S.C. Braga is a Portuguese football club based in the northern city of Braga. They have competed in European competitions organised by UEFA: the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, UEFA Europa League (formerly UEFA Cup), UEFA Intertoto Cup, UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa Conference League.
Its first entry was in the 1966âÂÂ67 European Cup Winners' Cup, reaching the second round. Since its entry into the 2004âÂÂ05 UEFA Cup, Braga competed in European competition for ten seasons. It defeated Turkey's Sivasspor 5âÂÂ0 on aggregate to win the 2008 UEFA Intertoto Cup, entered the Champions League for the first time in 2010âÂÂ11, and that same season reached the Europa League final, losing 1âÂÂ0 to compatriots Porto.
Brazilian forward Alan is the club's highest appearance-maker and goalscorer in European football, with 11 goals in 59 games.
After winning the 1965âÂÂ66 Taça de Portugal by defeating Vitória de Setúbal 1âÂÂ0 in the final, Braga qualified for its first European competition, the 1966âÂÂ67 European Cup Winners' Cup. Drawn against Greek team AEK Athens in the first round, Braga won 1âÂÂ0 away in the first round and 3âÂÂ2 at home in the second to advance 4âÂÂ2 on aggregate. In the second round, they met Raba ETO Gyà Âr of Hungary, losing 3âÂÂ0 away in the first leg and winning 2âÂÂ0 at home in the second, to lose 3âÂÂ2 on aggregate.
Twelve years later, Braga returned to European football by finishing fourth in the 1977âÂÂ78 Primeira Divisão to qualify for the 1978âÂÂ79 UEFA Cup. In the first round, they played Hibernians of Malta, winning the first leg 5âÂÂ0 at the Estádio 1ú de Maio on 13 September 1978, the team's record victory in Europe. They lost the second leg 3âÂÂ2 but still advanced on aggregate. In the next round, Braga lost 3âÂÂ0 on aggregate to England's West Bromwich Albion.
Braga lost 4âÂÂ0 to Sporting CP in the final of the 1981âÂÂ82 domestic cup, but as the opponents also won the league to qualify for the European Cup, Braga entered the 1982âÂÂ83 European Cup Winners' Cup. They played the preliminary round against Swansea City of Wales, losing 3âÂÂ0 in the first leg and winning the second leg 1âÂÂ0 at home to no avail. Braga again came fourth in the 1983âÂÂ84 Primeira Divisão to enter the 1984âÂÂ85 UEFA Cup. In the first round, they met reigning champions Tottenham Hotspur of England, losing 9âÂÂ0 on aggregate; the 6âÂÂ0 loss in the second leg at White Hart Lane on 3 October 1984 is Braga's joint biggest European defeat.
After a further 13 years without entry in European competition, Braga came fourth in the 1996âÂÂ97 Primeira Divisão to enter the 1997âÂÂ98 UEFA Cup. They met Dutch team Vitesse in the first round, losing 2âÂÂ1 away in the first leg; Mladen Karoglan got the crucial consolation in the last minute. Two goals from Artur Jorge won the second leg 2âÂÂ0, putting Braga into the second round where they won 5âÂÂ0 on aggregate against Dinamo Tbilisi. In the third round, the last 16, Braga held Germany's Schalke 04 to a goalless home draw in the first leg, then lost 2âÂÂ0 in the second.
After losing 3âÂÂ1 to Porto in the 1997âÂÂ98 Taça de Portugal final, Braga entered the 1998âÂÂ99 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, the final running of the tournament. In the first round, they met Latvia's LiepÃÂjas Metalurgs, drawing 0âÂÂ0 in the first leg away before a 4âÂÂ0 second leg win. They then played Lokomotiv Moscow, losing 3âÂÂ1 in the Russian capital; Karoglan scored the only goal of the home game but did not change the outcome.
<small>Note: Braga score always listed first.</small>
Braga came 5th in the 2003âÂÂ04 Primeira Liga to qualify for the 2004âÂÂ05 UEFA Cup, their first European competition for six years. They were drawn in the first round against Heart of Midlothian from Scotland. They lost the first leg 3âÂÂ1 at Murrayfield Stadium, and drew 2âÂÂ2 in the second leg at the Estádio Municipal de Braga to be eliminated. With a 4th-place domestic finish, Braga entered the next edition of the same competition and again fell at the first hurdle to Serbo-Montenegrin team Red Star Belgrade on the away goals rule.
After again finishing fourth, Braga entered the 2006âÂÂ07 UEFA Cup, and defeated Italy's Chievo 3âÂÂ2 on aggregate in the first round with an extra-time winner by Wender in Verona. The team came third of five in their group, defeating Slovan Liberec and Grasshopper while losing to AZ and Sevilla. In the round of 32, they defeated another Italian team Parma 1âÂÂ0 in each leg. Braga then met Tottenham in the last 16, losing each leg 3âÂÂ2 to be eliminated.
