Sporting CP B

Sporting CP B
Full name	Sporting Clube de Portugal B
Nicknames	Leões (Lions); Verde-e-Brancos (Green and Whites)
Short name	Sporting B
Founded	2000; 26 years ago
Ground	Estádio Aurélio Pereira
Capacity	1,180
President	Frederico Varandas
Head coach	João Gião
League	Liga Portugal 2
2024–25	Liga 3 Série B, 4th (First stage) ; Promotion Stage, 2nd of 8 (Promoted)
Website	sporting.pt

Sporting Clube de Portugal B, otherwise referred to as Sporting CP B, is the reserve team of Portuguese football club Sporting CP, based in Lisbon.

The reserve teams in Portugal compete in the same league system as the senior main team, instead of a reserve teams league. However, the reserve teams cannot participate in the same division as the first team, which means that Sporting CP B is not eligible for promotion to the Primeira Liga and cannot compete in the Taça de Portugal or the Taça da Liga.

Sporting CP B plays at the Estádio Aurélio Pereira in the Academia Cristiano Ronaldo, located in Alcochete, which holds a seating capacity of 1,180 spectators.

History

Sporting CP B was founded in 2000 and competed in the third division of the Portuguese football league system until the end of the 2003–2004 season, when it was dissolved.^[1]

It was during this period of the B team that Cristiano Ronaldo made his domestic senior football competition debut, in a 2–1 defeat at the S.C. Lusitânia ground on 1 September 2002. His senior football debut happened on 14 August 2002, in the first team, against Inter Milan on the second leg of the third qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League.^[2]^[3]

In May 2012, the Liga Portuguesa de Futebol Profissional announced several changes to the second division of the Portuguese football league system, including an increase in the number of participating teams through the incorporation of five B teams from Primeira Liga clubs, including Sporting CP B. This change increased the number of matches to 42 per season and was implemented in the 2012–2013 season.^[4]

In their first season after returning, Sporting B finished in fourth place (all-time best position), under the management of coaches Oceano Cruz and José Dominguez.^[5]

At the start of the 2013/2014 season, Sporting B represented the club in the Taça de Honra, played at the Estádio António Coimbra da Mota, due to the first team being in the United States playing pre-season matches. After defeating SL Benfica B in the semi-final, it beat the reserve team of G.D. Estoril Praia on penalties, winning the first trophy in the team's history.^[6]

In the 2017/2018 season, the team finished in 18th place, which resulted in relegation. This performance, together with the announcement of the establishment of a national under-23 championship, a new tier, to begin in the 2018/2019 season, in which Sporting CP will participate, culminated in the decision by president Bruno de Carvalho to terminate the B team.^[7]

Fulfilling one of his election promises and taking advantage of a reorganization in the third division of the Portuguese football league system, president Frederico Varandas announced, in 2019, the reactivation of the B, which returned to competition in the following season.^[8]

In the 2020/2021 season, Sporting CP B entered directly into the Campeonato de Portugal, which, due to being replaced in the following season by Liga 3 as the third division of the Portuguese football league system, allowed 22 teams to qualify for the new competition. By finishing second in the first qualifying phase, behind Estrela da Amadora, it failed to qualify directly, which forced it to compete in the second phase, where it finished in first place, qualifying for the new competition.^[9]

In 2021/2022, it made its debut in the new national competition, Liga 3. It remained in this division until the 2024/2025 season, when, despite changing coaches three times, it managed to finish fourth in the southern zone, which allowed it to compete in the championship play-offs. The team finished in second place, behind Lusitânia F.C., earning a direct promotion spot to Liga Portugal 2.^[10]

In 2025/2026, after eight seasons, Sporting CP returned to compete in Liga Portugal 2.

