Sporting CP B
ClubnameSporting CP B
Upright0.72
FullnameSporting Clube de Portugal B
Short nameSporting B
Founded2000 (age 26)
GroundEstádio Aurélio Pereira
Capacity1,180
ChrtitlePresident
ChairmanFrederico Varandas
MgrtitleHead coach
ManagerJoão Gião
LeagueLiga Portugal 2
Season2024–25
PositionLiga 3 Série B, 4th (First stage)
Promotion Stage, 2nd of 8 (Promoted)
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Rightarm 1FFFFFF
Shorts 1000000
Socks 1000000
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Websitesporting.pt

Sporting Clube de Portugal B, otherwise referred to as Sporting CP B, is the reserve team of Portuguese football club Sporting CP, based in Lisbon.

The reserve teams in Portugal compete in the same league system as the senior main team, instead of a reserve teams league. However, the reserve teams cannot participate in the same division as the first team, which means that Sporting CP B is not eligible for promotion to the Primeira Liga and cannot compete in the Taça de Portugal or the Taça da Liga.

Sporting CP B plays at the Estádio Aurélio Pereira in the Academia Cristiano Ronaldo, located in Alcochete, which holds a seating capacity of 1,180 spectators.

History

Sporting CP B was founded in 2000 and competed in the third division of the Portuguese football league system until the end of the 2003–2004 season, when it was dissolved.[1]

It was during this period of the B team that Cristiano Ronaldo made his domestic senior football competition debut, in a 2–1 defeat at the S.C. Lusitânia ground on 1 September 2002. His senior football debut happened on 14 August 2002, in the first team, against Inter Milan on the second leg of the third qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League.[2][3]

In May 2012, the Liga Portuguesa de Futebol Profissional announced several changes to the second division of the Portuguese football league system, including an increase in the number of participating teams through the incorporation of five B teams from Primeira Liga clubs, including Sporting CP B. This change increased the number of matches to 42 per season and was implemented in the 2012–2013 season.[4]

In their first season after returning, Sporting B finished in fourth place (all-time best position), under the management of coaches Oceano Cruz and José Dominguez.[5]

At the start of the 2013/2014 season, Sporting B represented the club in the Taça de Honra, played at the Estádio António Coimbra da Mota, due to the first team being in the United States playing pre-season matches. After defeating SL Benfica B in the semi-final, it beat the reserve team of G.D. Estoril Praia on penalties, winning the first trophy in the team's history.[6]

In the 2017/2018 season, the team finished in 18th place, which resulted in relegation. This performance, together with the announcement of the establishment of a national under-23 championship, a new tier, to begin in the 2018/2019 season, in which Sporting CP will participate, culminated in the decision by president Bruno de Carvalho to terminate the B team.[7]

Fulfilling one of his election promises and taking advantage of a reorganization in the third division of the Portuguese football league system, president Frederico Varandas announced, in 2019, the reactivation of the B, which returned to competition in the following season.[8]

In the 2020/2021 season, Sporting CP B entered directly into the Campeonato de Portugal, which, due to being replaced in the following season by Liga 3 as the third division of the Portuguese football league system, allowed 22 teams to qualify for the new competition. By finishing second in the first qualifying phase, behind Estrela da Amadora, it failed to qualify directly, which forced it to compete in the second phase, where it finished in first place, qualifying for the new competition.[9]

In 2021/2022, it made its debut in the new national competition, Liga 3. It remained in this division until the 2024/2025 season, when, despite changing coaches three times, it managed to finish fourth in the southern zone, which allowed it to compete in the championship play-offs. The team finished in second place, behind Lusitânia F.C., earning a direct promotion spot to Liga Portugal 2.[10]

In 2025/2026, after eight seasons, Sporting CP returned to compete in Liga Portugal 2.

Players

Current squad

[11]

Staff

  • Head Coach: João Gião
  • Assistant Coach: Pedro Figueiredo
  • Assistant Coach: João Peixeiro
  • Assistant Coach: Marco Sousa
  • Goalkeeper Coach: Dário Ezequiel
  • Fitness Coach: Tomás Azevedo
  • Scouting Coordinator: Ricardo Correia
  • Analytics Coach: André Gonçalves
  • Doctor: Diogo Roxo
  • Physiotherapist: Diogo Lopes
  • Nurse: Rúben Gonçalves
  • Equipment Technician: Cláudio Teixeira

Managers List

References

  1. ^ "Sete clubes interessados nas seis vagas para equipas B" [Seven clubs interested for the six vacancies for the B teams]. Relvado. 17 February 2012. Archived from the original on 20 April 2014. Retrieved 9 June 2012.
  2. ^ Abola.pt (2024-08-14). "Lembra-se da estreia de Ronaldo pelo Sporting? Foi há 22 anos contra... Sérgio Conceição (vídeo)" (in Portuguese). Abola.pt. Retrieved 2025-07-27.
  3. ^ KeeG. "Sabia Que o 1º jogo como sénior de Cristiano Ronaldo foi nos Açores?". I Love Azores. Archived 2023-08-10 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2023-08-10.
  4. ^ "Liga: seis clubes inscreveram a equipa "B"" [League: six clubs register for a B team]. Mais Futebol. 28 May 2012. Archived from the original on 31 May 2012. Retrieved 9 June 2012.
  5. ^ "Aves falha o pódio" [Aves miss out on the podium] (in Portuguese). O Jogo. 12 May 2013. Archived 23 October 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 21 October 2020.
  6. ^ RTP Desporto (2014-07-20). "Sporting conquista Taça de Honra da AF Lisboa ao vencer rival Benfica" (in Portuguese). RTP.pt
  7. ^ "Sporting B vai deixar a II Liga" [Sporting B will leave the II Liga] (in Portuguese). Diário de Notícias. 2018-03-07. Archived 2018-08-23 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2018-08-22.
  8. ^ "Varandas revela: "A equipa B estará de volta no próximo ano"" [Varandas reveals: "The B team will be back next year"] (in Portuguese). SAPO. 31 October 2019. Archived 21 October 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 21 October 2020.
  9. ^ "Liga 3: os 24 clubes que vão estrear o campeonato em 2021/22" (in Portuguese). Maisfutebol. Archived 2021-07-24 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2021-07-24.
  10. ^ Liga Portugal (2025-05-17). "Sporting CP B garante promoção à Liga Portugal 2 Meu Super" (in Portuguese). Liga Portugal
  11. ^ "Plantel". Sporting Clube de Portugal. Archived 30 July 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 24 July 2021.