A third consecutive placement of fourth in the domestic league gave Braga a place in the 2007âÂÂ08 UEFA Cup. Despite losing the first leg 2âÂÂ1 in Sweden, they defeated Hammarby IF 5âÂÂ1 on aggregate in the first round. Braga negotiated their group undefeated, drawing with Bolton Wanderers, Bayern Munich and Aris before a 2âÂÂ0 home win over Red Star. In the last 32, they lost 4âÂÂ0 on aggregate to Germany's Bayer Leverkusen.
Braga finished 7th in the 2007âÂÂ08 Primeira Liga and therefore entered into the third round of the 2008 UEFA Intertoto Cup, where they defeated Turkish club Sivasspor 5âÂÂ0 on aggregate to enter into the 2008âÂÂ09 UEFA Cup. After wins over Zrinjski Mostar and Artmedia Petrà ¾alka, the team advanced from their group in third place after winning just one game, 3âÂÂ0 at home to England's Portsmouth in the opener. After a 4âÂÂ1 aggregate win over Standard Liège, the team was eliminated in the last 16 by Paris Saint-Germain through a late strike by substitute Guillaume Hoarau.
By coming 5th in the league, Braga entered the third qualifying round of the 2009âÂÂ10 UEFA Europa League and lost 4âÂÂ1 on aggregate to Elfsborg.
<small>Note: Braga score always listed first.</small>
Braga finished a best-ever second in the 2009âÂÂ10 Primeira Liga, and so entered the 2010âÂÂ11 UEFA Champions League, their first time in Europe's primary competition. They began in the third qualifying round against Celtic of Scotland, winning 3âÂÂ0 in the home leg and losing 2âÂÂ1 away. In the play-off, Matheus headed the only goal of the home game against Sevilla, and away at the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán Stadium, Lima scored a hat-trick in a 4âÂÂ3 win.
In the first game of the group stage on 15 September 2010, Braga lost 6âÂÂ0 to Arsenal, from whom they got their "Arsenalistas" nickname, at the Emirates Stadium, equalling their worst European result. After a 3âÂÂ0 home loss to Shakhtar Donetsk they won both games against Serbia's Partizan, and then Matheus struck two late goals in a home win over Arsenal. However, a 2âÂÂ0 away loss to Shakhtar meant that Braga came 3rd in their group and dropped into the Europa League.
After a 2âÂÂ1 aggregate win over Poland's Lech Poznaà Â, Braga faced Liverpool in the last 16, winning 1âÂÂ0 with an early penalty from Alan after Sotirios Kyrgiakos brought down Mossoró. In the quarter-finals, they conceded from Dynamo Kyiv's Andriy Yarmolenko after six minutes, but seven minutes later Oleh Husyev's own goal gave them an away-goals victory.
In an all-Portuguese semi-final against Benfica, Braga lost the first leg 2âÂÂ1 at the Estádio da Luz via an ÃÂscar Cardozo free kick. However, in the second leg, a first-half header by Custódio gave Braga the victory on away goals and put them into their first major final. In the 2011 UEFA Europa League final at Dublin's Aviva Stadium on 18 May 2011, Braga met fellow northerners Porto, losing 1âÂÂ0 to a header by Radamel Falcao just before half time.
<small>Note: Braga score always listed first.</small>
Another 4th-place finish qualified Braga for the 2011âÂÂ12 UEFA Europa League, where in the play-off they met Switzerland's Young Boys, drawing the first leg 0âÂÂ0 at home and the second 2âÂÂ2 away to advance on away goals. They advanced through the group in second place with three wins and two draws, including a 5âÂÂ1 home win over Maribor. In the last 32, they fell 2âÂÂ1 on aggregate to Turkey's Beà Âiktaà Â, for whom the Portuguese winger Simão scored.
After finishing third in the domestic league, Braga returned to the 2012âÂÂ13 UEFA Champions League, winning in a penalty shoot-out in the play-off at Italy's Udinese as Beto saved a Panenka-style attempt from Maicosuel. Braga came last in their group, losing all of their games apart from a 2âÂÂ0 win over Galatasaray in Turkey.
Braga were eliminated from the play-off of the 2013âÂÂ14 UEFA Europa League by Romania's Pandurii and missed out on European football the next season for the first time in a decade by finishing 9th in the domestic league. They returned to the 2015âÂÂ16 UEFA Europa League by finishing 4th, earning a bye to the group stage, which they won with four victories from six games. In the last 32, they won 4âÂÂ3 on aggregate against Swiss team Sion, with Nikola Stojiljkoviàscoring in each leg. Against Turkey's Fenerbahçe in the last 16, Braga recovered from a 1âÂÂ0 loss in the first leg to win 4âÂÂ2 on aggregate. Their run ended in the quarter-finals against Shakhtar, losing the first leg 1âÂÂ2 at home. In the second, they lost 0âÂÂ4 away, with Ricardo Ferreira scoring two own goals.
<small>Last updated: 18 March 2026<br />Note: Braga score always listed first.</small>