Sports 24 July 2026

The Primeira Liga kicks off on Friday 7 August, with Estoril against Famalicão

The season opens on Friday 7 August at Estoril. Porto host Alverca on the Sunday and Sporting travel to Estrela da Amadora on the Saturday.

The World Cup is barely over, but there’s no time to put your feet up: club football returns to Portugal in early August. The fixture computer has spoken, and the Primeira Liga 2026/27 now has a start date — plus an opening weekend that already looks worth the wait.

When does the 2026/27 Primeira Liga start?

The new season opens on Friday 7 August with Estoril against Famalicão, with the bulk of the round on 8 and 9 August. Confirmed kick-off times for the full opening round are here. That’s the first step of a ten-month campaign that runs all the way to spring, with the usual three title contenders up front and a chasing pack dreaming of Europe.

Who plays on the opening weekend?

All three giants are in from the off. Porto host newly promoted Alverca at the Dragão, Benfica play at home at the Luz against Académico de Viseu, and Sporting are the only one starting away, travelling to Estrela da Amadora in Reboleira. Two at home, one on the road — and none of them with an excuse to stumble on day one.

When are the big derbies?

If you’re already circling dates, there’s good news early. The first clássico lands on matchday seven, with Benfica heading to the Dragão to face Porto, and Sporting visit the same ground on matchday twelve. The Lisbon derby between Benfica and Sporting is set for matchday 16, at the Luz. Before any of that there’s pre-season to sort out — Sporting, for one, already thumped Strasbourg 7-0 in the Algarve. The full schedule is on the Liga Portugal site.

By Vasco Almada

Image: Alvesgaspar / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)

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The men's 400m freestyle S11 podium at the World Para Swimming European Championships in Kocaeli, Türkiye

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