Sporting to play League Cup in Leiria, but venue could change in future | OneFootball

The future of the League Cup final four is uncertain. Although the current edition is confirmed to take place at Estádio Dr. Magalhães Pessoa in Leiria, Liga Portugal and the local municipality have not reached an agreement to extend their partnership. Nevertheless, Sporting is determined to be present in the new decision phase of the competition.

The president of the League, Reinaldo Teixeira, has expressed his willingness to renew the agreement: “During this journey with the League, we have built a friendship with the Leiria City Council. The understanding was easy, and that is why the competition continues here. Leiria is in the center of the country. The semifinals will be on January 6 and 7, and the final on January 10. As long as we are here, we will do everything to remain in this location, even though there are other interested municipalities.”

“The desire to keep the competition in Leiria is shared by both the League and the municipality. I am elected until 2027, and the intention is not to make any commitments beyond that date. The agreement was for this season. There are several municipalities committed and motivated to host the competition, and it is our duty to engage in dialogue with all of them. Leiria has the great advantage of having a president who knows the competition well,” he added.

Even so, the doubts regarding the final four of future editions of the League Cup are not a concern for Sporting. The Lions will make their debut in the competition on October 29, when they will face the runner-up of the last edition of Liga Portugal 2 at Estádio de Alvalade, Alverca, and are expected to take the field wearing the new Stromp jersey, dedicated to cup matches.

It is worth remembering that the Lions’ emblem is the second most successful in the history of the competition organized by the Portuguese Professional Football League. The Alvalade club has already won this trophy four times, in 2017/18, 2018/19, 2020/21, and 2021/22, with the last two editions already being played in Leiria.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.