Country | Portugal |
---|---|
Confederation | UEFA |
Founded | 1990 (as Segunda Divisão de Honra) |
Number of teams | 22 |
Level on pyramid | 2 |
Promotion to | Primeira Liga |
Relegation to | Campeonato de Portugal |
Domestic cup(s) | Taça de Portugal |
League cup(s) | Taça da Liga |
Current champions |
Porto B (1st title) (2015–16) |
Most championships | Paços de Ferreira (3 titles) |
TV partners |
Sport TV Benfica TV Porto Canal Sporting TV |
Website | http://www.ligaportugal.pt/ |
2016–17 LigaPro |
The LigaPro (Portuguese pronunciation: [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.
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.
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.