Campeonato Nacional Feminino

Campeonato Nacional Feminino

Organising body	FPF
Founded	1993;31 years ago (1993)
Country	Portugal
Confederation	UEFA
Number of teams	12 (from 2023–24)
Level on pyramid	1
Relegation to	Campeonato Nacional II Divisão
Domestic cup(s)	Taça de Portugal Taça da Liga Supertaça
International cup(s)	UEFA Champions League
Current champions	Benfica (4th title) (2023–24)
Most championships	S.U. 1º de Dezembro (12 titles)
Top goalscorer	Diana Silva (113 goals)
TV partners	Canal 11 Sport TV Benfica TV Sporting TV
Website	fpf.pt
Current: 2023–24 Campeonato Nacional

The Campeonato Nacional Feminino (English: Women's National Championship), also known as Liga BPI for sponsorship reasons, is the top-tier women's association football league in Portugal. It is run by the Portuguese Football Federation and began in 1993. An initial ten teams compete in the league, which replaced the Taça Nacional as the highest level of women's football in Portugal. The current champions are Benfica, who won their fourth consecutive title in 2023–24. The most successful team is S.U. 1º de Dezembro, with 12 titles.

History

One of the first women's football national championship in Portugal began in 1985, under the title Taça Nacional. It included all clubs interested in participating and comprised two stages, in the first stage clubs were divided in different zone groups with the top clubs from each zone advancing to the second stage to decide the champion. Boavista dominated this competition, winning all its eight editions. The competition was renamed Campeonato Nacional for the 1993–94 season though keeping the same format. On the 1998–99 season, more matches were added to the competition as clubs not advancing to the championship stage played would play again between them. In 2001, the UEFA Women's Cup was created with the previous season winners of this competition qualifying to play on it. The Portuguese cup started on the 2003–04 season with all clubs competing on it.

In 2005, the Campeonato Nacional II Divisão was created, leaving only the top 6 teams on the first tier, each one playing the others 4 times with the bottom team being relegated. The competition was expanded for the 2009–10 season to 10 teams, playing each other twice, with top clubs advancing to a championship group and bottom teams to a relegation group. A supercup, played between the championship winners and cup winners, started in 2015.

For the 2016–17, the Portuguese Football Federation granted direct entrance to the first tier to four Primeira Liga teams, with Sporting CP, Braga, Estoril and CF Os Belenenses taking the spots. This teams had to keep the women's team for at least three seasons and introduce Under-19 sides to promote youth football. This way, Sporting CP and Braga became the first professional women's football teams in Portugal. That same season, the format was reverted to a single stage, where the 14 teams (reduced to 12 on the following season) play each other twice. The league cup was introduced for the 2019–20 season with teams qualifying through mid-season standings on the championship. That season was interrupted due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Portugal with no title awarded and no teams relegated. This was the first time no title was awarded since the creation of the competition. This led to a total of 20 teams on the first tier on the following season, requiring a format change for that season, with a first stage where teams are divided in two groups playing each other once with top teams advancing to a championship group and bottom teams to relegation groups.

Competition format

Competition

As of 2016–17, there are 12 clubs in the Campeonato Nacional. During the course of a season (from September to May) each club plays the others twice (a double round-robin system), once at their home stadium and once at that of their opponents', for 22 games. Teams receive three points for a win and one point for a draw. No points are awarded for a loss. Teams are ranked by total points, then head-to-head points, head-to-head goal difference, goal difference, matches won, and goals scored. If still equal, a play-off match at a neutral venue decides rank. The two lowest placed teams are relegated into the Campeonato Nacional II Divisão, and the top two teams from the Campeonato Nacional de Promoção are promoted in their place.

Qualification for European competitions

The winner of Campeonato Nacional qualifies for the UEFA Women's Champions League qualifying round.

Teams

Braga

Clube de Albergaria

Famalicão

Racing Power

Valadares Gaia

Vilaverdense

Atlético Ouriense

Benfica

Sporting CP

Torreense

Damaiense

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Location of teams in 2023–24 Campeonato Nacional Feminino. (Mainland)

Marítimo

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Location of teams in 2022–23 Campeonato Nacional Feminino (Madeira).

12 teams contest the Campeonato Nacional de Futebol Feminino in 2023–24.

Stadia and locations

Team	Location	Stadium	Capacity
Atlético Ouriense	Ourém	Campo da Caridade	260
Benfica	Seixal	Benfica Campus	2,721
	Lisbon	Estádio da Luz	64,642
Braga	Braga	Estádio 1º de Maio	28,000
Clube de Albergaria	Albergaria-a-Velha	Estádio Municipal António Augusto Martins Pereira	1,500
Damaiense	Amadora	Complexo Desportivo Municipal Monte da Galega	2,000
Famalicão	Vila Nova de Famalicão	Academia do F.C. Famalicão	500
Länk Vilaverdense	Vila Verde	Estádio Municipal de Vila Verde	3,000
Marítimo	Funchal	Campo Adelino Rodrigues	2,000
Racing Power	Seixal	Complexo Municipal de Atletismo de Setúbal	3,000
Sporting CP	Alcochete	CGD Stadium Aurélio Pereira	1,128
	Lisbon	Estádio José Alvalade	50,095
Torreense	Torres Vedras	Parque Desportivo Maximino Santos	2,000
Valadares Gaia	Vila Nova de Gaia	Complexo Desportivo Valadares	750

List of champions

The following teams won the league: ^[1]

