The Portugal national football team () has represented Portugal in men's international football competition since 1921. The national team is controlled by the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF), the governing body for football in Portugal. Portugal's home stadium is the Estádio Nacional in Oeiras, located next to its primary training ground and the FPF headquarters (Cidade do Futebol), but the team usually plays its home matches in more modern stadiums throughout the country. The head coach is Roberto MartÃÂnez, and the captain is Cristiano Ronaldo, who holds the team records for most caps and most goals.
Portugal's first participation in a major tournament finals was at the 1966 World Cup, which saw a team featuring Ballon d'Or winner Eusébio finish in third place. Portugal also made it to the semi-finals of the UEFA Euro 1984, losing to the hosts and eventual winners France. After missing out the 1998 World Cup, Portugal qualified for the Euro 2000 and started an uninterrupted streak of qualification for every European Championship and World Cup finals. In this run, Portugal finished fourth at the 2006 World Cup and runners-up at the Euro 2004, which they entered as hosts, and reached the semi-finals of the Euro 2000 and Euro 2012. This was in great part due to the production of several world class players, such as Ballon d'Or winners LuÃÂs Figo and Cristiano Ronaldo. In 2016, Portugal won its first-ever major trophy by defeating hosts France in the Euro 2016 final. With this win, the team qualified for and made its only appearance in the FIFA Confederations Cup, held in Russia, where they finished in third place. Portugal then qualified for and hosted the first finals of the UEFA Nations League in 2019, where it defeated the Netherlands to earn their second major title. Six years later, Portugal won its second Nations League and third overall title after defeating the incumbent Nations League and Euro 2024 title holders Spain in the 2025 final in Munich.
Portugal is colloquially referred to as the Seleção das Quinas (a synecdoche based on the flag of the country) and has several notable rivalries with other national teams. These include Brazil, due to their shared history and close cultural ties; Spain, due to their historical rivalry as Iberian neighbours; and France, due to several high-stake meetings between both teams at the Euro and World Cup.
Portugal were not invited to the 1930 World Cup, which only featured a finals stage and no qualification round. The team took part in the 1934 FIFA World Cup qualification, but failed to eliminate their Spanish opponents, aggregating two defeats in the two-legged round, with a 9âÂÂ0 loss in Madrid and 2âÂÂ1 loss in Lisbon for an aggregate score of 11âÂÂ1.
In the 1938 FIFA World Cup qualification, the Seleção played one game against Switzerland held in neutral ground in Milan. They lost 2âÂÂ1 and failed to qualify for the finals. The Second World War delayed the World Cup until 1950 and subsequently, the national team rarely played. A 10âÂÂ0 home friendly loss against England, two years after the war, still stands as their biggest ever defeat.
Similar to 1934, Portugal were to play a two-legged round against Spain. After a 5âÂÂ1 defeat in Madrid, they managed to draw the second game 2âÂÂ2. With a 7âÂÂ3 aggregate score, they did not qualify on the pitch, however they would later be invited to replace Turkey, which had withdrawn from participating. Portugal refused to participate.
In 1954 FIFA World Cup qualification, the team would play Austria; the Austrians won the first game with a 9âÂÂ1 result. The best the Portuguese could do was hold the Austrians to a goalless draw in Lisbon, resulting in a 9âÂÂ1 aggregate defeat. Four years later, Portugal won a qualifying match for the first time, a 3âÂÂ0 home victory over Italy. Nevertheless, they finished last in a group that also featured Northern Ireland; only the first-placed team, Northern Ireland, would qualify.
1960 was the year that UEFA created the European Championship. The first edition was a knock-out tournament with the last four teams participating in the finals stage that only featured one leg while the earlier stages had two legs. In the first round, the Seleção das Quinas won 2âÂÂ0 at East Germany and then 3âÂÂ2 in Porto, advancing with a 5âÂÂ2 two-legged win. Portugal faced Yugoslavia in the quarter-finals, losing 6âÂÂ3 on aggregate.
