Foreign investment includes 19 teams from professional football leagues

The Portuguese football leagues (AI) and II have 19 teams whose SADs have foreign shareholders, 12 in the main league and seven in the second division, Lusa found, based on data collected and processed.

This number corresponds to 57.6% of the 33 clubs that make up the Portuguese Professional Football League (LPFP) in the 2025/26 season, in a scenario in which foreign investors hold the majority of the capital in 15 cases and a minority position in four.

Among the I Liga teams, the sale of 70% of Moreirense SAD to the North American fund Black Knight Football Club, owner of Bournemouth, of the English League, approved on May 31, 2025 by the members of the Minho club and formalized on June 18, is the most recent majority acquisition of capital by a foreign entity, a phenomenon already underway for 12 years.

On May 30, 2013, Portimonense members approved a SAD in which the club reserved 30% of the capital, with For Gool Company, a company based in the United Kingdom, led by Brazilian Theodoro Fonseca, currently holding 85.88% of the shares of the Algarve club, which plays in the II Liga.

On June 29, 2018, Famalicão was still competing in the second tier when it sold 51% of SAD to Quantum Pacific, a group whose majority shareholder is Israeli Idan Ofer and which currently holds 85% of the capital, with the Minho team in the main championship.

Globalon Football Holdings, owned by American businessman David Blitzer, has controlled Estoril Praia SAD since 2019, in a transaction that became official on July 24, 2019, and now holds 92.3% of the shares.

Santa Clara's SAD is chaired by Brazilian businessman Bruno Vicintin, who holds 55.8% of the shares since July 2022, while Rio Ave established a SAD on June 15, 2024, with 80% of the capital held by Greek Evangelos Marinakis, owner of Olympiacos and Nottingham Forest.

Established as the successor to Vilafranquense SAD, at the start of the 2023/24 season, AVS SAD has as its sole shareholder the Brazilian Rubens Parreira, who is also the president of the company that oversees the Portuguese I Liga team.

At Tondela, a club recently promoted to the elite after being crowned champions of the II League in 2024/25, the members approved, on February 17, 2025, the sale of the majority of SAD to the Spanish group Elite Gestión y Administración.

That same day, Alverca, the other club returning to the I Liga, confirmed that Brazilian businessman Ricardo Vicintin sold “the qualified stake in the public limited company to a group of Spanish and Brazilian investors”, with links to Vinicius Júnior, a Real Madrid player, for a value of up to 10 million euros (ME).

Among the companies with minority stakes, Sporting has Holdimo, a company based in Portugal with Angolan Álvaro Sobrinho as the majority shareholder, which has held 9.9% of the shares since February 2024.

At Benfica, the Lenore Sports Partners group, founded by North Americans Jean-Marc Chapus and Elliot Holton Hayes, acquired 5.24% of SAD on May 12, 2025.

Qatar Sports Investments, owner of Paris Saint-Germain, announced the acquisition of 21.67% of Sporting de Braga SAD in October 2022 and now holds 29.6% of the capital.

In neighboring Vitória de Guimarães, V Sports, a fund owned by Egyptian Nassef Sawiris and American Wesley Edens, who owns Aston Villa, has been a shareholder in Guimarães SAD since March 2023, with a stake that decreased from 46 to 29%.

In addition to Portimonense, foreign investment includes Feirense, Académico de Viseu, União de Leiria, Vizela, Oliveirense and Penafiel, which confirmed, on July 1, 2025, the sale of 90% of its capital to Iberian Football Venture, in which the owner of Deportivo da Corunha, Juan Carlos Escotet, participated.

The Nigerian group Tavistock holds 70% of Feirense SAD after an operation approved by the 'fogaceiros' partners, on July 25, 2015, and the German company Hobra has been the majority shareholder in the Viseu SAD since August 13, 2021, currently holding 90% of the shares.

British businessman Navdeep Singh has owned 90% of SAD da União de Leiria since 2022, the year in which Hong Kong-based Efkarpia Trades and Investment Limited acquired 80% of the capital in Vizela.

Oliveirense SAD has two Japanese shareholders: the Onodera Holdings group, which acquired, in November 2022, 52.5% of the share capital from businessman Akihiro Kin, now holder of 17.5%.

The expansion of this investment is on the horizon of the II Liga, after Leixões SAD announced “a principle of agreement” for the North American group Aliya Capital Partners to become the majority shareholder, on July 4, 2025, and Marítimo's partners approved the sale of 40% of the SAD to the Brazilian group REVEE, for 15 ME, on July 18, 2025.

Despite its association with American Robert Platek, from the MSD Capital group, Casa Pia competes in the I Liga as a single-member sports company with shares (SDUQ), a model in which the founding club holds all the share capital, with the entry of third parties prohibited without the transformation into a SAD, according to Portuguese law.

