Premier League. The wait is over.

August has already begun, and with it comes the end of the longing that fans of the world's most popular sport have for seeing the ball roll across the pitch, hearing the referee's whistle that starts or ends a dream, and singing the chants that make stadiums tremble from North to South, passing through the Azores and Madeira.

The kickoff for the 2025/26 season of the national football championship is scheduled for today, August 8th, at the Municipal Stadium of Rio Maior, where Casa Pia will host the national champion. The return of Portuguese football to the country's biggest stages takes place at 8:25 pm, bringing a renewed mix of traditions, new challenges, and the promise of an electrifying season. The kickoff, however, will take place amidst mourning, following the death of legendary FC Porto player Jorge Costa, who died this week at the age of 53.

At the center of attention, unsurprisingly, are the usual suspects. Sporting CP, SL Benfica, and FC Porto enter with ambitions for a season that promises surprises and twists and turns, each with a different story but the same goal: to win the national championship title.

Hunt for the Third Championship

Sporting, under the baton of Rui Borges, has been going through a special period, to say the least, and the goal is to keep the instruments of its orchestra well-tuned and in the right rhythm.

After decades without winning two consecutive championships, the Alvalade team is focused on achieving their third title. A feat, it should be noted, that has eluded the Lions since the distant 1950s. Back then, it should be noted, they were not only three-time champions, but later four-time champions.

Not all memories of last season are good, however, and some hurts are still fresh. Sporting fans carry a scar similar to that of the young wizard Harry Potter, which causes him pain whenever he finds himself in the presence of the series' villain, Lord Voldemort. The departure of Swedish striker Viktor Gyökeres to Arsenal was anything but smooth and left a bitter taste.

Sporting's response was to secure the signing of talents like Luís Suárez, a Colombian forward arriving from Almería, who was called upon to make Gyökeres forget about him. Georgian midfielder Kochorashvili (from Levante) is responsible for providing consistency in the midfield, while Alisson Santos (on loan from Vitória da Bahia in Brazil and nicknamed the 'Neymar of the Northeast') promises to create unbalance on the wings. Between the posts, Rui Silva, formerly of Betis, arrived and took over as goalkeeper, 'pushing' Franco Israel to Italy.

In preseason, Sporting alternated difficult tests (such as a 2-0 loss to Celtic) with more encouraging ones (wins and draws against Farense, Torreense, Sunderland, and Villarreal). The bitter taste came in the Super Cup at the Estádio do Algarve, where they lost 1-0 to Benfica – thanks to a goal from Pavlidis, for which many blamed the newly arrived goalkeeper.

Benfica under pressure

Over at Luz, Benfica continues its journey with Bruno Lage, who arrived at Luz about a year ago to reverse Roger Schmidt's poor results. Important departures, such as those of Ángel Di María (returning to Rosario Central), Orkun Kökçü (Besiktas), and Álvaro Carreras (Real Madrid), have forced changes to the squad, with some interesting additions, to say the least.

Benfica has added reinforcements like Colombian Richard Ríos (formerly of Palmeiras) and young Croatian Franjo Ivanović, securing new solutions for a squad undergoing renewal. Otamendi and António Silva remain the mainstays of the defense, while the goalkeeper remains with Ukrainian giant Anatoliy Trubin.

The pre-season served to identify weaknesses and look for tactical solutions, alternating good results, such as the 2-0 victory over Nice (with a goal from 'debutant' Ivanović), in a match counting for the third qualifying round of the Champions League, and the conquest of the Cândido de Oliveira Super Cup against Sporting, with the tough 4-1 defeat against Chelsea, in the Club World Cup.

Bruno Lage has already taken on the challenge posed by the early start of the Champions League qualifying rounds and the limited preparation time after the Club World Cup. "The lack of time to rest and have an ideal preseason is an obstacle that must be overcome right from the start," he admitted before the Super Cup final. Participation in the Club World Cup brought in over 25 million euros for the Reds, but at the same time, it interfered with preparations for the new season.

It's also worth noting that Benfica will go to the polls in October, promising to bring things to a boil at the Luz stadium. Former club president Luís Filipe Vieira and businessman João Noronha Lopes have already submitted their respective candidacies. And Rui Costa is under pressure to deliver results. For now, winning the Super Cup and the victory in Nice are good indicators.

The Farioli Era

Further north, FC Porto is looking to undergo a major overhaul to recover from a turbulent year. Italian Francesco Farioli left Ajax and arrived at Dragão, chosen by president André Villas-Boas to lead the team's resurgence.

It's important to immediately mention the arrival of Victor Froholdt, the 19-year-old Danish midfielder from Copenhagen, whose robustness is seen as essential to add muscle to the Dragons' midfield. Luuk de Jong, a Dutch international, is another key reinforcement. In defense, the new additions include Jan Bednarek, a Polish international formerly of Southampton, and the young Croatian Dominik Prpić.

Francesco Farioli is known for his commitment to a philosophy of high pressure and rigorous defensive organization, aiming to create changes and create a competitive structure capable of fighting for first place. Along the way, of course, the ultimate goal is to win the national title that has eluded him since 2022.

The start of preseason training made it clear that Farioli will not rest. The physical demands, with intense training and a rapid integration of the reinforcements, were evident in the introduction of several of the blue and whites' new signings into the starting eleven for this season.

And the bet paid off: Froholdt scored the winning goal for FC Porto against Atlético de Madrid in the presentation game for the fans.