The defending champions, Sporting, face a tough task this upcoming 2025/2026 season. They aim to hold onto their national title, their first since the 2017/18 campaign. As always, their fiercest challenger will be their longtime rivals, Benfica. The stage is set for another thrilling chapter in this intense competition.
The first major clash between these two giants is scheduled for the Supercup on October 11. The match will take place in Loulé, offering an early test of strength. Benfica boasts an impressive record with 12 titles, nine of which came in the last 13 seasons. Beyond this rivalry, other historical powerhouses like SC Espinho, the team with the most national titles, always bring the heat.
Last season’s Liga Una Seguros title playoff truly settled the score. The Lisbon rivals had traded wins during the regular season. They also split victories in other recent tournaments. Sporting took home the Iberian Cup and the Supercup. Benfica, however, claimed the Portugal Cup. This tight competition promises an exciting season ahead.
Teams have been busy adding new faces and welcoming back familiar ones. Many players have returned to Portugal, creating a vibrant mix. Squads have refreshed or boosted their rosters with talent from across the globe. Players hail from Argentina, Austria, Brazil, Czechia, Chile, Cuba, Colombia, Denmark, Slovenia, Estonia, France, Panama, Pakistan, Russia, Tunisia, Ukraine, Uruguay, and Venezuela. This international blend highlights the league’s growing appeal.
Looking at the history books, Sp. Espinho leads with 18 titles. Técnico follows with 13, and Benfica is close behind with 12. Sporting currently holds 7 titles, while Castelo da Maia has 5. This rich history sets the stage for every new season.
FPV Invests in New Technologies
The Portuguese Volleyball Federation (FPV) is stepping up its game. They are focused on improving the top divisions through new technology. These modern features are available on a dedicated microsite. They aim to make the sport more accessible and engaging for everyone.
The new platform offers several exciting features for fans and teams alike. You can catch live streams of hundreds of matches. All games are also archived, allowing for easy video sharing and replays. Live scores and real-time statistics are provided directly by the teams, using the Data Volley system. Fans can follow every point with play-by-play tracking for each set. Plus, detailed statistical rankings for all players and match reports become available right after each game.
Matchday 1
The season kicks off with a series of exciting matches:
- Ac. Espinho vs. Sp. Espinho (October 24)
- Clube K vs. V. Guimarães (October 25)
- Ala Gondomar vs. Benfica (October 25)
- Leixões vs. Sporting (October 25)
- São Mamede vs. GC Santo Tirso (October 25)
- CA Madalena vs. Castêlo da Maia (October 25)
Squads
Here’s a look at the teams ready to battle for the championship:
SPORTING
Pavilhão João Rocha, Lisbon
- Setters: Armando Escalante (Venezuela), Sergey Grangi (Russia)
- Middle Blockers: Marx Aru (Estonia), Tiago Barth (Brazil), Jonas Aguenier (France), Kelton Tavares
- Opposites: Edson Gonzalez (Venezuela), Mads Kyed Jensen (Denmark)
- Outside Hitters: Tiago Pereira, Jan Galabov (Czechia), Pedro Abecasis, Jan Pokersnik (Slovenia)
- Liberos: Gonçalo Sousa, Nicolás Perren (Argentina)
Coach: João Coelho
BENFICA
Pavilhão Nº2 da Luz, Lisbon
- Setters: Tiago Violas, Francisco Pombeiro, Diogo Fevereiro
- Middle Blockers: Peter Wohlfahrtstatter (Austria), Lucas França (Brazil), Kelvi Souza (Brazil), Valerii Todua (Ukraine)
- Opposites: Murad Khan (Pakistan), Felipe Banderó (Brazil)
- Outside Hitters: Nivaldo Gomez (Cuba), Pablo Natan Machado (Brazil), Tomás Teixeira, André Aleixo (Brazil)
- Liberos: Ivo Casas, Bernardo Silva
Coach: Marcel Matz (Brazil)
LEIXÕES
