Sport Lisboa e Benfica ComC MHIH OM (Portuguese pronunciation also known as Benfica ), is a professional football team that is based in Lisbon, Portugal, that plays within the Primeira Liga, the top level of Portuguese football.
The club was founded on the 28th of February 1904 under the name Sport Lisboa, Benfica is one of the "Big Three" clubs in Portugal which have not been exiled out of Primeira Liga, along with their rivals Sporting CP and FC Porto. Benfica are known as As Aguias (The Eagles) due to the symbol that sits on the club's crest as well as Os Encarnados (The Reds) because of the colour of their shirt. From 2003 onwards, the club's home stadium is named the Estadio da Luz, which was built to replace the original, larger one in 1954. Benfica is the most popular Portuguese club and is the European soccer club that has the largest proportion of fans within its own country, with more than 250,000 supporters and 14 million supporters around the world. The club's anthem "Ser Benfiquista" refers to Benfica supporters who are referred to as benfiquistas. "E pluribus unum" is the motto of the club; Aguia Vitoria, the club's mascot.
Benfica is honored with Benfica is honoured with Portuguese Orders of Christ, of Prince Henry and the Merit Order. In terms of competition, they have at least 83 major trophy wins and 84 of them included in that of the Latin Cup - Benfica is the most decorated team in Portugal. They have won 80 domestic trophies: a record 37 Primeira Liga titles, a record 26 Taca de Portugal, a record 7 Taca da Liga, 8 Supertaca Candido de Oliveira and 3 Campeonato de Portugal. In international competition, they have won back-to-back European Cups in 1961 and 1962, a feat that is unique for Portuguese soccer - as well as also were runners-up in the Intercontinental Cup in 1961 and 1962, in the European Cup in 1963, the '65, '68, and '88 and '90, as well as at the UEFA Cup/Europa league between 1983 and 2013, and the 2014 season. Benfica's 10 European finals is a club-wide record and the club was ranked seventh in the history of UEFA clubs in 2014.
Benfica was named 12th in the FIFA Club of the Century and was ranked 9th in the IFFHS Top 200 European clubs in that century. Within UEFA, Benfica ranks 8th in the all-time rankings of clubs and was 26th in coefficients for the club at the conclusion in the season 2021-22. At present, Benfica have the second highest number of involvements at the European Cup/UEFA Champions league (41) the tournament where they hold the record for the most overall win. This was achieved during the 1965-66 season. Additionally, Benfica hold the European record for most consecutive wins in their domestic league (29) and became the first unbeaten champions in 1972-73.
