Sport Lisboa e Benfica (), commonly known as Benfica, is a Portuguese women's football team based in Lisbon that plays in the Campeonato Nacional Feminino, the top-level women's football league in Portugal, following promotion in the 2018âÂÂ19 season.
Founded on 12 December 2017, it is the women's team of football club S.L. Benfica. They have won five consecutive First Division titles, one Second Division title, two Portuguese Cup, five League Cups (record) and three Super Cups (shared record).
Their current home grounds are the 2,230-seater Estádio Municipal José Martins Vieira, in Almada, and Benfica Campus, in Seixal, with the team occasionally playing at Estádio da Luz in Lisbon.
Benfica have won every league title since they arrived at the Portuguese top flight in 2019, with the exception of the 2019âÂÂ20 season, when the league was suspended due to COVID-19 restrictions. At the time of suspension, the team was tied for first place.
On 12 December 2017, Benfica publicly confirmed that it was forming a long-mooted women's football team. Compiling a squad replete with several international players and a distinctly Brazilian flavour, they entered the Portuguese second division and promptly doled out several comprehensive thrashings to their outmatched opponents.
The initial squad contained a total of seven players from Brazil (an eighth, Rilany, arrived in December). Brazilians were targeted because many had the required skills and experience. As Lusophones, they were also expected to adapt quickly to Portuguese culture. This mirrored the policy of Benfica's male team, who had a successful policy of importing talented players from the Brazilian transfer market.
On 17 September 2018, Benfica made their league debut in the Campeonato Nacional II Divisão and beat UD Ponte de Frielas 28âÂÂ0. The result established a new record winning margin in Portuguese senior football, surpassing Sporting CP's 21âÂÂ0 win over CS Mindelense in 1971. Former Benfica player LuÃÂs Andrade was appointed as technical co-ordinator of the club's women's section in October 2018. He was tasked with developing a women's B team and revamping the youth structure, which contained approximately 200 players.
On 26 January 2019, Benfica broke their own Portuguese scoring record by thrashing CP Pego 32âÂÂ0 at the Estádio da Tapadinha, increasing their league tally to 257 goals scored and none conceded in 14 matches, and the overall tally to 293âÂÂ0 in 16 matches. Four days later, Benfica conceded a goal for the first time in their history, in a 5âÂÂ1 away win over MarÃÂtimo in the third round of the Portuguese Cup.
Campeonato Nacional side Braga inflicted Benfica's first ever defeat on 24 March 2019, winning 2âÂÂ1 away in the first leg of the Portuguese Cup semi-final. Six days later, Benfica met Sporting CP in the first but unofficial female Lisbon derby between their main teams. The match was staged at the Estádio do Restelo to raise money for the Cyclone Idai relief effort in Mozambique, attracting 15,204 spectators â a national record crowd at the time for a women's match in Portugal. Despite dominating play, Benfica lost 1âÂÂ0 to Joana Marchão's 86th-minute penalty kick.
On 18 May 2019, after eliminating Braga on 5âÂÂ4 aggregate in the Portuguese Cup semi-finals, Benfica beat Valadares Gaia 4âÂÂ0 in the final to conquer their first trophy, in a Portuguese Cup record attendance of 12,632. Following an 8âÂÂ0 win over Estoril Praia B on 29 May, Benfica secured promotion to the 2019âÂÂ20 Campeonato Nacional Feminino. Later, on 23 June, they were crowned second division champions as they beat Braga B on 9âÂÂ0 aggregate in the finals.
After the departure of head coach João Marques, LuÃÂs Andrade took his position, and Benfica started their second season by beating Portuguese champions Braga 1âÂÂ0 with a goal from Pauleta to conquer their first Super Cup trophy. A week later, Benfica debuted in the first division with a 24âÂÂ0 thrashing of A-dos-Francos. On 19 October, Benfica beat Sporting 3âÂÂ0 at the Estádio da Luz in the first official derby between both sides, played before 12,812 spectators, who set a new attendance record for a women's match in Portugal.
Benfica qualified to UEFA Women's Champions League's group stage for the first time after beating Twente 4âÂÂ0 on 9 September 2021 (5âÂÂ1 on aggregate). Benfica made their debut in the competition with a goalless home draw against Bayern Munich on 5 October. On 17 November, Benfica secured their first victory in the group stage, 2âÂÂ1 at BK Häcken FF, while scoring their first goal.
In the 2023âÂÂ24 season, Benfica set a Portuguese record by winning all four domestic competitions: the Supertaça de Portugal, the Taça da Liga, the Campeonato Nacional, and the Taça de Portugal. Additionally, Benfica reached the quarter-finals of the UEFA Women's Champions League, where they were eliminated by Olympique Lyon. This marked the first time a Portuguese team was amongst the final eight teams in the competition.
The 2024âÂÂ25 season did not start with the same level of success. Benfica lost the Supertaça de Portugal (Portuguese Supercup) to their rivals Sporting, on an unprecedent win by a team that had neither won the league nor made it to the cup final in the previous season. Moreover, Benfica failed to qualify to the UEFA Women's Champions League Group stage, after a surprising 0âÂÂ2 loss at home saw them losing 3âÂÂ2 on aggregate against Hammarby in the final qualifying round. However, Benfica managed to pick themselves up and went undefeated for most of the remaining season, picking up a women's record fifth League Cup and a fifth consecutive League title (pentacampeonato) in the process. This resulted in Benfica's first undefeated league title, with a record of 20 wins, 2 draws, and 0 losses. The streak ended at the 30th game mark, where Benfica lost 2-1 against SCU Torreense in the Taça de Portugal final, failing to revalidate the title they had won in the previous season.
Benfica women's team uses the same crest as the rest of the club. Benfica's crest is composed of an eagle, as a symbol of independence, authority and nobility, positioned atop a shield with red and white colours, symbolizing bravery and peace respectively; the motto "E pluribus unum" ("Out of many, one"), defining union between all members; and the club's initials, "SLB", over a football â all this superimposed on a bicycle wheel representing one of the club's first sports, cycling.
The club has had four main crests since its inception in 1904. The origin of the current crest goes back to 1908, when Sport Lisboa absorbed Grupo Sport Benfica. Afterwards, the shape of the crest was changed in 1930 and 1999. The most significant of the latest changes were the modification and repositioning of the eagle and the reduction of the wheel's size. Seeing as the women's team has been established in 2017, it has always used the latest club crest.
Since the 2008âÂÂ09 season, Benfica football shirts have displayed three stars above the crest, with each star representing ten league titles won by the men's team. These stars were initially adopted by women's team as well, even though the rationale behind them would not be applicable. Starting in the 2024/2025 season, the stars over the crest were removed from the women's football team's shirt.
José da Cruz Viegas was the person responsible for the selection of Benfica's kit in 1904. Red and white colours were chosen for being the ones that stood out better to players' eyes. One year after its inception, the club opted for red shirts with white collars, pockets and cuffs, combined with white shorts and black socks. Benfica's white alternative kit was officially used for the first time in 1944âÂÂ45, when Salgueiros, who also wore red, were promoted to the first division. The women's team follows this tradition since its inception, and as such, the home shirt has always been primarily red.
Benfica have always worn red shirts; for that reason, in Portugal, Benfica and their supporters () were nicknamed (Reds). This changed in 1936 with the start of the Spanish Civil War: the Portuguese Estado Novo's Censorship Commission censored the word "" because the Popular Front communists in Spain were also known by that name. From then on, Benfica became known as â word similar to "reds", but with a different connotation.