The Portuguese football leagues (AI) and II have 19 teams whose SADs have foreign shareholders, 12 in the main league and seven in the second division, Lusa found, based on data collected and processed.

This number corresponds to 57.6% of the 33 clubs that make up the Portuguese Professional Football League (LPFP) in the 2025/26 season, in a scenario in which foreign investors hold the majority of the capital in 15 cases and a minority position in four.

Among the I Liga teams, the sale of 70% of Moreirense SAD to the North American fund Black Knight Football Club, owner of Bournemouth, of the English League, approved on May 31, 2025 by the members of the Minho club and formalized on June 18, is the most recent majority acquisition of capital by a foreign entity, a phenomenon already underway for 12 years.

On May 30, 2013, Portimonense members approved a SAD in which the club reserved 30% of the capital, with For Gool Company, a company based in the United Kingdom, led by Brazilian Theodoro Fonseca, currently holding 85.88% of the shares of the Algarve club, which plays in the II Liga.

On June 29, 2018, Famalicão was still competing in the second tier when it sold 51% of SAD to Quantum Pacific, a group whose majority shareholder is Israeli Idan Ofer and which currently holds 85% of the capital, with the Minho team in the main championship.

Globalon Football Holdings, owned by American businessman David Blitzer, has controlled Estoril Praia SAD since 2019, in a transaction that became official on July 24, 2019, and now holds 92.3% of the shares.

Santa Clara's SAD is chaired by Brazilian businessman Bruno Vicintin, who holds 55.8% of the shares since July 2022, while Rio Ave established a SAD on June 15, 2024, with 80% of the capital held by Greek Evangelos Marinakis, owner of Olympiacos and Nottingham Forest.

Established as the successor to Vilafranquense SAD, at the start of the 2023/24 season, AVS SAD has as its sole shareholder the Brazilian Rubens Parreira, who is also the president of the company that oversees the Portuguese I Liga team.

At Tondela, a club recently promoted to the elite after being crowned champions of the II League in 2024/25, the members approved, on February 17, 2025, the sale of the majority of SAD to the Spanish group Elite Gestión y Administración.

That same day, Alverca, the other club returning to the I Liga, confirmed that Brazilian businessman Ricardo Vicintin sold “the qualified stake in the public limited company to a group of Spanish and Brazilian investors”, with links to Vinicius Júnior, a Real Madrid player, for a value of up to 10 million euros (ME).

Among the companies with minority stakes, Sporting has Holdimo, a company based in Portugal with Angolan Álvaro Sobrinho as the majority shareholder, which has held 9.9% of the shares since February 2024.

At Benfica, the Lenore Sports Partners group, founded by North Americans Jean-Marc Chapus and Elliot Holton Hayes, acquired 5.24% of SAD on May 12, 2025.

Qatar Sports Investments, owner of Paris Saint-Germain, announced the acquisition of 21.67% of Sporting de Braga SAD in October 2022 and now holds 29.6% of the capital.

In neighboring Vitória de Guimarães, V Sports, a fund owned by Egyptian Nassef Sawiris and American Wesley Edens, who owns Aston Villa, has been a shareholder in Guimarães SAD since March 2023, with a stake that decreased from 46 to 29%.

In addition to Portimonense, foreign investment includes Feirense, Académico de Viseu, União de Leiria, Vizela, Oliveirense and Penafiel, which confirmed, on July 1, 2025, the sale of 90% of its capital to Iberian Football Venture, in which the owner of Deportivo da Corunha, Juan Carlos Escotet, participated.

The Nigerian group Tavistock holds 70% of Feirense SAD after an operation approved by the 'fogaceiros' partners, on July 25, 2015, and the German company Hobra has been the majority shareholder in the Viseu SAD since August 13, 2021, currently holding 90% of the shares.

British businessman Navdeep Singh has owned 90% of SAD da União de Leiria since 2022, the year in which Hong Kong-based Efkarpia Trades and Investment Limited acquired 80% of the capital in Vizela.

Oliveirense SAD has two Japanese shareholders: the Onodera Holdings group, which acquired, in November 2022, 52.5% of the share capital from businessman Akihiro Kin, now holder of 17.5%.

The expansion of this investment is on the horizon of the II Liga, after Leixões SAD announced “a principle of agreement” for the North American group Aliya Capital Partners to become the majority shareholder, on July 4, 2025, and Marítimo's partners approved the sale of 40% of the SAD to the Brazilian group REVEE, for 15 ME, on July 18, 2025.

Despite its association with American Robert Platek, from the MSD Capital group, Casa Pia competes in the I Liga as a single-member sports company with shares (SDUQ), a model in which the founding club holds all the share capital, with the entry of third parties prohibited without the transformation into a SAD, according to Portuguese law.

