S.L. Benfica B facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Benfica B

Full name	Sport Lisboa e Benfica "B"
Nickname(s)	As Águias (The Eagles) Os Encarnados (The Reds)
Founded	1999
Ground	Benfica Campus
Ground Capacity	2,644
President	Rui Costa
Head coach	Nélson Veríssimo
League	Liga Portugal 2
2022–23	Liga Portugal 2, 15th of 18
Home colours Away colours

Benfica B is a professional football team from Seixal, Portugal. It is the reserve team for the famous Portuguese club S.L. Benfica. Think of it as a stepping stone for young players.

The team was first started in 1999. It stopped playing in 2006 but then restarted in 2012. Benfica B plays in the Liga Portugal 2, which is Portugal's second-highest football league. Their home games are held at the main pitch of Benfica Campus.

Benfica B cannot play in the same league as the main S.L. Benfica team. This means they can't get promoted to the Primeira Liga. They also don't play in cup competitions like the Taça de Portugal. This is because their main goal is to help young players grow and get ready for the first team.

Since 2018, Benfica also has an under-23 team. This team plays in the Liga Revelação. It's for players who have finished playing in the under-19 teams but are not yet ready for the main team.

History of Benfica B

Why the Team Was Created

Benfica wanted to give its young players more time on the field. They also wanted to help reserve players get game experience. So, they created the B team in 1999.

The team started playing officially in the 1999–2000 season. Their first match was against Portimonense S.C. in August, ending in a 2–2 draw.

Early Years and Changes

Benfica B played for three seasons in the Portuguese Second Division. Then, they were moved down to the Terceira Divisão. They spent three years there before moving back up to the Portuguese Second Division in 2005.

In May 2006, the club decided to close the B team. However, it soon returned as part of a different league called the Liga Intercalar. In this league, their best finish was second place in the 2010–11 season.

Restarting in 2012

Before the 2011–12 football season ended, many top clubs in Portugal wanted to create reserve teams. Seven clubs from the Primeira Liga were interested. Six of them were chosen to join the Segunda Liga (now Liga Portugal 2) for the 2012–13 season. These clubs included Benfica, Braga, Marítimo, Porto, Sporting CP, and Vitória de Guimarães.

The league organizers, LPFP, set some rules. Clubs had to pay €50,000 to join. Also, each B team needed at least ten players from their club's youth academy. These players had to be between 15 and 21 years old. A team could have a maximum of three players older than 23.

It was also decided that B teams could not play in cup competitions. They also could not be promoted to the Primeira Liga. This rule stops a B team from playing against its own main club.

In May 2012, it was officially announced that these six B teams would play in the 2012–13 Segunda Liga. This decision made the league bigger, from 16 teams to 22. It also increased the number of matches played.

Home Grounds

During the 2012–13 season, Benfica B played their home games at the Estádio da Luz. This is the main stadium for S.L. Benfica. But in February, they moved to Estádio da Tapadinha. This move was to protect the grass at Estádio da Luz from too much use.

In the 2013–14 season, Benfica B moved permanently. They now play at their own training ground, which is set up for professional league matches.

International Matches

In 2014, Benfica B was invited to play in the 2014–15 Premier League International Cup. This was an international competition.

On May 29, 2015, they played a friendly match against F.C. United of Manchester. This game was for the official opening of Broadhurst Park.

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

On May 26, 2019, they played a practice match against Liverpool. This game took place in Marbella, Spain. It was five days before Liverpool's Champions League final.

Benfica B Players

Current Squad

No. Position Player 48 DF Rafael Rodrigues 52 FW Henrique Pereira 60 MF Nuno Félix 62 DF Lenny Lacroix 66 DF Joshua Wynder 67 FW Rodrigo Rêgo 70 DF Filipe Cruz 73 DF Tiago Cóser 74 MF Žan Jevšenak 75 GK André Gomes 76 DF Gustavo Marques 77 FW Gerson Sousa

No. Position Player 78 DF Kiko Domingues 79 MF Hugo Félix 81 DF Adrian Bajrami 82 DF Diogo Spencer 83 MF Rafael Luís 84 MF João Rego 86 MF Diogo Prioste 89 FW Gustavo Varela 92 GK Pedro Souza 97 FW José Melro 98 GK Ricardo Ribeiro 99 FW Luan Farias

Other Players Under Contract

These players are also part of Benfica but might not be playing for the B team right now.

No. Position Player DF Ricardo Teixeira

Players Out on Loan

Sometimes players are sent to other clubs for a short time. This helps them get more playing experience.

No. Position Player FW Henrique Araújo (at Arouca until 30 June 2025)

Coaching Staff

The people who train and guide the Benfica B team are:

Team Records and Statistics

Season-by-Season Performance

This table shows how Benfica B has performed in different seasons.

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	Cláudio Oeiras	11
2000–2001	III	9th	38	14	11	13	58	57	57	Jorge Cordeiro	16
2001–2002	III	18th	38	11	11	16	35	42	44	Jorge Ribeiro	5
2002–2003	IV	3rd	34	14	14	6	47	25	56
2003–2004	IV	5th	34	15	8	11	63	48	53
2004–2005	IV	1st	34	21	9	4	71	29	72
2005–2006	III	11th	30	11	8	11	40	40	41	Vasco Firmino	5
2012–2013	II	7th	42	15	17	10	71	54	62	Miguel Rosa	17
2013–2014	II	5th	42	20	10	12	77	56	70	Funes Mori	13
2014–2015	II	6th	46	22	11	13	81	60	77	Rui Fonte	17
2015–2016	II	19th	46	15	10	21	59	64	55	Sancidino Silva	6
2016–2017	II	4th	42	18	9	15	56	58	63	Heriberto Tavares	11
2017–2018	II	13th	38	14	7	17	54	60	49	Heriberto Tavares	14
2018–2019	II	4th	34	15	7	12	47	42	52	Chris Willock	11
2019–2020	II	14th	24	7	7	10	31	35	28	Daniel dos Anjos	8
2020–2021	II	8th	34	12	8	14	53	43	44	Gonçalo Ramos Henrique Araújo	11
2021–2022	II	5th	34	17	6	11	61	44	57	Henrique Araújo	14
2022–2023	II	15th	34	10	8	16	52	58	38	Henrique Pereira	9

Honours

Benfica B has won one major title:

• Terceira Divisão

Winners: 2004–05

Under-23s Current Squad

This is the team for players aged under 23. It helps them prepare for the main team or the B team.

No. Position Player GK Alexander Sandahl GK João Félix GK Marcel Mendes GK Luka Velickovic DF João Conceição DF Leandro Santos DF Tiago Coser DF José Müller DF João Fonseca DF Modibo Keita DF Tiago Parente DF Vladimir Mendes MF João Veloso

No. Position Player MF Paul Okon-Engstler MF Carlos Meotti MF Tiago Freitas FW Gonçalo Moreira FW José Melro FW Kyanno Silva FW Ivan Lima FW Ricardo Nóbrega FW Rodrigo Rêgo FW Karel Mustmaa FW Martim Fortes FW Marcos Zambrano FW Sofiane Dris

Under-23s Coaching Staff

Here are the coaches for the Under-23 team:

See also

In Spanish: Sport Lisboa e Benfica "B" para niños