Country Portugal Relegation to Campeonato de Portugal Current champion F.C. Porto B (1st title) Founded 1990 Confederation UEFA | Level on pyramid 2 League cup(s) Taça da Liga Number of teams 22 Promotion to Primeira Liga Domestic cup Taça de Portugal | |
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Current champions Porto B (1st title)
(2015–16) Most championships Paços de Ferreira (3 titles) Teams Associação Académica de Coimb, SC Covilhã, SC Olhanense, Portimonense SC, Leixões SC | ||
The LigaPro ([ˈliɣɐˈpɾɔ]; English: ProLeague), also referred to as Ledman LigaPro for sponsorship reasons, is the second-highest division of the Portuguese football league system, after the Primeira Liga. At the end of each season, the top-finishing teams are promoted to the Primeira Liga, and the lowest-ranked teams are relegated to the third-tier Campeonato de Portugal.
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The LigaPro was founded in 1990 as the Segunda Divisão de Honra (Second Division of Honour), superseding the now-folded Segunda Divisão (Second Division) as the second tier of Portuguese football. When the division came under the auspices of the Liga Portuguesa de Futebol Profissional (LPFP) in 1999, it was renamed to Segunda Liga (Second League), a designation that was kept until 2016, with the exception of a period between 2005 and 2012, when it was known as Liga de Honra (League of Honour). The current branding and sponsorship were introduced during the 2015–16 season.
The division is contested nationwide by 22 teams, including the reserve sides (B teams) of several top-flight clubs. This number will be reduced to 20 in the 2017–18 season, with a further reduction to 18 teams scheduled for the 2018–19 season.
Nineteen different teams have won the division title; the most successful is Paços de Ferreira, with three wins, including the inaugural season. The current champions are Porto B, who won the title for the first time in the 2015–16 season, becoming the first reserve team to win the Portuguese second-tier championship title.
History
Before 1990, there was only one professional nationwide football league in Portugal, the Primeira Divisão (First Division). Lower placed teams were relegated to the Segunda Divisão (Second Division), a regional league, while the top teams from that league would be promoted to the First Division. Starting with the 1990–91 season, a new second-tier professional league was created, taking the name Segunda Divisão de Honra, while the previous Segunda Divisão became the third-tier league and was renamed Segunda Divisão B.
In 1999, the Portuguese League for Professional Football (LPFP) took control of the two nationwide levels and renamed the league Segunda Liga (Second League), while in 2005 it was renamed Liga de Honra and the Segunda Divisão B reverted to its original name. In 2012, the second tier of Portuguese football was renamed again Segunda Liga and in 2016 it was renamed LigaPro.
Format
In the 2016–17 season, there are 22 clubs in the Segunda Liga (24 in the seasons before). For the 2017–18 season it is foreseen to reduce the number of teams from 22 to 20. During the course of a season, each club plays all teams twice — once at their home stadium and once at their opponent's — for a total of 42 games. At the end of each season, the two top teams are promoted to Primeira Liga and the four lowest ranked teams will be relegated to the 2017–18 Campeonato de Portugal. There will be also a two-legged promotion/relegation play-off involving the 17th- and 18th-placed teams of 2016–17 LigaPro and both second-placed teams of the Campeonato de Portugal promotion groups (North and South). The B teams can't be promoted to Primeira Liga but can be demoted to the Campeonato de Portugal if they end the season in one of the relegation positions or if the main team is also relegated to the same league.
Broadcasting
Sport TV broadcasts two matches per week. Benfica TV broadcasts Benfica B home games, while Porto Canal broadcasts Porto B home games, and Sporting TV broadcasts Sporting B home games.
Champions
For champions at this level before 1990, see Portuguese Second Division.All-time ranking
Last updated following the 2015–16 season.For standardization purposes, a win is worth three points for all clubs.