Pavilhão Ilídio Ramos, Matosinhos
- Setters: Rodrigo Fernandes, Alexandre Gabin (France), André Leal
- Middle Blockers: Marcos Pereira (Brazil), Tomás Murtagh (Chile), Emiliano Molini (Argentina)
- Opposites: Gabriel Pereira, Uriel Robinson (Panama)
- Outside Hitters: Eduardo Santos, Rafael Santos, Carlos Mateus, José Casas, Rodrigo Pereira
- Liberos: Miguel Azenha, João Borga
Coach: Tiago Sineiro
V. GUIMARÃES
Pavilhão Desportivo Unidade Vimaranense, Guimarães
- Setters: Brendan Gouessant (France), Álvaro Ferreira
- Middle Blockers: Nuno Teixeira, Luiz Phillipe Oliveira (Brazil), Victor Costa (Brazil)
- Opposites: André Parra, Yassine Abdelhedi (Tunisia)
- Outside Hitters: Miguel Cunha, Paul Pierre Nicole (France), João Oliveira
- Liberos: Gonçalo Gomes, Gustavo Sousa
Coach: Eduardo Faustino
GC SANTO TIRSO
- Setters: Gustavo Sá, Tiago Dinis, Francisco Rocha
- Middle Blockers: Nuno Pires, José Muñoz (Cuba), Eduardo Silva, Carlos Quintana (Colombia)
- Opposites: Raphael Gomes (Brazil)
- Outside Hitters: Diogo Fernandes, João Francisco, Francisco Riesenberger, Daniel Dias, Darlan Guedes (Brazil)
- Liberos: José Coelho, Diogo Lopes
Coach: Hugo Sousa
CLUBE K
Pavilhão da Keirós, Ponta Delgada (Azores)
- Setters: Tomás Steeman (Argentina), João Baptista
- Middle Blockers: Victor Valenzuela (Mexico), Efraim Daniel (Angola), Adner Renteria (Colombia), Pedro San Martin (Argentina)
- Opposites: José Mateus (Angola), Gilberto Batista
- Outside Hitters: Américo Cassinda (Angola), Bruno Ngangawe (Angola), Ricardo Savity (Angola)
- Liberos: Valdemar Ferreira, Jaime Ignacio Veraguas (Chile)
Coach: Gonçalo Machado
AC. SÃO MAMEDE
Pavilhão Eduardo Soares, São Mamede de Infesta
- Setters: Tomás Guerra
- Middle Blockers: Manuel Catarino, João Júnior, Francisco Santos
- Opposites: Dinis Leão, Tiago Jesus
- Outside Hitters: Wilham Gonçalves (Brazil), Tiago Matos, Gonçalo Sousa, Sebastião Leão
- Liberos: Luís Pereira, Afonso Rocha
Coach: Robert Tietz (Brazil)
AC. ESPINHO
Pavilhão Arquiteto Jerónimo Reis, Espinho
- Setters: Guilherme Maia, Tiago Ferradaz, José Monteiro
- Middle Blockers: José Belo, Dinis Gomes, Moisés Andrade (Brazil)
- Opposites: Filipe Leite, José Pinto, Rafael Pinto
- Outside Hitters: José Rojas (Venezuela), Daniel Monteiro, Gabriel Mesquita (Brazil)
- Liberos: Ricardo Alvar, Juan Zanotti (Argentina)
Coach: Miguel Maia
SP. ESPINHO
Nave de Espinho, Espinho
- Setters: Jorge Marques, Tomás Domingues, Frederico Santos
- Middle Blockers: Guilherme Menezes, Rodrigo Pedro, João Faria, José Pedro Andrade
- Opposites: Miguel Pereira, Miguel Ibarra (Chile)
- Outside Hitters: Eduardo Assunção, André Marques, Ricardo Pedrosa, Rui Moreira, Marcus Oliveira (Brazil)
- Liberos: Diogo Couto, Simão Teixeira
Coach: João Franco
CASTELO DA MAIA
Pavilhão do Castelo da Maia
- Setters: Tomás Peixoto, Pedro Albuquerque, Jorge Fonseca
- Middle Blockers: Vladyslav Tolmachov, Vicente Ignacio Valenzuela (Chile), Pedro Moreira
- Opposites: Rodrigo Costa
- Outside Hitters: Afonso Sousa, Artobelli Vuiti (France), João Guerra, Francisco Pinho, Matías Brauchle (Chile)
- Liberos: Francisco Ferreira, Alexandre Colaço
Coach: Pedro Geadas
ALA DE GONDOMAR
Pavilhão da Ala Nun’Alvares, Gondomar
- Setters: Nuno Baptista, Frederico Santos
- Middle Blockers: André Medeiros, Allan Guimarães (Brazil), Diogo Lameiro
- Opposites: Lucas Cândido (Brazil)
- Outside Hitters: Afonso Iglésias, Pedro Andrade, Lucas Honorato (Uruguay), Henrique Silva
- Liberos: Gonçalo Marques, Tiago Dias
Coach: Tiago Rocha
CA DA MADALENA
Pav. Mun. Atlântico da Madalena, Vila Nova de Gaia
- Setters: David Marques, Bruno Santiago
- Middle Blockers: Luís Aguiar, Yuri Lima (Brazil), Alexandre Pereira
- Opposites: Guilherme Moreira, Gabriel Miranda
- Outside Hitters: Francisco Amorim, Tomás Afonso, Jorge Cruz, Bernardo Leite
- Liberos: João Castro, Manuel Fontes
Coach: Nuno Santiago