Sport Lisboa e Benfica, commonly referred to as Benfica, is one of the most iconic and successful football clubs in the world. Founded in 1904 as Grupo Sport Benfica, it changed its name to Sport Lisboa e Benfica in the same year. The club is based in Lisbon, Portugal, and plays its home matches at the famous Estádio da Luz, which has a seating capacity of over 64,000.
Benfica has a rich history, boasting 37 Primeira Liga titles, 26 Taca de Portugal, 2 UEFA Champions League titles, and numerous other domestic and international trophies. The club enjoyed its most successful era under legendary manager Belá Guttmann, who led Benfica to two European Cup victories in 1961 and 1962.
Known for its attacking style of play, the club has nurtured some of football’s greatest talents, including Eusébio, Luisão, Rui Costa, and Cristiano Ronaldo. Despite recent challenges and inconsistent performances post-Guttmann, Benfica remains one of the world’s most valuable football clubs, with a global fan base and a rich tradition that continues to influence Portuguese and world football.
Benfica is one of the most popular football clubs in the world, with one of the highest average home attendances in Europe. The club states that its worldwide fan base includes more than 200 officially recognised branches of the Benfica Supporters Club (BSC), in at least 24 countries. The club takes advantage of this support through its worldwide summer tours. Accountancy firm and sports industry consultants Deloitte estimate that Benfica has 75 million fans worldwide. The club has the third highest social media following in the world among sports teams (after Barcelona and Real Madrid), with over 82 million Facebook followers as of July 2023. A 2014 study showed that Benfica had the loudest fans in the Primeira Liga.
Benfica was formed in 1904 as Sport Lisboa by a group of former students from the Real Casa Pia de Lisboa. The team initially played games against local clubs, but on 1 January 1905, they competed in their first recorded match; wearing the colours of the original club—red and white—they were defeated 2–1 by Campeonato de Lisboa's team.
In 1960, the golden era of Béla Guttmann started, who led the team to win two consecutive European Cups. Guttmann led the team to Primeira Liga victories in 1960, 1961, and 1962, and to European Cup victories in 1961 and 1962. In 1961, the club won the European Cup, its first international title.
After the retirement of Eusébio in 1975, Benfica struggled to regain its former glory. Despite winning several domestic titles and reaching numerous European finals, the club failed to win any major European titles. The managerial appointment of Jorge Jesus in 2009 led to a resurgence in form, with the club winning the league title in his first season and reaching the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League. Despite this, the club has been unable to maintain this success, with frequent changes in management and a lack of European success.
Originally funded by the Grupo Sport Lisboa, Benfica became a limited company in 1906 and sold shares to local supporters for 1 Portuguese escudo via an application form. In 1908, majority ownership passed to four local businessmen who invested 500 escudos to save the club from bankruptcy, including future club president Manuel Gourlade. After his death in 1926, the club faced bankruptcy yet again but was saved in December 1930 by Manuel da Conceição Afonso, who assumed control of the club after an investment of 2,000 escudos. Afonso promoted his son, José, to the board in 1948, but died three years later; the Afonso family retained ownership of the club through Manuel's wife, Maria, but the position of chairman passed to former player Francisco Ferreira.
Promoted to the board a few days after the European Cup final disaster, António de Oliveira, a friend of Béla Guttmann, began acquiring shares in the club; for an investment of approximately 40,000 escudos, he accumulated a 54 per cent shareholding and took control in January 1963. When Maria Afonso died in January 1970, her shares passed to José Afonso, who sold a percentage of his shares to António de Oliveira's son, José, in 1977; José Oliveira went on to become chairman upon his father's death in 1979. Media tycoon João Rocha attempted to buy the club in 1983, but did not meet Oliveira's asking price. In 1988, chairman José Oliveira attempted to sell the club to Manuel Damásio for 20 million escudos, but the sale fell through and Damásio joined the board of directors instead.
Benfica is one of the most successful clubs in Europe in terms of trophies won. The club's first trophy was the Lisbon Championship, which they won in 1905. In 1935, the club won their first Campeonato de Portugal (the precursor to the Taça de Portugal) and won the Primeira Liga for the first time the following year. Since then, they have gone on to win a record 37 top-division titles and their total of 26 Taça de Portugal is second only to Porto. Those titles have meant the club has appeared a record 40 times in the Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira; of those 40 appearances, Benfica have won 7, including two times when the match was drawn and the trophy shared by the two clubs.
Domestic
Continental
Worldwide
Sport Lisboa e Benfica: Detailed information about the history, accomplishments, and influence of Benfica, one of the world's most iconic and successful football clubs. https://www.slbenfica.pt/en-us/home
The Glory and Struggles of Benfica: A comprehensive overview of the ups and downs of Benfica post the Eusébio era. https://www.uefa.com/teamsandplayers/teams/club=50167/profile/history/index.html
Becoming a leading global provider of digital solutions and services for the sports industry, enabling our clients to achieve their goals and reach their full potential.
We aspire to be a trusted partner and advisor to our clients, leveraging our expertise and passion for sports to help them succeed in a rapidly changing market.
