The Primeira Liga kicks off on August 8 — Porto and Benfica at home, Sporting on the road
Portugal's Primeira Liga 2026/27 starts the weekend of August 8-9: Porto host Alverca, Benfica face Académico de Viseu at the Luz, and Sporting travel to Estrela da Amadora.
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 kicks off the weekend of August 8 and 9. 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)
