Big Three

This article does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (August 2008)

Estádio do Dragão

Estádio José Alvalade

Estádio da Luz

The Big Three (Portuguese: Os Três Grandes) is the nickname of the three most powerful sports clubs in Portugal. The football teams of Benfica, Porto and Sporting Lisbon have a great rivalry, and are usually the main contenders for the title. Between them they share all but two of the Portuguese Football Championships ever played and generally end up sharing the top three positions. The only two clubs outside the big three to have won the Portuguese league are Belenenses in the 1945-46 season and Boavista in the 2000-01 season.

In other sports, the rivalry between the Os Três Grandes is also considerable (although currently football and handball are the only team sports where all three clubs field professional teams) and it usually leads to arguments between the fans and players. These clubs dominate Portuguese football so completely that it is very rare for anyone to claim to support any other team as their "first club". The general rule in Portugal is that, first and foremost, you support one of the "The Big Three" with your local team coming in second place (or in many cases not coming at all). The big three have the highest average attendance ratings every season in Portugal, but the other teams, lacking support from the locals, have suffered from weak attendances due in part to the big three's monopoly. The lack of support for local teams is considered to be one of the main reasons why Portuguese Football registers one of the worse attendance ratings in European Football's main championships, alongside the price of game tickets, perceived corruption and the showing of too many games in TV.

Benfica is the team with most league titles and cups won but Porto has been the dominating force in the last two decades and a half, while Sporting holds the third most cup titles.

Players who have played for all of the Big Three teams

• Carlos Alhinho
• Eurico Gomes
• Paulo Futre
• Emílio Peixe
• Derlei
• Fernando Santos (as coach)

Benfica Titles

• Portuguese Liga (31) 1936, 1937, 1938, 1942, 1943, 1945, 1950, 1955, 1957, 1960, 1961, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1981, 1983, 1984, 1987, 1989, 1991, 1994, 2005

• Portuguese Cup (27) 1930, 1931, 1935, 1940, 1943, 1944, 1949, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1955, 1957, 1959, 1962, 1964, 1969, 1970, 1972, 1980, 1981, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1993, 1996, 2004

• Portuguese League Cup (1) 2009

• Portuguese SuperCup (4) 1980, 1985, 1989, 2005

• Latin Cup (1) 1950

• European Cup (2) 1961, 1962

Total Titles: 66

FC Porto Titles

• Portuguese Liga (24) 1935, 1939, 1940, 1956, 1959, 1978, 1979, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1990, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009

• Portuguese Cup (18) 1922, 1925, 1935, 1937, 1956, 1958, 1968, 1977, 1984, 1988, 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2006, 2009

• Portuguese SuperCup (16) 1981, 1983, 1984, 1986, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2009

• UEFA Champions League (2) 1987, 2004

• UEFA Cup (1) 2003

• UEFA Super Cup (1) 1987

• Intercontinental Cup (2) 1987, 2004

Total Titles: 64

Sporting CP Titles

• Portuguese Liga (18) 1941, 1944, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1958, 1962, 1966, 1970, 1974, 1980, 1982, 2000, 2002

• Portuguese Cup (19) 1923, 1934, 1936, 1938, 1941, 1945, 1946, 1948, 1954, 1963, 1971, 1973, 1974, 1978, 1982, 1995, 2002, 2007, 2008

• Portuguese SuperCup (7) 1982, 1987, 1995, 2000, 2002, 2007, 2008

• UEFA Cup Winners' Cup (1) 1964

Total Titles: 45