The Portuguese football leagues (AI) and II have 19 teams whose SADs have foreign shareholders, 12 in the main league and seven in the second division, Lusa found, based on data collected and processed.

This number corresponds to 57.6% of the 33 clubs that make up the Portuguese Professional Football League (LPFP) in the 2025/26 season, in a scenario in which foreign investors hold the majority of the capital in 15 cases and a minority position in four.

Among the I Liga teams, the sale of 70% of Moreirense SAD to the North American fund Black Knight Football Club, owner of Bournemouth, of the English League, approved on May 31, 2025 by the members of the Minho club and formalized on June 18, is the most recent majority acquisition of capital by a foreign entity, a phenomenon already underway for 12 years.

On May 30, 2013, Portimonense members approved a SAD in which the club reserved 30% of the capital, with For Gool Company, a company based in the United Kingdom, led by Brazilian Theodoro Fonseca, currently holding 85.88% of the shares of the Algarve club, which plays in the II Liga.

On June 29, 2018, Famalicão was still competing in the second tier when it sold 51% of SAD to Quantum Pacific, a group whose majority shareholder is Israeli Idan Ofer and which currently holds 85% of the capital, with the Minho team in the main championship.

Globalon Football Holdings, owned by American businessman David Blitzer, has controlled Estoril Praia SAD since 2019, in a transaction that became official on July 24, 2019, and now holds 92.3% of the shares.

Santa Clara's SAD is chaired by Brazilian businessman Bruno Vicintin, who holds 55.8% of the shares since July 2022, while Rio Ave established a SAD on June 15, 2024, with 80% of the capital held by Greek Evangelos Marinakis, owner of Olympiacos and Nottingham Forest.

Established as the successor to Vilafranquense SAD, at the start of the 2023/24 season, AVS SAD has as its sole shareholder the Brazilian Rubens Parreira, who is also the president of the company that oversees the Portuguese I Liga team.

At Tondela, a club recently promoted to the elite after being crowned champions of the II League in 2024/25, the members approved, on February 17, 2025, the sale of the majority of SAD to the Spanish group Elite Gestión y Administración.

That same day, Alverca, the other club returning to the I Liga, confirmed that Brazilian businessman Ricardo Vicintin sold “the qualified stake in the public limited company to a group of Spanish and Brazilian investors”, with links to Vinicius Júnior, a Real Madrid player, for a value of up to 10 million euros (ME).

Among the companies with minority stakes, Sporting has Holdimo, a company based in Portugal with Angolan Álvaro Sobrinho as the majority shareholder, which has held 9.9% of the shares since February 2024.

At Benfica, the Lenore Sports Partners group, founded by North Americans Jean-Marc Chapus and Elliot Holton Hayes, acquired 5.24% of SAD on May 12, 2025.

Qatar Sports Investments, owner of Paris Saint-Germain, announced the acquisition of 21.67% of Sporting de Braga SAD in October 2022 and now holds 29.6% of the capital.

In neighboring Vitória de Guimarães, V Sports, a fund owned by Egyptian Nassef Sawiris and American Wesley Edens, who owns Aston Villa, has been a shareholder in Guimarães SAD since March 2023, with a stake that decreased from 46 to 29%.

In addition to Portimonense, foreign investment includes Feirense, Académico de Viseu, União de Leiria, Vizela, Oliveirense and Penafiel, which confirmed, on July 1, 2025, the sale of 90% of its capital to Iberian Football Venture, in which the owner of Deportivo da Corunha, Juan Carlos Escotet, participated.

The Nigerian group Tavistock holds 70% of Feirense SAD after an operation approved by the 'fogaceiros' partners, on July 25, 2015, and the German company Hobra has been the majority shareholder in the Viseu SAD since August 13, 2021, currently holding 90% of the shares.

British businessman Navdeep Singh has owned 90% of SAD da União de Leiria since 2022, the year in which Hong Kong-based Efkarpia Trades and Investment Limited acquired 80% of the capital in Vizela.

Oliveirense SAD has two Japanese shareholders: the Onodera Holdings group, which acquired, in November 2022, 52.5% of the share capital from businessman Akihiro Kin, now holder of 17.5%.

The expansion of this investment is on the horizon of the II Liga, after Leixões SAD announced “a principle of agreement” for the North American group Aliya Capital Partners to become the majority shareholder, on July 4, 2025, and Marítimo's partners approved the sale of 40% of the SAD to the Brazilian group REVEE, for 15 ME, on July 18, 2025.

Despite its association with American Robert Platek, from the MSD Capital group, Casa Pia competes in the I Liga as a single-member sports company with shares (SDUQ), a model in which the founding club holds all the share capital, with the entry of third parties prohibited without the transformation into a SAD, according to Portuguese law.