Countries Portugal Founded 1951 | Confederation Europe (EHF) Number of teams 14 | |
Relegation to Portuguese Handball Second Division Domestic cup(s) Portuguese Handball Cup
Portuguese Handball Super Cup | ||
The Portuguese Handball First Division, also known as Andebol 1, is the premier handball league in Portugal. It is contested by 14 teams, with the bottom two being relegated to the Second Division.
Contents
League-Federation dispute
In the early 2000s, the clubs created an association (Portuguese Handball Clubs League) that organized the premier professional handball league in Portugal, called Liga Portuguesa de Andebol, (or Portuguese Handball League). However, in 2002 a disputed started between the League and the Portuguese Handball Federation. As of result of that, Portuguese Handball Federation refused to accept the League Champion as National Champion, and renamed the second handball league as Divisão de Elite, and its Champions was declared Portuguese Champions.
The dispute finished in 2005, with the Federation recognizing the League Champion, but by 2008 the League was had ended and all clubs and competitions were under Federation scope. The premier professional handball league in Portugal was renamed again as Primeira Divisão Portuguesa de Andebol.
Teams
The teams contesting the 2016–17 Andebol 1 season are:
Note: (*) - League Champions