| Full name | Sport Lisboa e Benfica | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nicknames | As Águias (The Eagles) As Encarnadas (The Reds) | |||
| Founded | 12 December 2017 (7 years ago) (2017-12-12) | |||
| Ground | Estádio Municipal José Martins Vieira Benfica Campus Estádio da Luz (selected matches) | |||
| Capacity | 2,230 2,644 68,100 | |||
| President | Rui Costa | |||
| Head coach | Ivan Baptista | |||
| League | Campeonato Nacional Feminino | |||
| 2024–25 | Campeonato Nacional Feminino, 1st of 12 (champions) | |||
| Website | www | |||
 Current season | ||||
Sport Lisboa e Benfica (Portuguese pronunciation:[sɨˈpɔɾliʒˈβoɐiβɐ̃jˈfikɐ]ⓘ), commonly known asBenfica, is a Portuguesewomen's football team based inLisbon that plays in theCampeonato Nacional Feminino, the top-level women's football league in Portugal, following promotion in the 2018–19 season.
Founded on 12 December 2017, it is the women's team of football clubS.L. Benfica.[1][2] They have won five consecutiveFirst Division titles, oneSecond Division title, twoPortuguese Cup, fiveLeague Cups (record) and threeSuper Cups (shared record).
Their current home grounds are the 2,230-seaterEstádio Municipal José Martins Vieira, inAlmada,[3] andBenfica Campus, in Seixal, with the team occasionally playing atEstádio da Luz in Lisbon.
As of 2025,[update] Benfica have won every league title since they arrived at the Portuguese top flight in 2019, with the exception of the 2019–20 season, when the league was suspended due toCOVID-19 restrictions.[4] At the time of suspension, the team was tied for first place.[citation needed]
On 12 December 2017,Benfica publicly confirmed that it was forming a long-mootedwomen's football team.[5] Compiling a squad replete with several international players and a distinctly Brazilian flavour, they entered thePortuguese second division and promptly doled out several comprehensive thrashings to their outmatched opponents.[6]
The initial squad contained a total of seven players from Brazil (an eighth,Rilany, arrived in December). Brazilians were targeted because many had the required skills and experience. AsLusophones, they were also expected to adapt quickly to Portuguese culture.[7] This mirrored the policy of Benfica's male team, who had a successful policy of importing talented players from the Brazilian transfer market.[8]
On 17 September 2018, Benfica made their league debut in the Campeonato Nacional II Divisão and beat UD Ponte de Frielas 28–0. The result established a new record winning margin in Portuguese senior football, surpassingSporting CP's 21–0 win overCS Mindelense in 1971.[9][10] Former Benfica playerLuís Andrade was appointed as technical co-ordinator of the club's women's section in October 2018. He was tasked with developing a women'sB team and revamping theyouth structure, which contained approximately 200 players.[11]
On 26 January 2019, Benfica broke their own Portuguese scoring record by thrashing CP Pego 32–0 at theEstádio da Tapadinha, increasing their league tally to 257 goals scored and none conceded in 14 matches,[12][13] and the overall tally to 293–0 in 16 matches.[14] Four days later, Benfica conceded a goal for the first time in their history, in a 5–1 away win overMarítimo in the third round of thePortuguese Cup.[15]
Campeonato Nacional sideBraga inflicted Benfica's first ever defeat on 24 March 2019, winning 2–1 away in the first leg of the Portuguese Cup semi-final.[16] Six days later, Benfica metSporting CP in the first but unofficial femaleLisbon derby between their main teams. The match was staged at theEstádio do Restelo to raise money for theCyclone Idai relief effort in Mozambique, attracting 15,204 spectators – a national record crowd at the time for a women's match in Portugal. Despite dominating play, Benfica lost 1–0 toJoana Marchão's 86th-minutepenalty kick.[17]
On 18 May 2019, after eliminating Braga on 5–4 aggregate in the Portuguese Cup semi-finals,[18] Benfica beatValadares Gaia 4–0 in the final to conquer their first trophy, in a Portuguese Cup record attendance of 12,632.[19][20] Following an 8–0 win over Estoril Praia B on 29 May, Benfica secured promotion to the2019–20 Campeonato Nacional Feminino.[21] Later, on 23 June, they were crowned second division champions as they beat Braga B on 9–0 aggregate in the finals.[22][23]
After the departure of head coach João Marques,[24] Luís Andrade took his position,[25] and Benfica started their second season by beating Portuguese champions Braga 1–0 with a goal fromPauleta to conquer their firstSuper Cup trophy.[26] A week later, Benfica debuted in the first division with a 24–0 thrashing ofA-dos-Francos.[27] On 19 October, Benfica beat Sporting 3–0 at theEstádio da Luz in the first official derby between both sides, played before 12,812 spectators, who set a new attendance record for a women's match in Portugal.[28][29]
Benfica qualified toUEFA Women's Champions League'sgroup stage for the first time after beatingTwente 4–0 on 9 September 2021 (5–1 on aggregate).[30] Benfica made their debut in the competition with a goalless home draw againstBayern Munich on 5 October. On 17 November, Benfica secured their first victory in the group stage, 2–1 atBK Häcken FF, while scoring their first goal.[31]
In the 2023–24 season, Benfica set a Portuguese record by winning all four domestic competitions:[32] theSupertaça de Portugal, theTaça da Liga, theCampeonato Nacional, and theTaça de Portugal. Additionally, Benfica reached the quarter-finals of theUEFA Women's Champions League, where they were eliminated byOlympique Lyon.[33] This marked the first time a Portuguese team was amongst the final eight teams in the competition.