Taça Nacional

Season	Champions	Runners-up	Third-place
1985–86	Boavista	Académico de Alvalade	União de Coimbra
1986–87	Boavista (2)
1987–88	Boavista (3)
1988–89	Boavista (4)	Costa do Estoril	União de Coimbra
1989–90	Boavista (5)	Costa do Estoril	União de Coimbra
1990–91	Boavista (6)	Costa do Estoril	União Ferreirense
1991–92	Boavista (7)	União Ferreirense	Sporting CP
1992–93	Boavista (8)	9 Abril Trajouce	Sporting CP

Campeonato Nacional

Season	Champions	Runners-up	Third-place
1993–94	Boavista (9)	9 Abril Trajouce	Lobão
1994–95	Boavista (10)	Lobão	1º de Dezembro
1995–96	Lobão	1º de Dezembro	Boavista
1996–97	Boavista (11)	1º de Dezembro	Lobão
1997–98	Gatões	Boavista	1º de Dezembro
1998–99	Gatões (2)	Boavista	1º de Dezembro
1999–2000	1º de Dezembro	Gatões	Boavista
2000–01	Gatões (3)	1º de Dezembro	Boavista
2001–02	1º de Dezembro (2)	Gatões	Futebol Benfica
2002–03	1º de Dezembro (3)	Futebol Benfica	Boavista
2003–04	1º de Dezembro (4)	Várzea	Futebol Benfica
2004–05	1º de Dezembro (5)	Várzea	Marítimo Murtoense
2005–06	1º de Dezembro (6)	Marítimo Murtoense	Várzea
2006–07	1º de Dezembro (7)	Boavista	Várzea
2007–08	1º de Dezembro (8)	Boavista	Várzea
2008–09	1º de Dezembro (9)	Boavista	Beira-Mar Almada
2009–10	1º de Dezembro (10)	Escola	Clube de Albergaria
2010–11	1º de Dezembro (11)	Cadima	Escola
2011–12	1º de Dezembro (12)	Boavista	Clube de Albergaria
2012–13	Atlético Ouriense	Clube de Albergaria	1º de Dezembro
2013–14	Atlético Ouriense (2)	A-dos-Francos	Futebol Benfica
2014–15	Futebol Benfica	Valadares Gaia	Atlético Ouriense
2015–16	Futebol Benfica (2)	Clube de Albergaria	Valadares Gaia
2016–17	Sporting CP	Braga	Futebol Benfica
2017–18	Sporting CP (2)	Braga	Estoril
2018–19	Braga	Sporting CP	Futebol Benfica
2019–20	abandoned [nb 1] [nb 2]
2020–21	Benfica	Sporting CP	Braga
2021–22	Benfica (2)	Sporting CP	Braga
2022–23	Benfica (3)	Sporting CP	Braga
2023–24	Benfica (4)	Sporting CP	Racing Power FC

Teams by titles

Performance by club

Club	Winners	Runners-up	Winning seasons	Runner-up seasons
1º de Dezembro	012	03	1999–2000, 2001–02, 2002–03, 2003–04, 2004–05, 2005–06, 2006–07, 2007–08, 2008–09, 2009–10, 2010–11, 2011–12	1995–96, 1996–97, 2000–01
Boavista	011	06	1985–86, 1986–87, 1987–88, 1988–89, 1989–90, 1990–91, 1991–92, 1992–93, 1993–94, 1994–95, 1996–97	1997–98, 1998–99, 2006–07, 2007–08, 2008–09, 2011–12
Benfica	04	00	2020–21, 2021–22, 2022–23, 2023–24	—
Gatões	03	02	1997–98, 1998–99, 2000–01	1999–2000, 2001–02
Sporting CP	02	04	2016–17, 2017–18	2018–19, 2020–21, 2021–22, 2022–23
Futebol Benfica	02	01	2014–15, 2015–16	2002–03
Atlético Ouriense	02	00	2012–13, 2013–14	—
Braga	01	02	2018–19	2016–17, 2017–18
Lobão	01	01	1995–96	1994–95
Costa do Estoril	00	03	—	1988–89, 1989–90, 1990–91
9 Abril Trajouce	00	02	—	1992–93, 1993–94
Várzea	00	02	—	2003–04, 2004–05
Clube de Albergaria	00	02	—	2012–13, 2015–16
Académico de Alvalade	00	01	—	1985–86
União Ferreirense	00	01	—	1991–92
Marítimo Murtoense	00	01	—	2005–06
Escola	00	01	—	2009–10
Cadima	00	01	—	2010–11
A-dos-Francos	00	01	—	2013–14
Valadares Gaia	00	01	—	2014–15

Notes

1. On 8 April 2020 the Portuguese Football Federation cancelled all non-professional competitions in the country due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Portugal. No titles were awarded, and no teams will be promoted or relegated. ^[2]
2. Benfica was later appointed to the UEFA Champions League qualifying round as table leaders at the time of interruption. ^[3]

References

1. "Portugal – List of Women Champions and Cup Winners". RSSSF . Retrieved 14 October 2011.
2. "Comunicado FPF". FPF (in Portuguese). Retrieved 2020-07-29.
3. Lusa, Agência. FPF indica Benfica na 'Champions' feminina e Sporting e 'águias' no futsal". Observador (in Portuguese). Retrieved 2020-07-29.

External links

• Women's League at fpf.pt
• Portuguese league at UEFA
• Portuguese league at women.soccerway.com