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S.L. Benfica B

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Benfica B
Full nameSport Lisboa e Benfica "B"
NicknamesAs Águias (The Eagles)
Os Encarnados (The Reds)
Founded1999
GroundBenfica Campus
Capacity2,644
PresidentRui Costa
Head coachNélson Veríssimo
LeagueLiga Portugal 2
2024–25Liga Portugal 2, 8th of 18
Websiteslbenfica.pt/equipa_b
Current season

Sport Lisboa e Benfica "B" (Portuguese pronunciation: [sɨˈpɔɾ liʒˈβoɐ i βɐ̃jˈfikɐ ˈβe]), commonly known as Benfica B, is a Portuguese professional football team based in Seixal. Founded in 1999, dissolved in 2006, and restarted in 2012, it is the reserve team of Portuguese club S.L. Benfica. They play in the Liga Portugal 2, holding home matches at Benfica Campus' main pitch.

During the 2012–13 season, Benfica B played home matches at the Estádio da Luz until February, when they moved to Estádio da Tapadinha to prevent excessive wear of the stadium's grass.[1] In 2013–14, they permanently moved to their own training ground, capable of receiving professional league matches.

As a reserve team, Benfica B cannot play in the same division as the club's main team, thus being ineligible for promotion to the Primeira Liga. Moreover, they cannot enter domestic cup competitions such as the Taça de Portugal and Taça da Liga.

Since 2018–19, Benfica have an under-23 team playing in Liga Revelação, a competition for players who left the under-19s but who are not ready to join or regularly play for the first-team.[2]

History

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As Benfica sought a way to provide playing time for their youth and reserve players, they created a B team in 1999. The team officially started competing in the 1999–2000 season, with their first match played away against Portimonense S.C. (2–2) in late August.[3] After three seasons in the Portuguese Second Division, they suffered relegation to the Terceira Divisão, where they would spend three years,[citation needed] before achieving promotion to the Portuguese Second Division in 2005. In May of the following year, the board of directors extinguished the side, which returned to activity shortly after as part of the Liga Intercalar. As part of this competition, the team's best league finish was a second place, behind Estoril B, in the South Zone of the 2010–11 season.

Before the end of the 2011–12 football season in Portugal, seven Primeira Liga clubs announced their interest in creating a reserve team to fill the six vacancies available in the Segunda Liga (now Liga Portugal 2) for the 2012–13 campaign.[4] Of those seven clubs, six were selected to take part in the competition: Benfica, Braga, Marítimo, Porto, Sporting CP and Vitória de Guimarães.[5]

LPFP, who organize the professional football tiers in Portugal, announced that the clubs would have to pay €50,000 to register themselves at the league in order to compete in the upcoming season.[6] In addition, LPFP also required them to follow new rules regarding player selection, in which each B team must have a squad with a minimum of ten players formed at the club's academy and with an age between 15 and 21 years, and a maximum of three players above 23 years old. LPFP also decided that reserve teams are unable to compete in cup competitions and to gain promotion to the Primeira Liga due to the possibility of playing against their club's first team.

In late May 2012, it was officially announced that the B teams of six Primeira Liga clubs would compete in the 2012–13 Segunda Liga, a decision that increased the number of teams from 16 to 22 and the number of matches from 30 to 42.[7]

Starting line-up of Benfica B for a friendly match against F.C. United of Manchester in May 2015

In 2014, Benfica B were invited to play in the first Premier League International Cup. On 29 May 2015, they played a friendly against F.C. United of Manchester in Broadhurst Park's official opening match.[8][9] On 26 May 2019, they played a practice match against Liverpool in Marbella, Spain, five days before the latter's Champions League final.[10]

Players

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Current squad

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As of 2 January 2026[11][12]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
51 GK  LTU Arnas Voitinovicius
54 FW  POR Francisco Neto
55 DF  POR João Fonseca
58 DF  POR Daniel Banjaqui
59 DF  POR Leandro Martins
62 DF  POR José Neto
67 FW  POR Rodrigo Rêgo
73 MF  POR Miguel Figueiredo
74 FW  POR Olívio Tomé
77 MF  POR Gonçalo Moreira
79 DF  POR Kevin Pinto
83 MF  ITA Federico Coletta
No. Pos. Nation Player
85 MF  POR Martim Ferreira
87 FW  NGA Peter Edokpolor
88 MF  POR Tiago Freitas
89 DF  POR Tiago Parente
91 FW  POR Francisco Silva
92 GK  SWE Alexander Sandahl
94 DF  POR Rui Silva
95 MF  LUX Tomás Moreira
96 FW  BEL Jelani Trevisan
98 GK  POR Ricardo Ribeiro
99 FW  POR Eduardo Fernandes

Out on loan

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For first-team players on loan[a], see S.L. Benfica § Out on loan.

