benfica's page. That's because most of the comments are from people who think like me, who don't believe in this new coach.

Bookies almost always price these early European qualifying rounds purely on brand stature and total squad market value, which is why Benfica was sitting at those ridiculous 1.44 odds. The algorithms completely ignore how disjointed a team can look while trying to adapt to a new manager's tactical system after a short pre-season.
Anyone who closely followed their summer preparation could see the defensive transition was still a major work in progress, so St. Gallen catching them on the counter wasn't as much of a shock on the pitch as it looked on paper.
That said, the return leg at Estádio da Luz is going to be the real acid test for this coaching staff. If they struggle to comfortably break down St. Gallen at home with the crowd behind them, the alarm bells for the Liga Portugal title race against Porto and Sporting are going to be deafening before matchday 1 even arrives.

[martinom]

Porto won last season, they're my favorites this season too. Sporting were doing well but fell behind in the last 6 weeks. Benfica finished the season undefeated but could only manage 3rd place because they had too many draws. We might see a similar standings this season.

Tomorrow, Benfica will play a Europa League qualifying match. It'll be our first chance to see them in action. Mourinho is gone now. I think we might see a different approach to the game compared to last season. I'm not sure exactly what kind of impact Marco Silva will have, but I don't think his philosophy will be the same as Mourinho's.

Sporting has also had to face the path in the Champions League, i believe that the decline in recent weeks is due to that, if this year they manage to make a transfer that can cover the team's shortcomings they will absolutely be able to compete for the championship and also do very well in the Champions League, a team that always plays good football and is very organised.

[m4r1o]

I'm glad to see Maritimo return to the top division and it's good that Nacional managed to avoid relegation which means we're looking forward to a wonderful Madeira derby. I also hope that Benfica will play a more attacking and entertaining style in the new season after Mourinho's departure.

Yes, i are happy about it too, at least we'll see some new derbies that will certainly give noteworthy emotions, Benfica has always been a team that focuses a lot on its offensive character as it has always shown and as can be seen from its position in the standings, now with Mourinho's departure it will certainly find that somewhat dormant side again.

[Slow death]

With the current squad and without some of the key starters, it's difficult to assess, regardless of who the coach was in charge.

It's rare to see a coach who has been on the job for less than a month achieving great things.

Right now, I don't see this coach as the problem. The problem is the lack of time Benfica has to reorganize things.

If those players who weren't present during the game get injured during league games, then it's safe to say that Benfica won't have any chance of fighting for the title. Benfica played against an opponent that finished in second place in the Swiss Super League. It wasn't a very strong opponent; they were playing against an opponent that even if Benfica didn't have its best players, it could have beaten, at least the Benfica of the past could have. But this Benfica, with this weak squad and this coach, you can't expect much.

That said, the return leg at Estádio da Luz is going to be the real acid test for this coaching staff. If they struggle to comfortably break down St. Gallen at home with the crowd behind them, the alarm bells for the Liga Portugal title race against Porto and Sporting are going to be deafening before matchday 1 even arrives.

Last season it was the same scenario; they relied on good results at home, at worst drawing, especially during Mourinho's time when he worked miracles with that weak squad. This season they will continue to rely on good results only at home. Even if they are lucky enough to beat St. Gallen, I doubt they will be able to fight for the title.

[aipercoin]

I remember vividly how tense last season was in Liga Portugal.

FC Porto won the league on matchday 32 by defeating Alverca. Sporting CP won with two more games to spare. It was their 31st league title.

I believe FC Porto and Sporting CP will go for the league title this season. Porto made Jakub Kiwior's loan permanent. I think they have a good defense to contend for the title again.

Kiwior is a very flexible player and above all he comes from a more difficult background so as he has shown he has already found himself very well, hence his choice to stay too, Porto has an excellent support team that always pushes their team to give their best and even if last year they had some gaps this year i think they can do better.

