Portugal national football team
FIFA Ranking: 5
GOVERNING BODY:-
Portuguese Football Federation (FPF)
HOME STADIUM:-
Estádio Nacional, Oeiras
CAPTAIN:-
Cristiano Ronaldo
COACH:-
Fernando Santos
MOST CAPPED PLAYER:-
Cristiano Ronaldo
TOP SCORER:-
Cristiano Ronaldo
STAR PLAYERS:-
Cristiano Ronaldo, Bruno Fernandes, Ruben Dias, Joao Moutinho, Bernardo Silva, Diogo Jota, Joao Felix
NICKNAME:-
A Seleção (The Selection), Os Navegadores (The Navigators)
RIVALS:-
Spain
Brazil
WORLD CUP:-
Appearances: 7
Best Result: 3rd (1966)
EUROS:-
Appearances: 8
Best Result: Champions (2016)
UEFA NATIONS LEAGUE:-
Best Result: Champions (2019)
The Portugal national football team has represented Portugal in international men’s football competition since 1921. It is controlled by the Portuguese Football Federation, the governing body for football in Portugal.
Portugal’s first participation in a major tournament final was at the 1966 World Cup, which saw a team featuring Ballon d’Or winner Eusébio finish in third place.
The next two times Portugal qualified for the World Cup finals were in 1986 and 2002, going out in the first round both times.
Portugal also made it to the semi-finals of the UEFA Euro 1984 final tournament, losing 3–2 after extra time to the hosts and eventual winners France.
During this period, Portugal was not part of a group of teams that were candidates to win titles, but from 2000 until this present day, the team evolved, being present in all the final stages of major tournaments.
This was in great part due to the production of several world-class players by Portugal, such as Luís Figo, Rui Costa, Ricardo Carvalho, and Cristiano Ronaldo who is counted among the best players in history.
This golden generation helped Portugal reach the semi-finals of Euro 2000, losing 2–1 after extra time to eventual winners France, securing second place at Euro 2004 Final after losing to Greece on home soil, as well as reaching the semi-finals of the 2006 World Cup losing to finalist France, after a penalty, ending in the fourth place after losing to 3–1 to hosts Germany, thus being the best result of the country in the World Cup since 1966.
Despite losing many players of the golden generation, new players such as Fábio Coentrão, João Moutinho, Nani and Pepe helped the Portuguese reach the semi-finals of Euro 2012, losing to Spain in penalties, with Cristiano Ronaldo finishing as joint top scorer of the tournament with three goals.
In 2014, Fernando Santos was appointed as the new head coach for the national team. Two years later at Euro 2016, Santos brought Portugal its first-ever major trophy, defeating hosts France 1–0 after extra time, with the winning goal scored by Eder.
With the win, Portugal qualified and made its only appearance in the FIFA Confederations Cup held in Russia, where they finished in third place.
Portugal hosted the brand new 2018–19 UEFA Nations League as well as winning the trophy, defeating the Netherlands 1–0, with the winning goal scored by Gonçalo Guedes, making it the second major tournament earned by the Portuguese in three finals.
Portugal is colloquially referred to as the Seleção das Quinas (a synecdoche based on the flag of the country) and has notable rivalries with Brazil, with whom they share many common cultural ties and with Spain – known as A Guerra Ibérica in Portuguese or The Iberian War in English, with the rivalry between two countries going back to 1581.
The team’s home stadium is the Estádio Nacional, in Oeiras, although most of their home games are frequently played in other stadiums across the country.
Football in Portugal
Football, the most popular sport in Portugal, has a long and storied history in the country, following its 1875 introduction in cities such as Funchal, Lisbon, Porto and Coimbra by English merchants and Portuguese students arriving back home from studying in England. This led to the establishment of local clubs dedicated to the practice of the sport.
Initially, football was played between neighbour clubs, but soon enough city-wide and regional tournaments started to take place around the nation.
Soon after the start of the 20th century, the need to establish which club was the best in Portugal culminated with the organizing of the “Campeonato de Portugal” (now known as “Taça de Portugal”), with subsequent bragging rights going mostly to clubs from Lisbon and Porto.
Portugal’s top domestic league, the Primeira Liga, was founded in 1934 and is home to internationally successful clubs such as S.L. Benfica, FC Porto and Sporting CP – the “Big Three”, who usually dominate the league.
With a combined eleven trophies won to date, the measure of success by Portuguese clubs in international competition is as follows: four European Cup/UEFA Champions League, two UEFA Cup/UEFA Europa League, one European Cup Winners’ Cup, one UEFA Intertoto Cup, one UEFA Super Cup and two Intercontinental Cup/Toyota Cup.
Football has been the most popular sport in Portugal for many decades.
Despite the production of footballers such as Eusébio, Luís Figo and Cristiano Ronaldo (Ballon d’Or winners), the Portugal national team have been, for the most part, underachievers at the international level when compared to their youth squads, who have won just about every European and world title available.
In the FIFA World Cup, Portugal’s best finishes were third in 1966 and fourth in 2006.
More recently, Portugal won their first major title, the UEFA Euro 2016, over hosts France. Until then, Portugal had been runners-up to Greece as hosts in 2004, and semifinalists in 1984, 2000 and 2012.
In 2019, Portugal won the first edition of the UEFA Nations League over the Netherlands national football team.
Portuguese football league system
The Portuguese football league system consists of several leagues bound together hierarchically by promotion and relegation.
Reserve teams are allowed to compete in the main league system, as is the case with most of Europe.
However, they are not allowed to compete in the same tier as their senior team, thus no reserve team has ever competed in Portugal’s top flight, the Primeira Liga.
The Portuguese men’s football league system consists of three national divisions and up to four district leagues (depending on the district).
National leagues
All three national divisions get access to the Portuguese Cup.
The first two leagues are operated by the Portuguese Professional Football League, and they also guarantee participation in the Portuguese League Cup.
Lastly, the third division is divided into eight leagues and is the only division operated by the Portuguese Football Federation.
The federation announced the creation of Liga 3 (League 3) starting in 2021–22.
Level 1 – Primeira Liga
The Primeira Liga, also known as Liga NOS for sponsorship reasons, is the top professional association football division of the Portuguese football league system.
It is organised and supervised by the Liga Portuguesa de Futebol Profissional, also known as Liga Portugal.
As of the 2014–15 season, the Primeira Liga is contested by 18 teams, with the two lowest placed teams relegated to the LigaPro and replaced by the top-two non-reserve teams from this division.
Founded in 1934 as an experimental (now official) league called Campeonato da Liga da Primeira Divisão, it was named Campeonato Nacional da Primeira Divisão from 1938 until 1999, when it was changed to its current naming.
Over 70 teams have competed in the Primeira Liga, but only five have been crowned champions.
Among them, the “Big Three” teams – Benfica (37 wins), Porto (29 wins) and Sporting CP (19 wins) – have won all but two Primeira Liga titles. The other winners are Belenenses (1945–46) and Boavista (2000–01).
The Primeira Liga has increased its reputation in recent years, occupying sixth place of UEFA’s national league ranking, as of 2021.
Level 2 – Liga Portugal 2
The Liga Portugal 2, also known as Liga Portugal 2 SABSEG for sponsorship reasons, is the second-highest division of the Portuguese football league system.
At the end of each season, the two top-finishing teams are promoted to the top-tier Primeira Liga and the two lowest-ranked teams are relegated to the third-tier league.
This league features 18 clubs. Starting with the 2021–22 season, relegated teams will no longer compete in the Campeonato de Portugal, which will become the fourth tier, but in a newly created third-level competition named Liga 3 (League 3).
The division began in 1990 as the Segunda Divisão de Honra (Second Division of Honour), superseding the Segunda Divisão (Segunda Divisão) as the second tier of Portuguese football.
When the division came under the auspices of the Liga Portuguesa de Futebol Profissional (LPFP) in 1999, it was renamed the Segunda Liga (Second League), a name that was kept until 2016, except between 2005 and 2012, when it was known as the Liga de Honra (League of Honour).
Rebranded as LigaPro in 2016, the competition assumed its current naming in the early stages of the 2020–21 season.
As of the 2018–19 season, it is contested nationwide by 18 teams, including the reserve sides (B teams) of several top-flight clubs.
Twenty different teams have won the division title. The most successful is Paços de Ferreira.
Level 3 – Liga 3
The Liga 3 is the third-level football league in the Portuguese football league system, starting in 2021–22. It is a professional national league organized by the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF).
The creation of this league is part of a restructuring of the Portuguese third tier, with Campeonato de Portugal, which will have the number of teams reduced, being relegated to the fourth tier and the top teams competing there advancing to this new competition.
In its first season, a total of 24 teams will compete in the Liga 3, 2 teams relegated from 2020–21 Liga Portugal 2 and 22 teams promoted from 2020–21 Campeonato de Portugal.
This number is set to be reduced to 20 teams for the 2023–24 season.
Level 4 – Campeonato de Portugal
The Campeonato de Portugal is now the fourth-level football league in the Portuguese football league system. It is a professional national league organized by the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF).
The competition began in 2013 as the Campeonato Nacional de Seniores (Seniors National Championship), replacing both the Segunda Divisão and Terceira Divisão (the third and fourth-tiers of the system, respectively).
On 22 October 2015, the competition was renamed the Campeonato de Portugal, its current name.
The FPF announced the creation of Liga 3 (League 3) as the new third level from 2021–22, moving the Campeonato de Portugal one level lower.
This league is split into 4 series with each series (league) having 15 clubs. This will become 14 clubs from 2023-24 onwards.
The Campeonato de Portugal is split into Serie A, Serie B, Serie C and Serie D.
District leagues
District leagues are operated by 22 District Associations: 18 from each district, plus 1 from Madeira Islands, and 3 from Azores Islands (western, central and eastern groups).
The winner of each district league is promoted to the third national tier, the Campeonato de Portugal.
Moreover, all district leagues provide access to their correspondent district cup, and the winner of the district cup, along with the second-placed team in the district league, is allowed to participate in the next season’s Portuguese Cup.
The bottom tier of each association is open to any new club or reserve team based on that district.
District Associations
Porto FA
The Porto Football Association is the district governing body for all football and futsal competitions in the Portuguese district of Porto. It is also the regulator of the clubs registered in the district.
It was officially founded on 10 August 1912 by the initiative of F.C. Porto and Leixões S.C., who were immediately joined by many other clubs, including some from outside districts.
Today, it is the largest football district association in the country with 340 clubs and 19,796 athletes in all age categories, 750 referees and organises around 12,800 per season.
Below the Campeonato de Portugal (Portuguese third level), the competitions are organised at a district level (known in Portuguese as Distritais) with each District Association organising its competitions according to geographical and other factors.
AF Porto runs a league competition with four divisions, at the fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh levels of the Portuguese football league system and a cup competition known as Taça AF Porto (since 2013–14).
Taça AF Porto winners and Elite Division runner-ups earn a spot in the following season’s Taça de Portugal.
Level 4 – Elite Pro-National
32 clubs (Series 1 and 2)
Level 5 – Division of Honour
32 clubs (Series 1 and 2)
Level 6 – First Division
32 clubs (Series 1 and 2)
Level 7 – Second Division
36 clubs (Series 1 and 2)
Lisbon FA
The Lisbon Football Association is the district governing body for all football competitions in the Portuguese district of Lisbon.
It is also the regulator of the clubs registered in the district.
Level 4 – Pro-National
16 clubs
Level 5 – Division of Honour
32 clubs (Series 1 and 2)
Level 6 – First Division
32 clubs (Series 1 and 2)
Aveiro FA
The Associação de Futebol de Aveiro (Aveiro Football Association) is one of the 22 District Football Associations that are affiliated with the Portuguese Football Federation.
The AF Aveiro administers lower tier football in the district of Aveiro.
Level 4 – Elite
18 clubs
Level 5 – First Division
18 clubs
Level 6 – Second Division
36 clubs (Series 1 and 2)
Braga FA
The Braga Football Association (Associação de Futebol de Braga, AF Braga) is the district governing body for all football competitions in the Portuguese district of Braga since 1992. It is also the regulator of the clubs registered in the district.
Below the Campeonato Nacional de Seniores (Portuguese third level) the competitions are organised at a district level (known in Portuguese as Distritais) with each District Association organising its competitions according to geographical and other factors.
AF Braga runs a league competition with three divisions, at the fourth, fifth and sixth levels of the Portuguese football league system, a cup competition known as Taça AF Braga, and a Supercup.
In more general terms the AF Braga currently organises District Championships for football and Futsal for men and women for all age groups including Senior, Junior, Youth, Beginners, Infants and Schools.
Level 4 – Pro-National
18 clubs
Level 5 – Division of Honour
32 clubs (Series 1 and 2)
Level 6 – First Division
66 clubs (Series 1, 2, 3 and 4)
Algarve FA
The Associação de Futebol do Algarve (Algarve Football Association) is one of the 22 District Football Associations that are affiliated with the Portuguese Football Federation.
The AF Algarve administers lower tier football in the district of Faro.
Level 4 – First Division
12 clubs
Level 5 – Second Division
14 clubs
Beja FA
The Associação de Futebol de Beja (Beja Football Association) is one of the 22 District Football Associations that are affiliated with the Portuguese Football Federation.
The AF Beja administers lower tier football in the district of Beja.
Level 4 – First Division
13 clubs
Level 5 – Second Division
26 clubs (Series 1 and 2)
Coimbra FA
The Associação de Futebol de Coimbra (Coimbra Football Association) is one of the 22 District Football Associations that are affiliated with the Portuguese Football Federation.
The AF Coimbra administers lower tier football in the district of Coimbra.
Level 4 – Division of Honour
16 clubs
Level 5 – First Division
18 clubs
Evora FA
The Évora Football Association (Associação de Futebol de Évora, AF Évora) is the district governing body for all football competitions in the Portuguese district of Évora.
It is also the regulator of the clubs registered in the district.
Level 4 – Elite Division
14 clubs
Level 5 – Division of Honour
15 clubs
Guarda FA
The Guarda Football Association (Associação de Futebol da Guarda, AF Guarda) is the district governing body for all football competitions in the Portuguese district of Guarda.
It is also the regulator of the clubs registered in the district.
Level 4 – First Division
14 clubs
Level 5 – Second Division
7 clubs
Leiria FA
The Leiria Football Association is one of the 22 District Football Associations that are affiliated with the Portuguese Football Federation.
The AF Leiria administers lower-tier football in the district of Leiria.
Level 4 – Campeonato Lizsport
16 clubs
Level 5 – First Division
25 clubs (Series 1 and 2)
Madeira FA
The Madeira Football Association (Associação de Futebol da Madeira, AF Madeira) is the regional governing body for all football competitions in the former Portuguese district of Funchal, including both Madeira Island and Porto Santo Island.
It is also the regulator of the clubs registered in the autonomous region.
Level 4 – Division of Honour
12 clubs
Level 5 – First Division
7 clubs
Santarém FA
The Santarém Football Association (Associação de Futebol de Santarém, AF Santarém) is the district governing body for the all football competitions in the Portuguese district of Santarém.
It is also the regulator of the clubs registered in the district.
Level 4 – First Division
16 clubs
Level 5 – Second Division
22 clubs (Series 1 and 2)
Setúbal FA
The Setúbal Football Association (Associação de Futebol de Setúbal, AF Setúbal) is the district governing body for the all football competitions in the Portuguese district of Setúbal.
It is also the regulator of the clubs registered in the district.
Level 4 – First Division
16 clubs
Level 5 – Second Division
16 clubs
Viana do Castelo FA
The Viana do Castelo Football Association (Associação de Futebol de Viana do Castelo, AF Viana do Castelo) is the district governing body for all football competitions in the Portuguese Viana do Castelo District.
It is also the regulator of the clubs registered in the district.
Level 4 – First Division
16 clubs
Level 5 – Second Division
16 clubs
Viseu FA
The Viseu Football Association (Associação de Futebol de Viseu, AF Viseu) is the district governing body for all football competitions in the Portuguese district of Viseu.
It is also the regulator of the clubs registered in the district.
Level 4 – Division of Honour
16 clubs
Level 5 – First Division
27 clubs (Series 1 and 2)
Angra do Heroísmo FA
The Angra do Heroísmo Football Association (Associação de Futebol de Angra do Heroísmo) is one of the 22 District Football Associations that are affiliated with the Portuguese Football Federation.
The AF Angra do Heroísmo administers lower-tier football in the municipalities on the islands of Terceira, São Jorge, and Graciosa, within the Portuguese archipelago of the Azores.
Level 4 – Azores Championship
10 clubs
Level 5
Graciosa Championship
3 clubs
São Jorge Championship
5 clubs
Terceira Championship
5 clubs
Horta FA
The Horta Football Association (Associação de Futebol de Horta) is one of the 22 District Football Associations that are affiliated with the Portuguese Football Federation.
The AF Horta administers lower-tier football in the municipalities on the islands of Faial, Pico, Flores and Corvo, as well as those clubs registered in the islands.
Level 4 – Azores Championship
10 clubs
Level 5 – Horta Championship
5 clubs
Ponta Delgada FA
The Ponta Delgada Football Association (Associação de Futebol de Ponta Delgada) is the governing body for association football and futsal competitions in the Portuguese former-district of Ponta Delgada.
This organization regulates football in the Azorean islands of São Miguel and Santa Maria.
Level 4 – Azores Championship
10 clubs
Level 5 – São Miguel Championship
10 clubs
Bragança FA
The Associação de Futebol de Bragança (Bragança Football Association) is one of the 22 District Football Associations that are affiliated with the Portuguese Football Federation.
The AF Bragança administers lower tier football in the district of Bragança.
Level 4 – Division of Honour
11 clubs
Castelo Branco FA
The Associação de Futebol de Castelo Branco (Castelo Branco Football Association) is one of the 22 District Football Associations that are affiliated with the Portuguese Football Federation.
The AF Castelo Branco administers lower tier football in the district of Castelo Branco.
Level 4 – Division of Honour
10 clubs
Portalegre FA
The Portalegre Football Association (Associação de Futebol de Portalegre, AF Portalegre) is the district governing body for all football competitions in the Portuguese district of Portalegre.
It is also the regulator of the clubs registered in the district.
Level 4 – First Division
9 clubs
Vila Real FA
The Vila Real Football Association (Associação de Futebol de Vila Real, AF Vila Real) is the district governing body for all football competitions in the Portuguese district of Vila Real.
It is also the regulator of the clubs registered in the district.
Level 4 – Division of Honour
17 clubs
Cups
Taça de Portugal
The Taça de Portugal (Cup of Portugal) is an annual association football competition and the premier knockout tournament in Portuguese football.
For sponsorship reasons, it has been known as Taça de Portugal Placard as of the 2015–16 season. Organised by the Portuguese Football Federation since it was first held in 1938, the competition is open to professional and amateur clubs from the top-four league divisions.
Matches are played from August–September to May–June, and the final is traditionally held at the Estádio Nacional in Oeiras, near Lisbon.
The winners qualify for the Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira (or the runners-up, in case the winners are also the league champions) and the UEFA Europa League (unless they already qualify for the UEFA Champions League through league placing).
Before 1938, a similar competition was held since 1922 under the name Campeonato de Portugal (English: Championship of Portugal), which determined the national champions from among the different regional championship winners.
The establishment of the Primeira Liga, a nationwide league-based competition, as the official domestic championship in 1938, led to the conversion of the Campeonato de Portugal into the main domestic cup competition, under its current designation.
In fact, the trophy awarded to the Portuguese Cup winners is the same that was awarded to the Campeonato de Portugal winners, although titles in each competition are counted separately.
The first winners of the Taça de Portugal were Académica, who defeated Benfica 4–3 in the 1939 final. Benfica are the most successful team in the competition, with 26 trophies in 36 final appearances.
Taça da Liga
The Taça da Liga, known outside Portugal as the Portuguese League Cup, is an annual football club competition organised by the Liga Portuguesa de Futebol Profissional (LPFP) for teams competing in the Primeira Liga and LigaPro, the top two tiers of Portuguese football.
Unlike Portugal’s other domestic cup competition, the Taça de Portugal, the winners do not qualify for European competitions.
The Taça da Liga was established in the 2007–08 season, thus becoming the third official competition for professional clubs in Portugal, after a proposal by Sporting and Boavista was approved by LPFP members on 28 November 2006. For sponsorship reasons, it is currently known as Allianz Cup.
Benfica is the most decorated team, having won a record seven trophies, four of which were won consecutively.
The current holders are Sporting who defeated Braga in the 2021 final to secure their third title in the competition, making Sporting the second most successful club in the competition after Benfica.
Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira
The Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira (Cândido de Oliveira Super Cup, or Portuguese Super Cup) is an annual Portuguese football match played since 1979 between the winners of the Portuguese league (Primeira Liga) and Portuguese Cup (Taça de Portugal).
When a team wins both competitions, thus achieving the double (dobradinha), it plays again against the Cup runners-up.
The Supertaça has been organised by the Portuguese Football Federation since 1981, and it is usually played in August, right before the start of the league season.
The trophy is named after former player, coach, and sports journalist Cândido de Oliveira.