Portugal faced England and Luxembourg in 1962 FIFA World Cup qualification and ended up second in the group, behind England, who would be the only team in Group 6 to qualify. In the 1964 European Championship, Portugal played against Bulgaria in the qualifying rounds. The Portuguese lost in Sofia and won in Lisbon. With the round tied 4âÂÂ4, a replay was needed in a neutral country. In the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, Portugal lost 1âÂÂ0 thanks to a late strike from Georgi Asparuhov.
Portugal were drawn with Czechoslovakia, Romania and Turkey for 1966 World Cup qualification. They topped the group with only one draw and one defeat in six games and finally qualified for a FIFA World Cup, with a 1âÂÂ0 away win against Czechoslovakia and Turkey and a 5âÂÂ1 home win against the Turks being notable results.
At the World Cup, the team started out with three wins in the group stage after they beat Hungary 3âÂÂ1, Bulgaria 3âÂÂ0, and two-time defending champions Brazil 3âÂÂ1. Secondly, they beat quarter-finalists North Korea 5âÂÂ3, with Eusébio getting four markers to overturn a 3âÂÂ0 deficit. Later, they reached the semi-finals where they were beaten by hosts England 2âÂÂ1; in this game, Portugal would have played in Liverpool, but as England were the hosts, FIFA decided that the game would be played in London. Portugal then defeated the Soviet Union 2âÂÂ1 in the third place match for their best World Cup finish to date. Eusébio was the top scorer of the World Cup with nine goals. Portugal would not qualify for another World Cup for 20 years.
Portugal won their Euro 1984 qualifying group that contained Finland, Poland and the Soviet Union with a win over the latter, allowing them to qualify and be placed in Group B alongside Spain, West Germany and Romania in the finals. In the first two matches, they drew 0âÂÂ0 and 1âÂÂ1 against West Germany and Spain, respectively. A 1âÂÂ0 win over Romania resulted in a second-place finish in group play. Portugal were paired against hosts France in the semi-finals. After a draw in regular time, Portugal initially led 2âÂÂ1 in extra time, but the hosts scored in the 114th and 119th minutes to eliminate the Portuguese 3âÂÂ2 and go through to the final.
For 1986 World Cup qualification, the Seleção played against Czechoslovakia, Malta, Sweden and West Germany for the two spots that would guarantee them a ticket to Mexico. Needing a win in the last game against West Germany in Stuttgart, Portugal won the game to become the first team to beat West Germany at their home ground in an official match. The team exited early in the group stages after a win and two losses. They started with a 1âÂÂ0 win against England, but later were beaten by Poland and Morocco 1âÂÂ0 and 3âÂÂ1 respectively. Their staying in Mexico was marked by the Saltillo Affair, where players refused to train in order to win more prizes from the Portuguese Football Federation. Mexico marked their last World Cup appearance until 2002.
At UEFA Euro 1996, Portugal finished first in Group D, and in the quarter-finals, they lost 1âÂÂ0 to the Czech Republic.
Portugal failed to qualify for the 1998 FIFA World Cup. In Euro 2000 qualifying, Portugal finished second in their group, one point short of first-placed Romania. However, after finishing as the top runner-up nation in qualifying, Portugal nonetheless secured a spot in the finals. They then defeated England 3âÂÂ2, Romania 1âÂÂ0 and Germany 3âÂÂ0 to finish first in Group A, then defeated Turkey in the quarter-finals. In the semi-finals against France, Portugal were eliminated in extra time when Zinedine Zidane converted a penalty. Referee Günter Benkö awarded the spot kick for a handball after Abel Xavier blocked a shot. Xavier, Nuno Gomes and Paulo Bento were all given lengthy suspensions for subsequently shoving the referee. The final eventually finished 2âÂÂ1.
During 2002 FIFA World Cup qualifying, Portugal won the group. Several problems and poor judgement decisions occurred during the preparation and tournament itself and were widely reported in the Portuguese press, including questionable managing choices and some amateurism, as well as lack of agreement on prizes. Portugal entered the tournament as favourites to win Group D. However, they were upset 3âÂÂ2 by the United States. They then rebounded with a 4âÂÂ0 victory over Poland. Needing a draw to advance, they lost the last group game to hosts South Korea. Portugal underachieved and ended third in its group stage, subsequently eliminated. Manager António Oliveira was fired after the World Cup.
The next major competition, the UEFA Euro 2004, was held in Portugal. For preparation, the Football Federation made a contract with Luiz Felipe Scolari to manage the team until the tournament ended. The host nation lost the first game against Greece 1âÂÂ2. They achieved their first win against Russia 2âÂÂ0 and also beat Spain 1âÂÂ0. They went on to play against England, in a 2âÂÂ2 draw that went into penalties, with Portugal winning. Portugal beat the Netherlands 2âÂÂ1 in the semi-finals, and suffered a second defeat from Greece, 1âÂÂ0, in the final.
After the tournament ended, many players belonging to the Geração de Ouro (Golden Generation), abandoned their international footballing careers, with only LuÃÂs Figo remaining in the team, despite a temporary retirement. The silver lining for Portugal was the emergence of Cristiano Ronaldo, who was selected in the UEFA Euro All-Star team. While Portugal were playing in the competition, Scolari agreed in a new two-year deal with the Federation.
Portugal finished first in the qualifying round for the 2006 World Cup, and topped Group D in the World Cup, with victories over Angola (1âÂÂ0), Iran (2âÂÂ0) and Mexico (2âÂÂ1). Portugal defeated the Netherlands 1âÂÂ0 in the Round of 16 in an infamous matched that has come to be known as the Battle of Nuremberg, marked by violent fouls and many players cautioned or sent off by referee Valentin Ivanov. Portugal drew 0âÂÂ0 after extra time with England in the quarter-final, but won 3âÂÂ1 on penalties to reach their first World Cup semi-final since 1966. Portugal lost the semi-final 1âÂÂ0 against France, and were then defeated 3âÂÂ1 by the tournament hosts, Germany, in the third-place play-off match.
For Euro 2008 Portugal finished second in qualification behind Poland, and won their first two group games against Turkey and the Czech Republic, although a loss to co-hosts Switzerland set up a quarter-final matchup with Germany which the team lost 3âÂÂ2. After the tournament, Scolari left to take over at Chelsea. Afterwards, Carlos Queiroz was appointed as the head coach of the Portugal national team.
Portugal came second in the qualifying stages for the 2010 FIFA World Cup under Queiroz, then beat Bosnia and Herzegovina in a play-off, thereby reaching every tournament in the decade. A 19-match undefeated streak, in which the team conceded only three goals, ended with a loss to eventual champions Spain in the round of 16, 1âÂÂ0. Queiroz was later criticised for setting up his team in an overly cautious way. After the World Cup, squad regulars Simão, Paulo Ferreira, Miguel and Tiago all retired from international football. Queiroz was banned from coaching the national team for one month after he tried to block a doping test to the team while preparing for the World Cup, as well as directing insulting words to the testers. In consequence, he received a further six-month suspension. Several media outbursts from Queiroz against the heads of the Portuguese Football Federation followed, which partly prompted his dismissal. Paulo Bento was appointed as his replacement at head coach.
Bento's team qualified for Euro 2012; they were drawn with Germany, Denmark, and the Netherlands in a widely speculated "group of death". They lost their first game 0âÂÂ1 to Germany, then beat Denmark 3âÂÂ2. The final group stage match was against the Netherlands. After Van der Vaart had given the Dutch a 1âÂÂ0 lead, Ronaldo netted twice to ensure a 2âÂÂ1 victory. Portugal finished second in the group and qualified for the knockout phase. Portugal defeated the Czech Republic 1âÂÂ0 in the quarter-finals with a header from Ronaldo. The semi-final match was against Spain, who defeated Portugal 4âÂÂ2 on penalties after a goalless draw.