[bastisisca]

The Portuguese league is not that popular in Europe's top leagues, I should assume that's why Sporting CP is not in your list. Porto and Benfica are top teams in the Portuguese league, but I think Sporting CP is the best. Big players like Cristiano Ronaldo, Luis Figo, Bruno Fernades all played in Sporting. Though, Sporting finished second in the league last season, because they had to focus more on UCL, but I think Sporting is one of the favourites to win the league.

I just hope other teams can play well next season and suprise the favourites, then the league will be a little bit interesting

Sporting for me is a huge club full of recent history, especially for the champions who have played there, for me it is absolutely not at a disadvantage compared to the other 2 main rivals, Benfica and Porto, if i have to be honest i would put them all on the same level and all with the same chances of final victory.

[Pumared]

The Portuguese league is not that popular in Europe's top leagues, I should assume that's why Sporting CP is not in your list. Porto and Benfica are top teams in the Portuguese league, but I think Sporting CP is the best. Big players like Cristiano Ronaldo, Luis Figo, Bruno Fernades all played in Sporting. Though, Sporting finished second in the league last season, because they had to focus more on UCL, but I think Sporting is one of the favourites to win the league.

I just hope other teams can play well next season and suprise the favourites, then the league will be a little bit interesting

Sporting for me is a huge club full of recent history, especially for the champions who have played there, for me it is absolutely not at a disadvantage compared to the other 2 main rivals, Benfica and Porto, if i have to be honest i would put them all on the same level and all with the same chances of final victory.

Ultimately, the same teams will always be there, so it's to be expected that they will always be equivalent. What would surprise me today would be another team taking their place, not due to the big teams' shortcomings, but through their own merit. Braga itself has been changing that year after year, for example.

[changaa]

Will we see changes in the top 3 or 4 this season? I thought Benfica had a very strong start to the season, despite losing to Flamengo from Brazil in a friendly. They managed to score against a big opponent with a depleted squad. It will be interesting to assess them when the whole team is ready.

For me, the friendlies that are played before the actual start of the championship mean nothing because the coaches have just enough time to test their squad and their young players, as well as the new signings so they can get a complete idea of their team, these friendlies prove nothing.

[cande86]

Benfica doesn't realize just how problematic a player they are signing in John Duran. Let me put this on the record: Duran will leave Benfica during the mid-season transfer window. We (Fenerbahçe) signed him with high hopes last year; although he made significant contributions to the scoreline in some matches, he has issues.
He moved to Zenit during last year's mid-season window but couldn't establish himself there.
At the start of the season, there were rumors he would join Galatasaray, but the club decided against it.
I don't think he will succeed at Benfica.

He is certainly a complicated player to manage, but i don't think Benfica would throw themselves into buying a player they didn't see potential in, and above all a player must also feel good in the league he is in to be able to perform at his best, the example of Lukaku between the Premier League and Serie A can be given.

[Cryptoprincess101]

Here in my country, even the TV commentators all expected to see this defeat. Even when I was discussing it with someone before the game started, we both agreed they would lose. Someone was even laughing and told me that if Benfica won, he would give me money. That's why I said it was expected. Because I'm talking about myself. I don't know how the bookmakers could have made the mistake of putting Benfica as the favorite in this game. It was utter madness. I still can't stop laughing when I read the comments on Benfica's page. That's because most of the comments are from people who think like me, who don't believe in this new coach.

Anyway, i won't argue with you because it's a team from your country and you guys know better than those who only check statistics and make predictions. I don't know why you guys don't believe in this new coach Marco Silva despite that he has experience managing about 8 teams which he recorded success in the Greek Super League by winning the league title with Olympiacos. He succeeded in making Fulham a stable team in the Premier League since they gained promotion in 2022/2023 season, after they were relegated in the previous season. He also won the Taça de Portugal for Sporting Lisbon in 2014/215 season. Despite that he hasn't been a coach to a big team, but he can still deliver for Benfica if they give him their support. Maybe because he is from Portugal that is why he is why you people do not see any potentials in him.

