THE Sporting is the seventh club in the I Football League to change coach in 2026/27, after announcing today the start of negotiations to terminate the contract with Rui Borges, national champion in 2024/25.
In ‘Leonine’ command since December 2024, when he arrived from Vitória de Guimarães to replace João Pereira, the 45-year-old coach is making the eighth change of benches this season in the top flight.
After 10 rounds, Sporting is in third place, with 21 points, nine behind the isolated leader and national champion FC Porto and one behind Benfica, second placed (minus one game), between access to the ‘final four’ of the League Cup and a start with two wins and one defeat in the league phase of the Champions League – the ‘lions’ have not yet played in the Portuguese Cup.
Before Sporting, Nacional, twice, Rio Ave, Arouca, Estoril Praia, Famalicão and Sporting de Braga changed coaches in 2026/27.
Nacional fired João Gião in the fourth round and Alexandre Santos after the eighth, and now has João Henriques, after Bruno Abreu, from the under-19 team, took interim leadership in two matches.
Rio Ave replaced Greek Sotiris Silaidopoulos in the seventh round for Vasco Seabra, who was replaced at Arouca by Vítor Severino, Luís Castro’s former assistant and making his debut as head coach.
Between the third round of the Portuguese Cup and the ninth round of the championship, Estoril Praia and Famalicão replicated the decision taken by Nacional in relation to Alexandre Santos and fired Vasco Matos and Carlos Carvalhal, respectively, and these successions continue to be taken over on a provisional basis by Sérgio Raimundo, promoted from the under-23s from Cascais, and the Portuguese-Cape Verdean Ricardo Silva, an assistant from Minho.
Sporting de Braga bet on Franclim Carvalho, former assistant to Artur Jorge, to replace the Spaniard Carlos Vicens, also dismissed after the eighth round, which was followed by the debut in the league phase of the Conference League and a delayed challenge in the I League, in a total of three consecutive defeats.
– Coach changes in the 2026/27 edition of the I Portuguese Football League:
Jornada Clube Sai Enter
4th National João Gião Bruno Abreu (interim)
5th National Bruno Abreu (interim) Alexandre Santos
7th Rio Ave Sotiris Silaidopoulos Vasco Seabra
7th Arouca Vasco Seabra Vítor Severino
8th Estoril Praia Vasco Matos Sérgio Raimundo (interim)
8th Famalicão Carlos Carvalhal Ricardo Silva (interim)
8th Sporting de Braga Carlos Vicens Franclim Carvalho
8th National Alexandre Santos Bruno Abreu (interim)
10th National Bruno Abreu (interim) João Henriques
10th Sporting Rui Borges To be appointed
