The 2021 competition will start on Saturday when ACD O Sótão take on Casa Benfica Loures
This year’s national championships are about to kick off in Portugal!
The first stage in the Elite division will be held in Chaves and will take place over two days, 15 and 16 May.
Reigning champions Sporting will face the previous league winners, SC Braga, who lost both their national and European crowns in 2020 and will be keen to reclaim both this season.
AD Buarcos and Varzim SC earned promotion to the Elite league last year, and will be welcomed into the division by GR Amigos Paz and hosts GD Chaves in their opening games on Saturday.
Sporting won their first title since 2016 last year, ending Braga’s three consecutive years of domination. The defending champions will field a similar line-up to the title-winning squad of 2020, with the Spanish duo of Antonio and Edu Suarez returning to compete alongside Portugal stars Belchior and Rui Coimbra.
The league will feature many more of the world’s top players, including Spaniard Llorenç Gomez (2018 World’s Best Player) who will be traveling to play with Casa Benfica Loures, along with his La Roja teammate, Chiky Ardil. Elinton Andrade also returns to represent them for a second year.
Braga too will feature the usual suspects, including the current best player in the world, Jordan Santos, the Martins brothers and Bruno Torres, as well as Brazilians Filipe and Lucao, who represents Os Guerreiros do Minho for the first time.
The matches will be broadcast on Canal 11 in Portugal.
FIXTURES
Saturday 15 May
ACD O Sótão v CB Loures
SC Braga v Sporting CP
GR Amigos Paz v AD Buarcos
Varzim SC v GD Chaves
Sunday 16 May
GD Chaves v SC Braga
Sporting CP v ACD O Sótão
CB Loures v GR Amigos Paz
AD Buarcos v Varzim SC