Sporting for me is a huge club full of recent history, especially for the champions who have played there, for me it is absolutely not at a disadvantage compared to the other 2 main rivals, Benfica and Porto, if i have to be honest i would put them all on the same level and all with the same chances of final victory.

Of course, Sporting Lisbon has been performing well in recent seasons, so it is accurate to place them in same level with Benfica and FC Porto. I was even marveled with their performance last season because despite losing their coach Ruben Amorim who won the Primeira Liga for them, they still went ahead and finished second which shows that they have become one of the regular title contenders alongside FC Porto and Benfica.

[giorgione]

Benfica reached an agreement with Al Nassr to have Jhon Durán on loan. It seems he was playing for Zenit, where he made 6 appearances and scored 1 goal. Before Zenit, he played for Fenerbahçe, and before that, he played for Al Nassr. Now he's going to Benfica on loan. Honestly, I don't know what led Benfica to want him, since no other club wanted him permanently, not even Fenerbahçe wanted to spend money to keep him. I hope Benfica doesn't disappoint us too much next season. Benfica plays Villarreal today in a friendly match. I won't be watching the game and I won't be betting on it either.

Surely the Benfica scouts will have seen some unexpressed potential in him that they could bring out and managed to grab him for a bargain price given his decline, we'll see if they took a good look at a bad game or if they made an incorrect assessment, only time will tell.

[banana33]

It's very surprising how down-bad Duran's career has gone. I still remember his time at Villa. At one point, he was actively benching Ollie Watkins but now, not anymore. Just getting shuffled around different clubs. I wonder what could be the reason for a player with such promising future at the time to go downhill like this. Let's see if he can turn his career around in Portugal with Benfica.

I think he has lost his motivation, because at Aston Villa he played really well for a period and a drop in performance of this type is difficult to explain, i think Benfica wants to rediscover that characteristic that made him play really well and i think they want to reawaken his potential.

[kennycryptoitalia]

Thanks, joker_josue 
It'll be a pleasure to spend another season here with you all guys

There are 23 days left until the league starts again

The only thing we know for sure is that the champion will be Porto, Sporting, or Benfica, hehehe 

Or will a miracle happen this time?

They are the big 3 of the championship and usually, barring any surprises, one of them will certainly win, the other teams should try to strengthen their staff a little if they really want to give themselves a real chance, they are teams that should not be satisfied with remaining in the Portuguese top division but should try to win it.

[joker_josue]

They are the big 3 of the championship and usually, barring any surprises, one of them will certainly win, the other teams should try to strengthen their staff a little if they really want to give themselves a real chance, they are teams that should not be satisfied with remaining in the Portuguese top division but should try to win it.

This is not easy. The budget difference is brutal.

Here's an estimate of the clubs' payroll for the last season, 2025/2026:

Source: https://www.capology.com/pt/primeira-liga/folhas-de-pagamento/2025-2026/

If you only consider the 3 big clubs (Benfica, Porto, Sporting), they pay the equivalent of all the other teams combined.

[Iranus]

This is not easy. The budget difference is brutal.
Here's an estimate of the clubs' payroll for the last season, 2025/2026:

Source: https://www.capology.com/pt/primeira-liga/folhas-de-pagamento/2025-2026/
If you only consider the 3 big clubs (Benfica, Porto, Sporting), they pay the equivalent of all the other teams combined.

However, I think it is also worth questioning how successful other clubs are in their long term plan? Having more money alone is not enough. Good scouting, strong academy, wise transfer and right coaching can also help to narrow this gap.

Another thing is that the Portuguese league is known as a selling league

Big club regularly develop talented player or buy them cheaply and then sell them for huge sum. Which increases their financial strength and this cycle continues.
There have been big transaction in transfer market this season as well. So I don't think this gap will close overnight.