Clube Desportivo Santa Clara is a Portuguese professional football club from Ponta Delgada, Azores. As the most successful football team from the Azores Islands, they are the only team from the archipelago to compete in a UEFA competition, having qualified for the UEFA Intertoto Cup and the UEFA Europa Conference League.
Santa Clara is the only club from the Azores to have competed in the top division of the Portuguese Liga, being thus the westernmost top-flight club in Europe. They compete in the Primeira Liga, the Portuguese first division football league. Santa Clara's kit manufacturer is Umbro and their main sponsor is Lebull. The main local rivals are CD Operário from Lagoa on the same island of São Miguel. Other major rivals are C.S. Marítimo and C.D. Nacional, from the island of Madeira.
History Santa Clara reached the Primeira Liga for the first time by coming third in the 1998–99 Liga de Honra, but were instantly relegated back in last place. The team bounced back by winning the 2000–01 Segunda Liga under Manuel Fernandes and later Carlos Manuel. Fernandes, who left for Sporting CP in January 2001, returned in October.
Despite coming 14th in their first top-flight season, Santa Clara were chosen by UEFA to play in the 2002 UEFA Intertoto Cup when Vitória S.C. withdrew, needing the summer to renovate their Estádio D. Afonso Henriques for UEFA Euro 2004. They beat Armenia's Shirak FC 5–3 on aggregate in the first round before falling 9–2 to Czechs FK Teplice in the second. Santa Clara were relegated in 2003, and then spent the next 15 years in the second tier, with the lowest point being 2014–15 when the club came 19th, saving themselves from relegation with three games remaining.
In 2018, Carlos Pinto's Santa Clara team ended their exile by finishing second to C.D. Nacional, and he subsequently left. His successor João Henriques led Santa Clara to two consecutive 10th-placed finishes, their best results for position and points (43) in their history. He left in July 2020, having secured a third consecutive top-flight season for the first time in club history. Under his successor Daniel Ramos in 2020–21, the club finished a best-ever sixth to qualify for the inaugural UEFA Conference League.
Santa Clara defeated KF Shkupi (North Macedonia) and NK Olimpija Ljubljana (Slovenia) before falling to FK Partizan (Serbia) in the Conference League playoffs. Ramos left unexpectedly in October 2021 with the team in 15th. Mário Silva concluded the season with the team in 7th, earning a two-year contract extension, as well as taking the team to the semi-finals of the Taça da Liga (at FC Porto's expense) for the first time. Silva was sacked in January 2023 with the team 15th after as many games; the form did not improve under successors Jorge Simão and Danildo Accioly and Santa Clara finished last, ending five years in the top flight.
The following season, under new manager Vasco Matos, Santa Clara were crowned champions of the 2023-24 Liga Portugal 2, securing their promotion back to the top flight of Portuguese football. The 2024-25 Primeira Liga season saw Santa Clara finish with a club record 57 points, good enough for 5th place and qualification to the 2025-26 UEFA Conference League for the second time in club history.
Stadium Santa Clara play in the 12,500-seat Estádio de São Miguel in Ponta Delgada, the largest city in the Azores. Prior to this, the club also used Campo Municipal Jácome Correia to host home games.
