Portuguese district football associations
There are 22 district football associations in Portugal. These organizations are the governing bodies of football in each Portuguese district.
Overview
Until the reform of Portuguese football in 1948, all clubs in a given district had to participate in the district championship, even those in Primeira Liga and Segunda Divisão; after 1948, a Terceira Divisão was established for transition between the district championship and national leagues and the top level clubs no longer had to play in their district championship.With the reform of Portuguese Football League system in 2013, the Campeonato Nacional de Seniores became the Portuguese third-level football league, making the principal district championship the fourth-level leagues.
While the three districts in which the Azores were divided pre-autonomy were abolished, the district football associations haven't merged, and still exist as separate entities. Nevertheless, beginning in 2013, their clubs compete in a unified Azores league before joining the Campeonato Nacional de Seniores.
List of district associations
The 22 DFAs are:- Associação de Futebol do Algarve
- Associação de Futebol de Angra do Heroísmo
- Associação de Futebol de Aveiro
- Associação de Futebol de Beja
- Associação de Futebol de Braga
- Associação de Futebol de Bragança
- Associação de Futebol de Castelo Branco
- Associação de Futebol de Coimbra
- Associação de Futebol de Évora
- Associação de Futebol da Guarda
- Associação de Futebol da Horta
- Associação de Futebol de Leiria
- Associação de Futebol de Lisboa
- Associação de Futebol da Madeira
- Associação de Futebol de Ponta Delgada
- Associação de Futebol de Portalegre
- Associação de Futebol do Porto
- Associação de Futebol de Santarém
- Associação de Futebol de Setúbal
- Associação de Futebol de Viana do Castelo
- Associação de Futebol de Vila Real
- Associação de Futebol de Viseu
Angra do Heroísmo, Beja, Bragança, Guarda, Horta and Viana do Castelo have never had representation in the top level.