The FPF Campeonato de Futebol de Praia (English: FPF Beach Soccer Championship) is a league competition for beach soccer clubs in Portugal. Organised by the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) who also established the championship in 2012, it is the country's primary beach soccer club competition. The national league replaced a previous championship run by district associations as Portugal's paramount club tournament.
Held between May and September, the season is divided into two parts: the regular season followed by the post-season, with matches taking place across Portugal. Many of the world's best players compete in the championship.
Currently, the competition consists of two divisions: the Elite Championship, the top tier, disputed by the eight best teams who compete for the title â the winners are crowned league champions â and the National Championship, the second tier, open to all other clubs who compete for two promotion spots to the top division.
The top three teams qualify for the upcoming edition of the Euro Winners Cup (EWC); as of 2020, the league is ranked as the strongest in Europe by Beach Soccer Worldwide (BSWW).
Braga are the most successful club with eight titles and are the current champions.
The first incarnation of a national championship for Portuguese beach soccer clubs with recognition was originally known as the Liga de Clubes de Futebol de Praia and later the Campeonato Elite de Futebol de Praia, which ran from 2005âÂÂ2011. However, it was not arranged by the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF); the league was established as a result of cooperation between a number of District Football Associations (that of Viana do Castelo, Braga, Porto, Aveiro, Coimbra, Leiria, Santarém, Lisbon, Setúbal and Algarve).
In 2010, a second national league competition was also established which ran for two seasons, known as the Circuito Nacional de Futebol de Praia; unlike the former, this championship received the "institutional support" of the FPF however was still not organised by them â it was run by an independent event organiser.
During this time, there were calls for the FPF to establish their own, official championship. The FPF ultimately started the Campeonato Nacional de Futebol de Praia as the first official national league (that is to say, run by the country's national association) in 2012, superseding the above two de facto national championships which ceased.
As of 2019; current format introduced in 2015 (with minor revisions since).
The championship consists of two championships/divisions; clubs can move between the divisions through a system of promotion and relegation:
Both championships are played in two phases; a regular season (May through August) and a post-season (August/September).
As of 2019
Scheduled for use during the 2019 season for the Elite Division:
The following lists the winners and runners-up of the top tier; the former are crowned Portuguese league champions.
<small>Note: From 2010âÂÂ2014 there was only one division comprising the league. Those results have been included as de facto Elite Division results.</small>
The second tier was introduced in 2015; the following lists the winners and runners-up. Both are promoted to the top tier.
The Euro Winners Cup (EWC), held every May/June since 2013, is a competition contested by the best teams from Europe's domestic beach soccer leagues to determine a European club champion.
A club's final league position determines their qualification route to the EWC. The following table shows the history of qualification opportunities for Portuguese clubs:
The following documents the performances of Portuguese clubs that have qualified for the EWC: