How Can An Invincible Football Team Finish Third In A League
One of the greatest achievements in club football is an invincible season, where a team dons their kit and manages to go through every one of their matches without losing a single league fixture.
The first-ever invincible team was the Old Invincibles of Preston North End, the 1888/89 Football League side who were not beaten once during their 27-game season, winning both the League and the FA Cup thanks to a pioneering team known as the Scotch Professors.
In English football, this marker has only ever been matched once, by the Arsenal Invincibles in 2003/04, who went 49 games without a loss before Manchester United finally beat them.
In both cases, the Invincibles easily won the league, but because draws also count, you can be invincible and still lose the title.
This has happened a handful of times, but it has only happened twice to one team, and the most recent invincible season led to an impossibly poor result.
The 1977/78 Benfica Invincibles
The 1977/78 season featured one of the most exciting season-long battles between Benfica and Porto, the two biggest teams in what was Portugal’s Primeira Divisao (now the Primera Liga).
They began 1978 with a remarkable run of form, winning nine of their first 12 games and drawing the other three.
However, whilst they were more consistent than arch-rivals Porto, the Dragons managed to win one more game, and a 15-goal deficit meant that they beat Benfica on goal difference.
The 2025/26 Benfica Invincibles
Somehow, lightning struck again in Lisbon, as a Benfica side led by Jose Mourinho managed to once again go an entire season without tasting defeat.
However, the 11 draws they suffered during the season meant that they were trounced by both Porto and Sporting Club de Portugal, somehow managing to finish third despite not losing a single match.
This almost impossible feat has never been seen in the history of football, and given that Benfica are the only team to go two invincible seasons without winning the league, it may never be seen again.