Os Belenenses

Os Belenenses, Belem, Lisbon, Portugal

Clube de Futebol Os Belenenses are very much Lisbon's third team after the big two of Benfica and Sporting.

Founded in 1919, Os Belenenses play their home games at the 19,000 capacity Estádio do Restelo in Belem in the west of the Portuguese capital, where crowds average a lowly 1,500 unless one of the big three Portuguese clubs, Benfica, Sporting or Porto, are in town.

Belenenses have had their moments, however, and have played in Europe, competing in the UEFA Cup, Cup Winners Cup and Europa League, even beating the mighty Barcelona in the 1987-88 UEFA Cup 1-0 at the Restelo. Belenses were last in the Europa League last season, finishing bottom of a group containing Basel, Fiorentina and Lech Poznań.

Belenenses, along with Boavista, is one of the only clubs outside the big three to have won the Portuguese League (Primeira Liga), when they triumphed in the 1945-46 season. They have also won the Portuguese cup, the Taça de Portugal, three times.

Belenenses play in blue and white and are nicknamed Os Azuis do Restelo (The Blues from Restelo) or Pastéis (Pastries) after the famous sweets made in Belem.

Unfortunately Os Belenenses, since 2018, has split acrimoniously into B-SAD (the professional club) and C.F. Os Belenenses (the historic and now amateur club).

B-SAD could no longer use Estádio do Restelo under the terms of the break up so C.F. Os Belenenses continues to use it while B-SAD rents the Estádio Nacional for its home fixtures.

The now amateur side continue to play their home games at the 19,000 capacity Estádio do Restelo.