Portugal national football team

Portugal

Nickname(s)	A Seleção das Quinas (The Team of the Escutcheons)[1] Lusos (Lusitanians)
Association	Portuguese Football Federation (Federação Portuguesa de Futebol, FPF)
Confederation	UEFA (Europe)
Head coach	Roberto Martínez
Captain	Cristiano Ronaldo
Most caps	Cristiano Ronaldo (217)
Top scorer	Cristiano Ronaldo (135)
Home stadium	Estádio Nacional
FIFA code	POR
First colours Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current	7 1 (24 October 2024)[2]
Highest	3 (May–June 2010, October 2012, April–June 2014, September 2017–April 2018)
Lowest	43 (August 1998)
First international
Spain 3–1 Portugal  (Madrid, Spain; 18 December 1921)
Biggest win
Portugal 9–0 Luxembourg  (Almancil, Portugal; 11 September 2023)
Biggest defeat
Portugal 0–10 England  (Lisbon, Portugal; 25 May 1947)
World Cup
Appearances	8 (first in 1966)
Best result	Third place (1966)
European Championship
Appearances	9 (first in 1984)
Best result	Champions (2016)
Nations League Finals
Appearances	1 (first in 2019)
Best result	Champions (2019)
Olympic Games
Appearances	4 (first in 1928)
Best result	Fourth place (1996)
Confederations Cup
Appearances	1 (first in 2017)
Best result	Third place (2017)
Medal record Men's football FIFA World Cup 1966 England Team UEFA European Championship 2016 France Team 2004 Portugal Team UEFA Nations League 2019 Portugal Team FIFA Confederations Cup 2017 Russia Team
Website	fpf.pt

The Portugal national football team (Portuguese: Seleção Portuguesa de Futebol) has represented Portugal in men's international football competitions since 1921. The national team is controlled by the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF), the governing body for football in Portugal. Portugal's home games are played at the Estádio Nacional stadiums in Portugal, and its primary training ground and technical headquarters, Cidade do Futebol, is located in Oeiras. The head coach of the team is Roberto Martínez,^[4] and the captain is Cristiano Ronaldo, who also 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 hosts and eventual winners France. Under the team's first golden generation in the 1990s, Portugal began consistently featuring in the European Championship and World Cup; they made the semi-finals of the 2006 World Cup, finishing in fourth place, along with placing as runners-up at Euro 2004 as hosts, and reaching the semi-finals of Euro 2000 and Euro 2012. This was in great part due to the production of several world class players, such as fellow Ballon d'Or winners Luís Figo and Cristiano Ronaldo.^[5][6]

In 2016, Portugal won its first-ever major trophy, Euro 2016, defeating hosts France in the finals. 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 qualified for and hosted the brand new 2019 Nations League finals where they triumphed, defeating the Netherlands and earning their second major tournament victory in three finals. Portugal also appeared in the Olympic football tournament, and made it to the semi-finals at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, finishing in fourth place.

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, due to shared cultural traits and heritage,^[7] France, due to several important meetings between the two teams at the Euros and World Cup,^[8] and Spain, known as A Guerra Ibérica in Portuguese or The Iberian War in English, with the rivalry between two countries going back to 1581.^[9]

Portugal is set to co-host the 2030 edition when it was granted host status alongside Morocco and Spain.

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 9–0 loss in Madrid and 2–1 loss in Lisbon for an aggregate score of 11–1.^[10][11]

In the 1938 FIFA World Cup qualification, the Seleção played one game against Switzerland held in neutral ground in Milan. They lost 2–1 and failed to qualify for the finals.^[12] The Second World War delayed the World Cup until 1950 and subsequently, the national team rarely played.^[13] A 10–0 home friendly loss against England, two years after the war, still stands as their biggest ever defeat.^[14]

Similar to 1934, Portugal were to play a two-legged round against Spain. After a 5–1 defeat in Madrid, they managed to draw the second game 2–2. With a 7–3 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.^[15][16]

