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 →