Portuguese Primeira Liga, also known as Liga NOS, is the top professional football league in Portugal. Here is some history, league system, audience, states, and players information about the league:
History
- The Portuguese Primeira Liga was founded in 1934, and it has been dominated by the “Big Three” clubs: Benfica, Porto, and Sporting CP, who have won the majority of the league titles.
- The league was originally called the Primeira Divisão, but it was renamed Liga NOS in 2015 after NOS, a Portuguese telecommunications company, became the league’s main sponsor.
League System
- There are 18 teams in the Portuguese Primeira Liga, and they play each other twice, once at home and once away.
- The team with the most points at the end of the season is crowned the league champion. The bottom two teams are relegated to the second-tier league, the LigaPro, and are replaced by the top two teams from that league.
- The team that finishes third from the bottom must play a two-legged playoff against the third-placed team from the LigaPro to determine which team will play in the top flight the following season.
Audience
- The Primeira Liga is one of the most-watched football leagues in Europe, with an estimated global audience of over 200 million viewers.
- The average attendance at Primeira Liga matches is around 10,000 spectators per game.
States
- The Portuguese Primeira Liga is governed by the Portuguese Professional Football League (LPFP), which is responsible for organizing the league fixtures, scheduling, and rules.
- The LPFP is also responsible for organizing the Taca de Portugal and the Taca da Liga cup competitions.
Players
- Many world-class players have played in the Portuguese Primeira Liga, including Cristiano Ronaldo, Eusebio, Deco, and Ricardo Quaresma.
- The current all-time leading scorer in the Primeira Liga is Fernando Peyroteo, who scored 331 goals during his career with Sporting CP.
- The current highest-paid player in the Primeira Liga is Jesus Corona, who plays for Porto and earns a reported €2.5 million per year.
