Belenenses Football Club

Traditional club from Lisbon, one of the founders of the Portuguese First League and the only club outside Benfica, Porto and Sporting to win the national championship.

History

Belenenses Football Club was founded in 1919 in the Belém neighborhood, in Lisbon, and quickly became one of the most important clubs in Portugal in the first half of the twentieth century. In 1946, the club won the historic Portuguese national championship title, a feat that keeps it to this day as the only club besides the so-called 'Big Three' (Benfica, Porto and Sporting) to win the competition. For decades, Belenenses competed in the elite of Portuguese football with regularity, being recognized for player development and balanced matches against the major Lisbon rivals. In 2018, an administrative and financial split led to the creation of Belenenses SAD, separated from the original association, which generated one of the most complex episodes in the recent history of Portuguese football. The amateur club, maintaining the history and original symbol, continued competing in regional divisions, while preserving the centennial legacy of football in the Belém region.