Find out which is correct between Sporting CP or Sporting Lisbon.
Interesting Football explains the difference between Sporting CP and Sporting Lisbon, the name of one of the biggest football clubs in Portugal.
Some football fans would be wondering why the club is popularly known by two different names, both domestically and internationally. Today, there are lots of clubs around the world known by their second name compared to their original name.
So is Sporting CP the same as Sporting Lisbon?
What is the meaning of Sporting CP?
Sporting CP stands for Sporting Clube de Portugal and the club's original an official name. In Portugal, Sporting CP, which means Sporting Clube de Portugal, is the name domestically known by fans and followers, while Sporting Lisbon is the name known abroad by fans.
The idea of creating the third most decorated club in Portugal was initiated in June 1902, when Francisco da Ponte, Horta Gavazzo, and his brother José Maria decided to create Sport Club de Belas.
In 1906, the original idea of creating a standard football club was reignited, which led to the establishment of Sporting Clube de Portugal.
The Sporting Lisbon Name
Sporting CP, or simply Sporting Clube de Portugal, is the name popularly known to fans and followers of the club in Portugal. It is the original name for the club since its establishment. The club has a high number of titles in Portugal, although it faces huge competition from SL Benfica and FC Porto.
Is Sporting Lisbon a professional team?
Sporting Lisbon is a professional soccer club based in Lisbon that competes in the Portuguese Primeira Liga and was established in 1906.
Sporting Lisbon, where is it popularly known?
The is popularly known internationally by fans and followers across the world, credited as a result of the club’s location.
Sporting Lisbon is one of the three Lisbon-based clubs in the Portuguese Primeira Liga, including SL Benfica. Although the club had enjoyed success during its early years, the club had won the league in 2002, followed by a title drought.
However, Sporting ended their 19-year period without winning the league, securing their 19th Primeira Liga title in the 2020–21 season.
What league is Lisbon Sporting in?
Sporting Lisbon currently plays as a professional football club in the Portuguese Primeira Liga, or simply the Portuguese league.
Why does Sporting Lisbon wear green and white?
The club wears the colour stripes in homage to “Stromp,” one of the founders of Sporting Lisbon.
Sporting Lisbon stadium
The club currently plays its home games at the Estádio José Alvalade, a 50,095-capacity stadium in the city of Lisbon, Portugal’s capital.
Portuguese Big Three (Três Grandes)
The Big Three is the nickname for Sporting CP, SL Benfica, and FC Porto, which are the three most successful football clubs in Portugal's history. The three clubs have a great rivalry. Over the years, the three teams have turned out to be title favourites in most cases.
In most cases, the three clubs have ended up sharing the top three spots at the end of every season, thereby representing the country in UEFA club competitions.
For Sporting, it’s been a fight to challenge FC Porto and SL Benfica at the top of the table. Most recently, the club ended a 19-year drought to lift the title in the 2020/2021 season.
Sporting Clube de Portugal remains unchallenged as the third most successful football club in Portugal, with over 53 trophies domestically and internationally.
Wrapping up
Sporting CP is the same as Sporting Lisbon, and there’s no big difference in the names.
Sporting Clube de Portugal is the original name for the club for fans in Portugal and Portuguese-speaking countries across the world, while the international community prefers Sporting Lisbon for short. The club is based in Lisbon, the capital city of Portugal, and is currently ranked as the third most successful football club in Portugal.