Sporting CP had a B-team which competed in the third tier of the Portuguese football league system from 2000 to 2004.1 This original iteration of Sporting CP B was the 1st club in the senior career of footballing legend Cristiano Ronaldo, where he debuted in a 2–1 away loss against Sport Clube Lusitânia on 1 September 2002, in the Azores.2
In late May 2012, it was officially announced that six Primeira Liga clubs' B teams would compete in the 2012–13 Segunda Liga including Sporting's B team. This would increase the number of teams in the league from 16 to 22 as well as increasing the number of games needed to play in one season from 30 games to 42 games.34 Sporting B's first season back ended with a best-ever fourth place, under managers Oceano and later José Dominguez.5
After the announcement of the creation of an under-23 championship in February 2018, club president Bruno de Carvalho announced the end of Sporting CP B.6
After the dismissal of Carvalho in August 2018, Sousa Cintra reverted the former's decision, subscribing the reserve team to the new season in the Campeonato de Portugal (Portuguese football's third tier), but he later gave up, with Santa Iria replacing Sporting CP B.78
In 2019, President Frederico Varandas decided to reestablish Sporting CP B for the next year's Campeonato de Portugal.9
In 2021, Sporting CP B played in Liga 3, a new tier in the Portuguese league system, beginning with the 2021–22 season.10
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
"Sete clubes interessados nas seis vagas para equipas B" [Seven clubs interested for the six vacancies for the B teams]. Relvado. 17 February 2012. Archived from the original on 20 April 2014. Retrieved 9 June 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20140420022036/http://relvado.sapo.pt/2-liga/sete-clubes-interessados-nas-seis-vagas-para-equipas-b-350876 ↩
KeeG. "Sabia Que o 1º jogo como sénior de Cristiano Ronaldo foi nos Açores?". I Love Azores. Archived from the original on 2023-08-10. Retrieved 2023-08-10. https://www.iloveazores.net/2016/06/sabia-que-o-1-jogo-como-senior-de.html ↩
"Liga: seis clubes inscreveram a equipa "B"" [League: six clubs register for a B team]. Mais Futebol. 28 May 2012. Archived from the original on 31 May 2012. Retrieved 9 June 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120531010959/http://www.maisfutebol.iol.pt/fcporto/liga-equipas-b-liga-de-honra-porto-sporting-benfica/1351480-1304.html ↩
Portugal, Rádio e Televisão de (2012-02-17). "Sete clubes interessados nas seis vagas das equipas "B"". Sete clubes interessados nas seis vagas das equipas "B" (in Portuguese). Retrieved 2023-10-03. https://www.rtp.pt/noticias/futebol-nacional/sete-clubes-interessados-nas-seis-vagas-das-equipas-b_d528223 ↩
"Aves falha o pódio" [Aves miss out on the podium]. O Jogo (in Portuguese). 12 May 2013. Archived from the original on 23 October 2020. Retrieved 21 October 2020. https://www.ojogo.pt/futebol/2a-liga/noticias/aves-falha-o-podio-3215404.html ↩
"Sporting B vai deixar a II Liga" [Sporting B will leave the II Liga]. Diário de Notícias (in Portuguese). 2018-03-07. Archived from the original on 2018-08-23. Retrieved 2018-08-22. https://www.dn.pt/desporto/interior/sporting-b-vai-deixar-a-ii-liga-9168817.html ↩
"Sporting: equipa B continua e joga Campeonato de Portugal" [Sporting: B team continues and plays in the Campeonato de Portugal] (in Portuguese). Mais Futebol. Archived from the original on 2018-08-22. Retrieved 2018-08-22. http://www.maisfutebol.iol.pt/geral/13-07-2018/sporting-equipa-b-continua-e-joga-campeonato-de-portugal ↩
"Santa Iria substitui o Sporting B no Campeonato de Portugal" [Santa Iria replaced Sporting B in the Campeonato de Portugal]. O Jogo (in Portuguese). 2018-07-16. Archived from the original on 2018-08-22. Retrieved 2018-08-22. https://www.ojogo.pt/futebol/nao-profissional/noticias/interior/santa-iria-substitui-o-sporting-b-no-campeonato-de-portugal-9601327.html ↩
"Varandas revela: "A equipa B estará de volta no próximo ano"" [Varandas reveals: "The B team will be back next year"] (in Portuguese). SAPO. 31 October 2019. Archived from the original on 21 October 2020. Retrieved 21 October 2020. https://desporto.sapo.pt/futebol/primeira-liga/artigos/varandas-revela-a-equipa-b-estara-de-volta-no-proximo-ano ↩
"Liga 3: os 24 clubes que vão estrear o campeonato em 2021/22". Maisfutebol (in Portuguese). Archived from the original on 2021-07-24. Retrieved 2021-07-24. https://maisfutebol.iol.pt/apurados/fase-acesso-liga-3/liga-3-os-24-clubes-que-vao-estrear-o-campeonato-em-2021-22 ↩
"Plantel". Sporting Clube de Portugal. Archived from the original on 30 July 2021. Retrieved 24 July 2021. http://www.sporting.pt/pt/futebol/equipa-b/plantel ↩