Honours Segunda Liga Winners (2): 2000–01, 2023–24 Portuguese Second Division B Winners (1): 1997–98
Players Current squad
Other players under contract
Out on loan
International players
Klevis Dalipi Figueiredo Kali Mauro Francisco Zuela José Vidigal Leandro Machado Pedro Pacheco Hernâni Borges Mateus Lopes Steven Pereira Stopira Valter Borges Platini António Duarte Hugo Évora Denis Pineda Malick Evouna Mamadu Candé Amido Baldé Édson István Vincze Shahriyar Moghanlou Mohammad Mohebi Osama Rashid Idrissa Keita Hidemasa Morita Muaid Ellafi Mohamed Al-Gadi Hamdou Elhouni Faysal El Idrissi Reginaldo Faife Garba Lawal Haruna Doda Abdiel Arroyo Alfredo Stephens Pauleta Marco Paiva André Pinto Pedro Martins Jorge Ribeiro Ukra Jorge Silva José Leal António Pacheco Martin Chrien Mikel Villanueva
Coaching staff
Position Name Manager Vasco Matos Assistant manager João Batista João Pereira First-team coach Leandro Pires Goalkeeper coach Luciano Oliveira Fitness coach Rogério Juidecce João Gavazzo Analyst Nicolau Carvalho Physiotherapist André Rocha Diogo Moniz Bruno Viveiros Jony Xavier Francisco Silva Cabral Physiologist Rafael Gregório Chief scout Diogo Fonseca Scout Hugo Melo Manuel Sousa Sporting director Paulo Clemente Squad planner Rafael Andrade Academy manager Leandro Rodrigues Luís Pires Kit manager Alfredo Arruda
Managers
Vasco Matos (1 July 2023 – 31 January 2026) Petit (3 February 2026 – present)
League and cup history Season Div. Pos. Pl. W D L GS GA PCupLeague CupNotes1982–833DS73012612423930Round 21983–843DS73012711383231Round 21984–853DS103011613322628Round 21985–863DS4301488342036Round 21986–873DS2301686542940Round 1Promoted1987–882DS203851320195123Round 3Relegated1988–893DS103413912353235Round 21989–903DS1341897544145Round 2Promoted1990–912DS143412917405633Round 2Relegated1991–923DS53415910553439Round 21992–933DS143481412274030Round 11993–943DS133410915285229Round 11994–953DS18343922207015Round 11995–963DS1261673481555Round 1Promoted1996–972DS2341969673663Round 31997–982DS1341885603165Round 4Promoted1998–992H33413137533755Round 5Promoted1999–001D183471017355031Round 5Relegated2000–012H1342077603767Round 3Promoted2001–021D143491015324637Round 52002–031D173481115395435Round 5Relegated2003–042H133411914414442Round 32004–052H153411617394939Round 42005–062H63413129453251Round 42006–072H43015510343150Round 42007–082H103010713315037Round 4Round 12008–092H3301578453252Round 5Round 12009–102H43013125452951Round 4First Group Stage2010–112H93010812262938Round 3First Group Stage2011–122H123081012293834Round 2Second Group Stage2012–132H1142151413554859Round 4Round 22013–142H154213920384648Round 3Round 22014–152H1946102115334251Round 2Round 12015–162H1646151219495257Round 3Round 12016–172H1042161214424260Round 4Round 22017–182H23819910554066Round 5Round 2Promoted2018–191D103411914434542Round 4Round 22019–201D934111013364143Round 5Round 32020–211D63413714443646Quarter-finals2021–221D73491312385440Round 3Semi-finals2022–231D18345722265822Round 3Group stageRelegated2023–242D13421103481973Quarter-finalsFirst roundPromoted2024–251D53417611363257Fifth roundQuarter-finalsBest league finish2025–261D13349916324136Fifth roundQuarter-finals
European record UEFA club competition record Season Competition Round Opponent Home Away Aggregate 2002–03 Intertoto Cup R1 Shirak 2–0 3–3 5–3 R2 Teplice 1–4 1–5 2–9 2021–22 Europa Conference League 2QR Shkupi 2–0 3–0 5–0 3QR Olimpija Ljubljana 2–0 1−0 3−0 PO Partizan 2–1 0–2 2–3 2025–26 Conference League 2QR Varaždin 2–0 1–2 3–2 3QR Larne 0–0 3–0 3–0 PO Shamrock Rovers 1–2 0–0 1–2
UEFA coefficient
Correct as of 21 May 2025.
Rank Team Points129 F.C. Arouca12.453130 Gil Vicente F.C.12.453131 C.D. Santa Clara12.453132 F.C. Paços de Ferreira12.453133 Rio Ave F.C.12.453
References
External links