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
19 FW  POR Gustavo Varela (at Gil Vicente until 30 June 2026)
65 DF  POR Rafa Rodrigues (at Al Ain until 30 June 2026)
75 GK  POR André Gomes (at Alverca until 30 June 2026)
No. Pos. Nation Player
76 DF  BRA Gustavo Marques (at RB Bragantino until 30 June 2026)
83 MF  POR Rafael Luís (at RC Strasbourg until 30 June 2026)
93 MF  FRA Beni Souza (at Académica until 30 June 2026)

Coaching staff

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Position Name
Head coach Nélson Veríssimo[13]
Assistant coaches Marco Pimenta
Jorge Cordeiro
Goalkeeper coach Paulo Marques
Analyst coach Pedro Pitacas
Analyst assistant coach Rúben Damazio
Personal trainers (Benfica LAB) Tiago Vaz
Duarte Carvalho

Last updated: 6 July 2023
Source: [14]

Records and statistics

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Season-to-season record

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Season Div Pos Pld W D L GF GA Pts Top scorer Goals Refs
1999–2000 III 13th 38 14 6 18 53 49 48 Portugal Cláudio Oeiras 11 [15][citation needed]
2000–2001 III 9th 38 14 11 13 58 57 57 Portugal Jorge Cordeiro 16 [16][citation needed]
2001–2002 III 18th 38 11 11 16 35 42 44 Portugal Jorge Ribeiro 5 [citation needed]
2002–2003 IV 3rd 34 14 14 6 47 25 56 [17]
2003–2004 IV 5th 34 15 8 11 63 48 53 [17]
2004–2005 IV 1st 34 21 9 4 71 29 72 [17]
2005–2006 III 11th 30 11 8 11 40 40 41 Portugal Vasco Firmino 5 [18][citation needed]
2012–2013 II 7th 42 15 17 10 71 54 62 Portugal Miguel Rosa 17 [citation needed]
2013–2014 II 5th 42 20 10 12 77 56 70 Argentina Funes Mori 13 [citation needed]
2014–2015 II 6th 46 22 11 13 81 60 77 Portugal Rui Fonte 17 [citation needed]
2015–2016 II 19th 46 15 10 21 59 64 55 Portugal Sancidino Silva 6 [citation needed]
2016–2017 II 4th 42 18 9 15 56 58 63 Portugal Heriberto Tavares 11 [citation needed]
2017–2018 II 13th 38 14 7 17 54 60 49 Portugal Heriberto Tavares 14 [19]
2018–2019 II 4th 34 15 7 12 47 42 52 England Chris Willock 11 [20]
2019–2020 II 14th 24 7 7 10 31 35 28 Brazil Daniel dos Anjos 8 [21]
2020–2021 II 8th 34 12 8 14 53 43 44 Portugal Gonçalo Ramos
Portugal Henrique Araújo 		11 [22]
2021–2022 II 5th 34 17 6 11 61 44 57 Portugal Henrique Araújo 14 [23]
2022–2023 II 15th 34 10 8 16 52 58 38 Portugal Henrique Pereira 9 [24]
2023–2024 II 8th 34 12 9 13 48 48 45 Brazil Cauê 7
2024–2025 II 4th 34 15 10 9 53 38 55 Portugal Gustavo Varela 11
Champions Relegated

Managerial statistics

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As of match played 27 May 2025. Only competitive matches are counted, including those in the Premier League International Cup.