Players

Current squad

As of 4 February 2026^[11]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
40	MF	ARG	Mateo Tanlongo
43	DF	POR	João Muniz
46	DF	CPV	David Moreira
49	DF	BRA	Rômulo (on loan from Atlético Mineiro)
50	DF	POR	Rodrigo Dias
51	GK	POR	Miguel Gouveia
54	DF	BRA	Bruno Ramos (on loan from Académico de Viseu)
57	FW	CAN	Lucas Dias
58	FW	POR	Flávio Gonçalves
59	MF	BRA	Kauã Oliveira
60	MF	BRA	Rayan Lucas (on loan from Flamengo)
66	MF	BEL	Zaïd Bafdili
67	FW	POR	Lucas Anjos
70	DF	POR	Salvador Blopa


No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
73	MF	POR	Eduardo Felicíssimo
74	GK	POR	Guilherme Pires
75	MF	ANG	Manuel Kissanga
76	GK	POR	Pedro Miguéis
77	MF	POR	Rafael Besugo
78	FW	POR	Mauro Couto
79	FW	POR	Gabriel Melo
82	FW	POR	Gabriel Silva
87	FW	CPV	Paulo Cardoso
88	MF	POR	Manuel Mendonça
90	FW	POR	Rafael Nel
95	DF	ESP	Lucas Taibo
96	MF	POR	Samuel Justo

Staff

Head Coach: João Gião
Assistant Coach: Pedro Figueiredo
Assistant Coach: João Peixeiro
Assistant Coach: Marco Sousa
Goalkeeper Coach: Dário Ezequiel
Fitness Coach: Tomás Azevedo
Scouting Coordinator: Ricardo Correia
Analytics Coach: André Gonçalves
Doctor: Diogo Roxo
Physiotherapist: Diogo Lopes
Nurse: Rúben Gonçalves
Equipment Technician: Cláudio Teixeira

Out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
45	DF	BRA	Rafael Pontelo (at Farense until 30 June 2026)
55	DF	POR	José Silva (at Arouca until 30 June 2026)


No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
—	MF	POR	Alexandre Brito (at CYP Pafos until 31 May 2026)

Managers List

Jean Paul Castro (2000/2001-2001/2002; 2004)
Luís Alegria (2002/2003-2003/2004)
Oceano Cruz (2012)
José Dominguez (2012/2013)
Abel Ferreira (2013/2014)
Francisco Barão (2014)
João de Deus (2014-2017)
Luís Martins (2017-2017/2018)
Filipe Çelikkaya (2020/2021–2023/2024)
João Pereira (2024; 2025)
Pedro Coelho (2024-2025)
João Gião (2025–present)

References

^ "Sete clubes interessados nas seis vagas para equipas B" [Seven clubs interested for the six vacancies for the B teams]. Relvado. 17 February 2012. Archived from the original on 20 April 2014. Retrieved 9 June 2012.
^ Abola.pt (2024-08-14). "Lembra-se da estreia de Ronaldo pelo Sporting? Foi há 22 anos contra... Sérgio Conceição (vídeo)". Abola.pt (in Portuguese). Retrieved 2025-07-27.
^ KeeG. "Sabia Que o 1º jogo como sénior de Cristiano Ronaldo foi nos Açores?". I Love Azores. Archived from the original on 2023-08-10. Retrieved 2023-08-10.
^ "Liga: seis clubes inscreveram a equipa "B"" [League: six clubs register for a B team]. Mais Futebol. 28 May 2012. Archived from the original on 31 May 2012. Retrieved 9 June 2012.
^ "Aves falha o pódio" [Aves miss out on the podium]. O Jogo (in Portuguese). 12 May 2013. Archived from the original on 23 October 2020. Retrieved 21 October 2020.
^ RTP Desporto (2014-07-20). "Sporting conquista Taça de Honra da AF Lisboa ao vencer rival Benfica". RTP.pt (in Portuguese).
^ "Sporting B vai deixar a II Liga" [Sporting B will leave the II Liga]. Diário de Notícias (in Portuguese). 2018-03-07. Archived from the original on 2018-08-23. Retrieved 2018-08-22.
^ "Varandas revela: "A equipa B estará de volta no próximo ano"" [Varandas reveals: "The B team will be back next year"] (in Portuguese). SAPO. 31 October 2019. Archived from the original on 21 October 2020. Retrieved 21 October 2020.
^ "Liga 3: os 24 clubes que vão estrear o campeonato em 2021/22". Maisfutebol (in Portuguese). Archived from the original on 2021-07-24. Retrieved 2021-07-24.
^ Liga Portugal (2025-05-17). "Sporting CP B garante promoção à Liga Portugal 2 Meu Super". Liga Portugal (in Portuguese).
^ "Plantel". Sporting Clube de Portugal. Archived from the original on 30 July 2021. Retrieved 24 July 2021.

