THE Benfica announced, in the form of a statement issued through official platforms in the early afternoon of this Friday, that it will extinguish the under-23 team, at the end of the current 2026/27 sporting season, as part of the reformulation of the “transition model for professional football”, which will involve the concentration of “talent and resources” from the B and under-19 teams.
“The new organization aims to provide players with the greatest potential with a more direct and demanding path, with earlier entry into the senior competition and monitoring tailored to the needs of each athlete. The reference path will be from the under-19s to the B team and, for players who assert themselves, from there to the main team”, it can be read.
“The concentration of talent should make it possible to improve training processes, increase the stability and competitiveness of squads, reinforce the quality of recruitment and make the operational organization of grassroots football more efficient. In this context, the under-23 team will be discontinued at the end of the 2026/27 season”, he continues.
“The decision represents an evolution of Benfica’s training model, with the aim of better preparing players for professional football. Until the end of the 2026/27 season, the under-23 team will continue to compete in the Next Gen League with the professionalism, commitment and commitment that have always characterized Sport Lisboa e Benfica”, he adds.
What has Benfica’s under-23 team done so far?
Benfica’s under-23 team, remember, was founded in the 2018/19 sports season, being a project that will come to an end in the space of less than ten years. During this period, they became national champions of the division only once, in 2024/25, then, under the orders of VÃtor Vinha.
The former left-back remains in his position until this moment, even though the new season is not at all going according to expectations, given that, after 11 rounds, the Reds live in 14th place in the table, with 11 points, as many as Gil Vicente, as a result of a record of five defeats, two draws and just three wins.
In the last three games, the Eagles recorded three consecutive ‘slips’, against Penafiel (3-1 defeat), Moreirense (1-1 draw), and most recently, Sporting de Braga (4-3 defeat). At this moment, the focus is entirely directed towards the duel with Farense, which has a kick-off scheduled for 5:30 pm (Mainland Portugal time) next Sunday, at the Benfica Campus, in Seixal.
Deivid Vieira, a Brazilian winger aged just 18 who is on loan from São João de Ver, has been the most prominent player, scoring four goals after the eight matches in which he was used, followed by Federico Coletta, a 19-year-old midfielder who has scored three goals in many other matches, with the development of both being closely monitored by Marco Silva, who is responsible for the main team.
