Portugal · Tier 1

Primeira Liga

In US-sports termsA three-team league where the real business is transfers: Porto, Benfica and Sporting buy young talent cheap, win with it, and sell it to England for a fortune.

What it is

Portugal's top flight. 18 clubs, August–May, everyone plays everyone twice. Benfica, FC Porto and Sporting CP — 'os três grandes', the big three — have won nearly everything between them.

How you get in

Finish 16th or better the season before, or come up from Liga Portugal 2.

What it feeds

Champion → Champions League league phase. 2nd → Champions League qualifying. 3rd → Europa League qualifying. 4th → Conference League qualifying. 16th → a relegation play-off. Bottom 2 → relegated to Liga Portugal 2.

Portugal's clubs are famous for scouting South America before anyone else does — half the stars of the bigger leagues passed through here first.

See it on the Portugal map →Translate the jargon →

Standings

The table as of our last update.

#	Team	P	W	D	L	GD	Pts
1	Porto	34	28	4	2	+48	88
2	Sporting CP	34	25	7	2	+65	82
3	SL Benfica	34	23	11	0	+49	80
4	Braga	34	16	11	7	+28	59
5	Famalicão	34	15	11	8	+13	56
6	Gil Vicente	34	13	11	10	+9	50
7	Moreirense	34	12	7	15	-12	43
8	Vitória SC	34	12	6	16	-12	42
9	Arouca	34	12	6	16	-17	42
10	Estoril Praia	34	10	9	15	-3	39
11	Alverca	34	10	9	15	-17	39
12	Rio Ave	34	8	12	14	-22	36
13	Santa Clara	34	9	9	16	-9	36
14	CD Nacional	34	9	7	18	-8	34
15	Amadora	34	6	12	16	-18	30
16	Casa Pia	34	6	12	16	-26	30
17	Tondela	34	6	10	18	-28	28
18	AVS	34	3	12	19	-40	21