Semi-final winners meet in Leiria on 9 January

At Sporting de Braga’s ground in October, Famalicão had to survive a 2-2 draw before their Taça da Liga quarter-final could be settled. They won the penalty shootout 3-1, sending the visitors into January’s final four and leaving them two wins from a first title in the competition.

With the dates settled, the tournament’s route is now clear: FC Porto or Benfica must win the opening semi-final, while Sporting or Famalicão must win the next to reach the final. The two winners meet in Leiria on 9 January, when the winter title will be decided. For Famalicão, the draw offers a direct path from their win at Braga to the trophy; the other three clubs have their own records in the competition, but each must first get through a single-match semi-final. There is no further round between the last four and the title match.

Liga Portugal has put all three matches at Estádio Dr. Magalhães Pessoa in Leiria, keeping the final four in one city. The semi-finals will be played on consecutive evenings, with FC Porto and Benfica first on 5 January.

Their match is scheduled to kick off at 20:15. The following evening, at the same time and venue, Sporting face Famalicão in the second semi-final.

The final is scheduled for 9 January, also in Leiria. That completes a three-match programme at Estádio Dr. Magalhães Pessoa across five calendar days, with the semi-finals setting the line-up for the last match.

The stakes are not just a place in the final. Each semi-final is a single match: win, and the club advances directly to the title match; lose, and its bid to lift this edition’s trophy is over.

The clubs arrive with very different histories in the competition. Benfica have won the Taça da Liga eight times, twice as often as Sporting, who have four titles. FC Porto have lifted it once, while Famalicão are chasing their first. For Benfica, the semi-final is a chance to add to a record tally; for Porto, it offers a route to a second title. Sporting would be seeking a fifth, and Famalicão could make January their first triumph in the competition.

Those records give the two pairings distinct stakes, but no club can draw on its past to get through. Porto and Benfica meet on 5 January, with the winner advancing and the loser’s campaign ending. Sporting and Famalicão face the same immediate test a day later. The first finalist will be known before the second semi-final begins; by the end of 6 January, only two of the four title bids will remain alive.

The order of the semi-finals also sets up an uneven wait for the two teams that reach the final. The winner of the first semi-final will have 24 hours between that match and the title game; the winner of the second will have 72 hours.

That difference follows directly from the schedule: the final is one day after the first semi-final and three days after the second. Both finalists will have to manage the short January turnaround, but the team coming through the opening tie has the tighter interval before playing for the trophy.

Supporters will be able to follow every step: Sport TV is scheduled to broadcast all three matches. That keeps the semi-finals and final together on one broadcaster, from the first place in the final to the trophy decision.

Keeping the final four in Leiria means returning to a city whose stadium and wider community were hit by Storm Kristin on 28 January 2026. Liga Portugal chose to stage the decisive matches there despite the damage, O Jogo and SIC Notícias reported.

LPFP president Reinaldo Teixeira linked the decision to what the storm had done to the city. He said other municipalities were interested in hosting the competition, but organizers did not consult them about moving this year’s event. Teixeira said there would be no other place to host the competition.

It devastated this stadium, as well as the entire population of Leiria.

The choice keeps the tournament in Leiria while leaving unanswered why interested municipalities were not asked to host this edition.

This is the 20th edition of the Taça da Liga, and the last to use its current format. For this campaign, entry to the quarter-finals was limited to the previous season’s top six in the first division and top two in the second, with those ties played from 27 to 29 October, according to Maisfutebol and RTP.

The competition is due to open to every team from 2027/28, LPFP president Reinaldo Teixeira said. Clubs playing in Europe will join at the quarter-final stage, rather than starting earlier in the tournament.

In 2027/28, this will be a more democratic competition, where all teams can participate.

The current entry rules also explain the absence of the previous winners. Vitória de Guimarães beat Braga 2-1 in last season’s final, but finished ninth in the 2025/26 first division and missed the six places that qualified for this edition’s quarter-finals, according to RTP and Maisfutebol.

• Early December: Liga Portugal says ticket sales are due to start; O Jogo says the exact launch date is still to be announced.
• When sales open: tickets are expected through the competition’s official channels and at Continente, according to O Jogo.