Name Nat From To P W D L GF GA Win % Honours Refs
Alan Murray England 1999 November 1999 9 4 0 5 13 12 044.44 [25][citation needed]
José Morais Portugal November 1999 2001 67 24 17 26 98 94 035.82 [26][citation needed]
António Veloso Portugal 9 June 2001 2002 38 11 11 16 35 42 028.95 [27][citation needed]
Carlos Gomes Portugal 2002 July 2004 68 28 24 16 107 72 041.18 [28][citation needed]
João Santos Portugal 2004 2006 64 32 17 15 111 69 050.00 2004–05 Terceira Divisão [29][citation needed]
Luís Norton de Matos Portugal 4 May 2012 30 May 2013 42 15 17 10 71 54 035.71 [30][citation needed]
Hélder Cristóvão Portugal 3 July 2013[31] 12 May 2018 224 93 49 82 340 309 041.52 [32][citation needed]
Bruno Lage Portugal 1 July 2018[33] 3 January 2019 15 8 3 4 15 11 053.33 [34][citation needed]
Nélson Veríssimo (caretaker) Portugal 3 January 2019 15 January 2019 3 0 1 2 5 7 000.00 [35][citation needed]
Renato Paiva Portugal 15 January 2019 25 December 2020 58 21 12 25 84 85 036.21 [citation needed]
Nélson Veríssimo Portugal 25 December 2020 28 December 2021 36 18 10 8 64 38 050.00 [citation needed]
Paulo Mateus (caretaker) Portugal 28 December 2021 28 December 2021 1 0 0 1 1 2 000.00 [citation needed]
António Oliveira Portugal 5 January 2022 13 May 2022 18 7 3 8 37 57 038.89 [citation needed]
Luís Castro Portugal 2 June 2022 8 June 2023 34 10 8 16 52 58 029.41 [citation needed]
Nélson Veríssimo Portugal 6 July 2023 Present 76 28 22 26 110 99 036.84 [citation needed]

Competitive record in U21 Premier League International Cup

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As of December 2025.

Season Round Opponent Match Result
2014–15 Premier League International Cup GS Germany Schalke 04 1–0
England Manchester City 1–3
England Leicester City 0–2
2015–16 Premier League International Cup GS Scotland Celtic 2–1
England Chelsea 3–0
England Liverpool FC 2–0
QF Portugal Porto 0–1
2016–17 Premier League International Cup GS England Derby County 2–0
England Sunderland 1–2
Netherlands PSV Eindhoven 0–0
2017–18 Premier League International Cup GS Spain Villarreal CF 2–3
England West Ham United 2–0
England Tottenham Hotspur 3–3
2018–19 Premier League International Cup GS England Everton FC 0–2
England Brighton & Hove Albion 0–2
Germany FC Bayern Munich 1–0
2019–20 Premier League International Cup GS Germany Hertha BSC 2–1
England Newcastle United 1–1
England Blackburn Rovers 2–1
QF Wales Swansea City Suspended due to COVID-19
2023–24 Premier League International Cup GS England Liverpool FC 1–1
England Crystal Palace 1–2
England Fulham FC 1–3
England Everton FC 1–2
2024–25 Premier League International Cup GS England West Ham United 2–2
England Blackburn Rovers 1–1
England Middlesbrough FC 1–0
England Sunderland 1–2
2025–26 Premier League International Cup GS England Brighton & Hove Albion 1–1
England Nottingham Forest 1–1
England Chelsea 6–2
England Newcastle United 5–0

Honours

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Under-23s

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Current squad

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Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
— GK  SRB Luka Velickovic
— GK  POR Gonçalo Sobral
— GK  POR João Fidalgo
— DF  POR João Conceição
— DF  POR Vladimir Mendes
— DF  POR Duarte Soares
— DF  POR Guilherme Gaspar
— DF  POR Diogo Rocha
— DF  POR Mauro Furtado
— DF  POR João Capucho
— DF  POL Leon Zietek
No. Pos. Nation Player
— MF  POR Rafael Quintas
— MF  POR Stevan Manuel
— MF  POR Gil Neves
— MF  POR André Gomes
— FW  IRL Jaden Umeh
— FW  POR Juvenal Correia
— FW  POR João Afonso
— FW  POR Gustavo Ferreira
— FW  POR Tomás Soares
— FW  POR Jair Monteiro

Coaching staff

[edit]
Position Name
Head coach Paulo Lopes[13]
Assistant coaches Pedro Valido
Paulo Mateus
Goalkeeper coach Gonçalo Reduto
Analyst coach Rodolfo Fernandes
Analyst assistant coach José Marques
Personal trainers (Benfica LAB) Luke Garcia

Last updated: 6 July 2023
Source: [36]

Honours

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  • Taça Revelação
    • Winners (1): 2024–25

Notes

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  1. ^ Players who last played for the first-team before being loaned out.

