Reinaldo Teixeira, president of Liga Portugal, welcomed this Thursday the closing of the accounts of the first phase of European competitions, a result that allowed Portugal to surpass the Netherlands in the UEFA Ranking and practically guarantee, in advance, sixth place at the end of the season.
«If this happens, there will be six Portuguese teams in European competitions in 2027/28 and the merit of this achievement goes practically entirely to the Euro-fantastic quartet: FC Porto, Benfica, Sporting and Sp. Braga, all with continental titles in their history, from Champions to Intertoto», he said.
«It was thanks to their consistent performances over the last five seasons, accompanied by points collected by other sports societies, that today we can be even more convinced that Portuguese professional football is preparing for a new cycle, not only across borders, but also between doors. These scenarios coexist and interact organically and administratively, making us all responsible – regulatory bodies, directors, clubs and investors in sports companies –, forcing us to reinforce and deepen our reflection.”
Reinaldo Teixeira also highlighted that «there are structural changes underway», but above all highlighted «this eternal talent in the players’ legs and minds» as a determining factor for these results.
«The objective of getting six teams into UEFA competitions is not an end, even within the scope of our Meta 2028 goal, the foundations of which are the various improvements in quality and useful playing time, discipline, stadium conditions, fan experience and the television product. Yes, it’s a day to celebrate, but we’re still only winning at halftime.”
