FC Porto preparing to enter third-tier futsal in 2026/27 after rules change | OneFootball

FC Porto will have a senior futsal team in 2026/27 and confirmed on Thursday they are preparing to register in the third tier following a regulatory change.

The club said in a statement that from next season the competition will feature 50 clubs, with up to three places reserved for teams ranked in the national top 20 of professional football over the past five seasons, a bracket that includes Porto.

President André Villas-Boas first revealed the plan in late May at the Festival ECO and had already pointed to the prospect of direct entry to the third division, enabled by updated federation regulations confirmed on Wednesday.

In 2026/27, the third tier will comprise 50 clubs split into three series of 14 based on geography, with the exception of the Azores Series which will have eight teams.

Clubs play each other home and away in the opening phase. The winners of each 14-team series go up automatically, while the runners-up join the Azores winners in a neutral-venue play-off of two rounds to decide one further promoted side. The third-division title will then be settled by a neutral-venue round-robin between the 14-team series winners.

Source: O Jogo