FC Porto and Benfica call for the end of the League Cup | OneFootball

FC Porto and Benfica have expressed support for ending the League Cup, following a debate at the Presidents’ Summit, where Liga Portugal proposed that all professional clubs participate in the competition (unlike the current format). This intention was also demonstrated by Nacional and P. Ferreira, at least.

In this new suggestion, clubs participating in European competitions would play the same number of matches, with the idea being to have several stages from the beginning of the season, even during FIFA Dates, for the remaining clubs in the professional competitions. It would be a preliminary tournament, similar to the Champions League, in which each club plays 2 to 6 matches and a final ranking is established to determine the top four, who would then join the top four from the previous edition of the League.

Despite this new format being put on the table, the truth is, as reported by Portal dos Dragões, the continuation of the League Cup is in question, since those who spoke against it believe it does not provide financial returns and is problematic for scheduling. In this sense, there is no consensus regarding the proposed model, and it will have to be analyzed in the coming times. Reinaldo Teixeira said he is convinced that the competition is worth more, and that it can generate and distribute more revenue. Although the 2026/27 edition is already under contract, the intention is to reformulate and continue it.

Additionally, Liga Portugal has also proposed a promotion playoff to the 1st League with more clubs, up to 5th place, which would add motivation to the competitions. The idea is that the 1st and 2nd in the 2nd League would be promoted directly, and then there would be a playoff with the 3rd, 4th, and 5th, joined by the 16th-placed team from the top division.

Finally, the League’s Board also presented several disruptive competitive models. In light of this, the general opinion among the clubs is that, at this stage and with the changes related to television rights, it is not the time to make a profound change to the competitive structure.

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