In 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifying, Portugal won 4âÂÂ2 on aggregate in a play-off against Sweden with all four goals being scored by Ronaldo, and were drawn into Group G with the United States, Germany and Ghana. Their first match against the Germans was their worst-ever defeat in a World Cup, a 4âÂÂ0 loss. They went on to draw 2âÂÂ2 against the United States and won 2âÂÂ1 against Ghana. However, the team were eliminated due to inferior goal difference to the Americans.
In UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying, Bento was dismissed following a defeat to Albania and was replaced by Fernando Santos in September 2014. After qualifying for the finals, Portugal finished third in Group F but advanced to the knockout stages as the third-best third place team following three straight draws. Portugal beat Croatia 1âÂÂ0 after extra time in the round of 16 and then defeated Poland 5âÂÂ3 on penalties to reach the semi-finals, where they defeated Wales 2âÂÂ0. In the final against the hosts, France, Ronaldo went off injured. In extra time, substitute Eder scored the winning goal for Portugal in the 109th minute with a strike from 25 yards past Hugo Lloris.
Following their Euro 2016 victory, Portugal participated in the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup. They finished top of their group, but lost to Chile on penalties after a goalless draw in the semi-finals, but rebounded in the third place game, defeating Mexico 2âÂÂ1 after extra time.
At the 2018 FIFA World Cup, Portugal opened their campaign with a 3âÂÂ3 draw with Spain, with Cristiano Ronaldo scoring a hat-trick. After a 1âÂÂ0 victory against Morocco, Portugal drew 1âÂÂ1 with Iran to progress to the knockout round as group runners-up. Portugal were eliminated following a 2âÂÂ1 defeat to Uruguay in the round of 16.
Following the World Cup, Portugal won the inaugural UEFA Nations League beating the Netherlands at the Estádio do Dragão in Porto, with the only goal scored by Gonçalo Guedes in the 60th minute.
At UEFA Euro 2020, Portugal were drawn into a group containing France, Germany and Hungary which was widely speculated as being the "group of death". Portugal advanced to the next round by defeating Hungary, drawing with France and losing to Germany. There, they faced Belgium but lost 1âÂÂ0.
For the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, Portugal were required to qualify for the finals via the play-offs after finishing second in their group. Nevertheless, Portugal managed to beat Turkey and North Macedonia to qualify for the final tournament. At the 2022 World Cup, Portugal defeated Ghana 3âÂÂ2 in their first group game and then beat Uruguay 2âÂÂ0. to qualify for the knockout stages. The Portuguese would demolish Switzerland 6âÂÂ1 in the next round, their highest tally in a World Cup knockout game since the 1966 World Cup, with Gonçalo Ramos scoring a hat-trick. However, they were eliminated by tournament in the quarter-finals by Morocco, 1âÂÂ0. Following a disappointing World Cup campaign, Fernando Santos was dismissed on 15 December. On 9 January 2023, Roberto Martinez was announced as the new head coach of Portugal.
Portugal's traditional home kit is mainly red with a green trim, reflecting the colors of the nation's flag. Over the years, the particular shade of red has alternated between a darker burgundy and a lighter scarlet. Both green and red shorts have been used to complete the strip.
The team's away kits, on the other hand, have varied more considerably. White has typically been preferred as a dominant color, either with blue shorts, or red and green highlights. In recent times, all-black has been utilised, as has a turquoise-teal color, the latter of which was prominently featured during the title winning Euro 2016 campaign.
The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.
The following players were called up for the friendly matches against Mexico and United States on 28 and 31 March 2026, respectively. <br>Caps and goals correct as of 31 March 2026, after the match against United States.
The following players have also been called up to the Portugal squad within the last twelve months.
<br><sup>INJ</sup> Player withdrew from the squad due to an injury. <br><sup>FIT</sup> Player withdrew from the squad due to fitness concerns. <br><sup>PRE</sup> Preliminary squad. <br><sup>RET</sup> Player retired from international football. <br><sup>OTH</sup> Player withdrew from the squad due to other reasons. <br><sup>SUS</sup> Serving Suspension
Champions Runners-up Third place Fourth place
The following table shows Portugal's all-time international record, correct as of 8 September 2024.
Source: Portugal - Historical results