The 2024–25 season did not start with the same level of success. Benfica lost theSupertaça de Portugal (Portuguese Supercup) to their rivals Sporting, on an unprecedent win by a team that had neither won the league nor made it to the cup final in the previous season. Moreover, Benfica failed to qualify to theUEFA Women's Champions League Group stage, after a surprising 0–2 loss at home saw them losing 3–2 on aggregate against Hammarby in the final qualifying round. However, Benfica managed to pick themselves up and went undefeated for most of the remaining season, picking up a women's record fifthLeague Cup and a fifth consecutiveLeague title (pentacampeonato) in the process.[34] This resulted in Benfica's first undefeated league title, with a record of 20 wins, 2 draws, and 0 losses. The streak ended at the 30th game mark, where Benfica lost 2-1 against SCU Torreense in theTaça de Portugal final, failing to revalidate the title they had won in the previous season.
Benfica women's team uses the same crest as the rest of the club. Benfica's crest is composed of an eagle, as a symbol of independence, authority and nobility, positioned atop a shield with red and white colours, symbolizing bravery and peace respectively; the motto"E pluribus unum" ("Out of many, one"), defining union between all members; and the club's initials, "SLB", over a football – all this superimposed on a bicycle wheel representing one of the club's first sports, cycling.[35][36]
The club has had four main crests since its inception in 1904. The origin of the current crest goes back to 1908, when Sport Lisboa absorbed Grupo Sport Benfica. Afterwards, the shape of the crest was changed in 1930 and 1999. The most significant of the latest changes were the modification and repositioning of the eagle and the reduction of the wheel's size.[37] Seeing as the women's team has been established in 2017, it has always used the latest club crest.
Since the 2008–09 season, Benfica football shirts have displayed threestars above the crest, with each star representing ten league titles won by the men's team. These stars were initially adopted by women's team as well, even though the rationale behind them would not be applicable. Starting in the 2024/2025 season, the stars over the crest were removed from the women's football team's shirt.
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José da Cruz Viegas was the person responsible for the selection of Benfica's kit in 1904. Red and white colours were chosen for being the ones that stood out better to players' eyes. One year after its inception, the club opted for red shirts with white collars, pockets and cuffs,[38] combined with white shorts and black socks.[39] Benfica's white alternative kit was officially used for the first time in 1944–45, whenSalgueiros, who also wore red, were promoted to the first division.[40] The women's team follows this tradition since its inception, and as such, the home shirt has always been primarily red.
Benfica have always worn red shirts; for that reason, in Portugal, Benfica and their supporters (benfiquistas) were nicknamedVermelhos (Reds). This changed in 1936 with the start of theSpanish Civil War: the PortugueseEstado Novo'sCensorship Commission censored the word "vermelhos" because thePopular Front communists in Spain were also known by that name. From then on, Benfica became known asEncarnados – word similar to "reds", but with a different connotation.[41][42]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Ivan Baptista |
| Assistant coaches | André Vale Pedro Carneiro |
| Goalkeeping coach | Pedro Espinha |
| Video analyst | Mauro Rodrigues |
Last updated: 12 August 2025
Source:[citation needed]
Benfica's performance over their completed seasons:
| Season | League | Pos | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | Top league scorer | Goals | Top overall scorer | Goals | TP | TL | ST | UCL | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018–19 | 2D | 1st | 20 | 18 | 1 | 0 | 365 | 31 | Darlene | 80 | Darlene | 109 | W | — | — | — | [44][citation needed] |
| 2019–20 | 1D | 1st | 15 | 14 | 0 | 1 | 101 | 4 | Cloé Lacasse | 23 | Cloé Lacasse | 25 | RU | W | W | — | [citation needed] |
| 2020–21 | 1D | 1st | 23 | 21 | 0 | 2 | 81 | 15 | Cloé Lacasse | 16 | Cloé Lacasse | 22 | — | W | — | R32 | [citation needed] |
| 2021–22 | 1D | 1st | 40 | 28 | 5 | 7 | 107 | 39 | Cloé Lacasse | 11 | Cloé Lacasse | 20 | R16 | RU | RU | GS | [citation needed] |
| 2022–23 | 1D | 1st | 44 | 37 | 1 | 6 | 177 | 44 | Cloé Lacasse | 22 | Cloé Lacasse | 35 | SF | W | W | GS | [citation needed] |
| 2023–24 | 1D | 1st | 47 | 33 | 9 | 5 | 141 | 41 | Kika Nazareth | 17 | Marie-Yasmine Alidou | 26 | W | W | W | QF | [45][46][47][48][49] |
| 2024–25 | 1D | 1st | 39 | 31 | 5 | 3 | 101 | 26 | Cristina Martín-Prieto | 19 | Cristina Martín-Prieto | 30 | RU | W | RU | 2QR | [50][51][52][53] |
W = Winners; RU = Runners-up; SF = Semi-finals; QF = Quarter-Finals; R16 = Round of 16; R32 = Round of 32; GS = Group stage; 2QR = Second Qualifying Round
As of match played 12 August 2025. Only competitive matches are included.
| Name | Nat | From | To | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | Win % | Honours | Refs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| João Marques |  | 8 March 2018[54] | 25 June 2019[24] | 36 | 34 | 1 | 1 | 452 | 6 | 094.44 | Campeonato Nacional II Divisão,Taça de Portugal | [55] |
| Luís Andrade | | 2 July 2019[25] | 26 December 2020 | 35 | 30 | 1 | 4 | 171 | 28 | 085.71 | Supertaça de Portugal | [citation needed] |
| Filipa Patão | | 27 December 2020 | 25 June 2025 | 180 | 141 | 18 | 21 | 561 | 155 | 078.33 | 5Campeonato Nacional, 5Taça da Liga, 2Supertaça de Portugal,Taça de Portugal | [citation needed] |
| Ivan Baptista | | 8 July 2025 |
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