References

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  1. ^ "Benfica B muda-se para a Tapadinha". Maisfutebol. Archived from the original on 25 February 2019. Retrieved 24 February 2019.
  2. ^ Pereira, David (17 August 2018). "Liga Revelação estreia este sábado. Sabe como funciona?" [Liga Revelação debuts this Saturday. Do you know how it works?]. Diário de Notícias (in Portuguese). Retrieved 4 September 2023.
  3. ^ "Despertador encarnado tocou tarde" A Bola, 30 August 1999 (in Portuguese)
  4. ^ "Sete clubes interessados nas seis vagas para equipas B" [Seven clubs interested for the six vacancies for B teams]. Relvado. 17 February 2012. Archived from the original on 20 April 2014. Retrieved 9 June 2012.
  5. ^ "Equipas B de FC Porto, Benfica e Sporting confirmadas" [B teams of FC Porto, Benfica and Sporting have been confirmed]. Relvado. 28 May 2012. Archived from the original on 20 April 2014. Retrieved 9 June 2012.
  6. ^ "Equipas B custam 50 mil euros de inscrição" [B teams' registration costs €50,000]. O Jogo. 21 May 2012. Archived from the original on 7 August 2017. Retrieved 9 June 2012.
  7. ^ "Liga: seis clubes inscreveram a equipa "B"" [League: six clubs register for a B team]. Maisfutebol. 28 May 2012. Archived from the original on 31 May 2012. Retrieved 9 June 2012.
  8. ^ Aaron Flanagan. "FC United of Manchester open new stadium against Benfica... and show what football fans can achieve". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 2 June 2015.
  9. ^ Ben Collins (29 May 2015). "FC United 0 Benfica 1: Match report of official opening of new Broadhurst Park stadium". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 2 June 2015.
  10. ^ Chegodaev, Andrey (26 May 2019). "Liverpool beat Benfica B before return from Marbella training camp". Tribuna. Archived from the original on 27 May 2019. Retrieved 27 May 2019.
  11. ^ "Plantel" [Squad]. S.L. Benfica (in Portuguese). Retrieved 11 December 2024.
  12. ^ "Sport Lisboa e Benfica, Futebol, SAD B". Liga Portugal. Retrieved 29 July 2023.[permanent dead link]
  13. ^ a b "Experience and Benfiquista DNA with an eye to the future!". S.L. Benfica. 6 July 2023. Retrieved 6 July 2023.
  14. ^ "Coaching Staff". S.L. Benfica. Retrieved 12 September 2022.
  15. ^ "Squad 1999–2000". ForaDeJogo. Retrieved 24 December 2016.
  16. ^ "Squad 2000–2001". ForaDeJogo. Retrieved 24 December 2016.
  17. ^ a b c "Portugal - Table of Honor" (PDF). Soccer Library. pp. 28, 30, 32.
  18. ^ "Plantel 2005–2006". ForaDeJogo. Retrieved 24 December 2016.
  19. ^ Top Scorers Archived 31 May 2023 at the Wayback Machine Liga Portugal
  20. ^ Top Scorers Archived 31 May 2023 at the Wayback Machine Liga Portugal
  21. ^ Top Scorers Archived 18 July 2023 at the Wayback Machine Liga Portugal
  22. ^ Top Scorers Archived 18 July 2023 at the Wayback Machine Liga Portugal
  23. ^ Top Scorers Archived 31 May 2023 at the Wayback Machine Liga Portugal
  24. ^ Top Scorers Archived 31 May 2023 at the Wayback Machine Liga Portugal
  25. ^ "Alan Murray". ForaDeJogo. Retrieved 10 November 2016.
  26. ^ "José Morais". ForaDeJogo. Retrieved 10 November 2016.
  27. ^ "António Veloso". ForaDeJogo. Retrieved 10 November 2016.
  28. ^ "Carlos Gomes". ForaDeJogo. Retrieved 10 November 2016.
  29. ^ "João Santos". ForaDeJogo. Retrieved 10 November 2016.
  30. ^ "Norton de Matos". ForaDeJogo. Retrieved 10 November 2016.
  31. ^ "Equipa entra hoje em cena" [Team gets going today]. Record (in Portuguese). 3 July 2013. Archived from the original on 30 June 2015. Retrieved 13 May 2018.
  32. ^ "Hélder Cristóvão". ForaDeJogo. Retrieved 10 November 2016.
  33. ^ "Bruno Lage is the new coach of Benfica B". S.L. Benfica. 2 July 2018. Retrieved 31 August 2018.
  34. ^ "Bruno Lage". ForaDeJogo. Retrieved 29 August 2018.
  35. ^ "Nélson Veríssimo". ForaDeJogo. Retrieved 17 January 2019.
  36. ^ "Plantel" [Squad]. S.L. Benfica (in Portuguese). Retrieved 3 July 2023.
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