Big Three (Portugal)

The Big Three (Portuguese: Os Três Grandes) is the nickname of the three most successful and biggest football clubs in Portugal. The teams of S.L. Benfica and Sporting CP, both from Lisbon, and of FC Porto, from Porto, have a great rivalry and are usually the main contenders for the Primeira Liga title. They share all but two of the Portuguese Football Championships ever played, and generally end up sharing the top three positions. None of them has been relegated from the Primeira Liga either, having been participants in all editions since its first season in 1934–35. Benfica's lowest position was 6th in 2000–01, while Porto's 9th place finish in 1969–70 is the closest any of the three sides have come to relegation. Sporting's worst finish was a 7th place finish in 2012–13.

For the other groups of entities known as "Big Three" or "The Big Three", see Big Three (disambiguation).
Benfica's Estádio da Luz
Porto's Estádio do Dragão
Sporting's Estádio José Alvalade

Benfica and Porto are the only Portuguese teams to have won the European Cup/UEFA Champions League, which they have both won on two occasions. The closest Sporting came was in 1983, when they reached the quarter-finals.

The only two clubs outside the Big Three to have won the Portuguese league are Belenenses, in the 1945–46 season, and Boavista, in the 2000–01 campaign. Belenenses has been relegated four times to the second tier, while Boavista has been in the third tier twice.

Benfica
Sporting
Location of the three clubs in Portugal
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