External links

Official website (in English)
Club profile at ForaDeJogo (in Portuguese)
Club profile at LPFP (in Portuguese)

[:0-1] "Sete clubes interessados nas seis vagas para equipas B" [Seven clubs interested for the six vacancies for the B teams]. Relvado. 17 February 2012. Archived from the original on 20 April 2014. Retrieved 9 June 2012.

[2] Abola.pt (2024-08-14). "Lembra-se da estreia de Ronaldo pelo Sporting? Foi há 22 anos contra... Sérgio Conceição (vídeo)". Abola.pt (in Portuguese). Retrieved 2025-07-27.

[3] KeeG. "Sabia Que o 1º jogo como sénior de Cristiano Ronaldo foi nos Açores?". I Love Azores. Archived from the original on 2023-08-10. Retrieved 2023-08-10.

[4] "Liga: seis clubes inscreveram a equipa "B"" [League: six clubs register for a B team]. Mais Futebol. 28 May 2012. Archived from the original on 31 May 2012. Retrieved 9 June 2012.

[5] "Aves falha o pódio" [Aves miss out on the podium]. O Jogo (in Portuguese). 12 May 2013. Archived from the original on 23 October 2020. Retrieved 21 October 2020.

[6] RTP Desporto (2014-07-20). "Sporting conquista Taça de Honra da AF Lisboa ao vencer rival Benfica". RTP.pt (in Portuguese).

[7] "Sporting B vai deixar a II Liga" [Sporting B will leave the II Liga]. Diário de Notícias (in Portuguese). 2018-03-07. Archived from the original on 2018-08-23. Retrieved 2018-08-22.

[8] "Varandas revela: "A equipa B estará de volta no próximo ano"" [Varandas reveals: "The B team will be back next year"] (in Portuguese). SAPO. 31 October 2019. Archived from the original on 21 October 2020. Retrieved 21 October 2020.

[9] "Liga 3: os 24 clubes que vão estrear o campeonato em 2021/22". Maisfutebol (in Portuguese). Archived from the original on 2021-07-24. Retrieved 2021-07-24.

[10] Liga Portugal (2025-05-17). "Sporting CP B garante promoção à Liga Portugal 2 Meu Super". Liga Portugal (in Portuguese).

[11] "Plantel". Sporting Clube de Portugal. Archived from the original on 30 July 2021. Retrieved 24 July 2021.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

v t e Sporting Clube de Portugal
Players Managers Presidents Supporters Seasons International Records and statistics Current season
Stadiums	Estádio do Campo Grande (1917–1937) Estádio do Lumiar (1937–1956) Estádio José Alvalade (1956–2003) Estádio José Alvalade (2003–present)
Training grounds	Academia Sporting
Indoor arenas	Pavilhão João Rocha Multidesportivo
Other teams	Sporting CP B Sporting CP (youth) Sporting CP (women)
Other sports	Athletics Basketball Beach soccer Billiards Cycling Futsal Handball Roller hockey Rugby union Swimming Table tennis
Rivalries	Derby de Lisboa FC Porto rivalry Big Three
Supporters	Juventude Leonina Torcida Verde Directivo Ultras XXI Brigada Ultras Sporting
Media	Jornal Sporting Sporting TV
Related articles	Troféu Cinco Violinos Sporting Portugal Fund Quality Sports Investments First Portuguese Football Players Fund (defunct) Superleague Formula team (defunct)
Category