In 1954 FIFA World Cup qualification, the team would play Austria; the Austrians won the first game with a 9–1 result.^[17] The best the Portuguese could do was hold the Austrians to a goalless draw in Lisbon, resulting in a 9–1 aggregate defeat.^[18] Four years later, Portugal won a qualifying match for the first time, a 3–0 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.^[19]

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 2–0 at East Germany and then 3–2 in Porto, advancing with a 5–2 two-legged win.^[20][21] Portugal faced Yugoslavia in the quarter-finals, losing 6–3 on aggregate.^[22]

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.^[23] 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 4–4, a replay was needed in a neutral country.^[24] In the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, Portugal lost 1–0 thanks to a late strike from Georgi Asparuhov.^[24]

Portugal were drawn with Czechoslovakia, Romania and Turkey for 1966 World Cup qualification.^[25] They topped the group with only one draw and one defeat in six games and finally qualified for a FIFA World Cup, with a 1–0 away win against Czechoslovakia and Turkey and a 5–1 home win against the Turks being notable results.^[25]

At the World Cup, the team started out with three wins in the group stage after they beat Hungary 3–1,^[26] Bulgaria 3–0, and two-time defending champions Brazil 3–1.^[27] Secondly, they beat quarter-finalists North Korea 5–3, with Eusébio getting four markers to overturn a 3–0 deficit.^[28] Later, they reached the semi-finals where they were beaten by hosts England 2–1; 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.^[29] Portugal then defeated the Soviet Union 2–1 in the third place match for their best World Cup finish to date.^[30] 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,^[31][32] allowing them to qualify and be placed in Group B alongside Spain, West Germany and Romania in the finals.^[33] In the first two matches, they drew 0–0 and 1–1 against West Germany and Spain, respectively.^[33] A 1–0 win over Romania resulted in a second-place finish in group play. Portugal were paired against hosts France in the semi-finals.^[33] After a draw in regular time, Portugal initially led 2–1 in extra-time, but the hosts scored in the 114th and 119th minutes to eliminate the Portuguese 3–2 and go through to the final.^[33]

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.^[34] 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.^[35] They started with a 1–0 win against England,^[36] but later were beaten by Poland and Morocco 1–0 and 3–1 respectively.^[37][38] 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 1–0 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 3–2, Romania 1–0 and Germany 3–0 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.^[39] The final eventually finished 2–1.

During 2002 FIFA World Cup qualifying, Portugal won the group.^[40] Several problems and poor judgement decisions occurred during the preparation and tournament itself – shopping sprees by players were widely reported in the Portuguese press.^[40] Questionable managing choices and some amateurism, including the same lack of agreement on prizes.^[40] Portugal entered the tournament as favourites to win Group D.^[40] However, they were upset 3–2 by the United States.^[40] They then rebounded with a 4–0 smashing of Poland.^[40] Needing a draw to advance, they lost the last group game to hosts South Korea.^[41] 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.^[42] The host nation lost the first game against Greece 1–2.^[43] They achieved their first win against Russia 2–0 and also beat Spain 1–0.^[44][45] They went on to play against England, in a 2–2 draw that went into penalties, with Portugal winning.^[46] Portugal beat the Netherlands 2–1 in the semi-finals,^[47] and suffered a second defeat from Greece, 1–0, in the final.^[48]

After the tournament ended, many players belonging to the Geração de Ouro (Golden Generation), abandoned their international footballing careers, with only Luís Figo remaining in the team, despite a temporary retirement.^[49][50] The silver lining for Portugal was the emergence of Cristiano Ronaldo, who was selected in the UEFA Euro All-Star team.^[51] 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,^[52] and topped Group D in the World Cup, with victories over Angola (1–0), Iran (2–0) and Mexico (2–1).^[53][54] Portugal defeated the Netherlands 1–0 in the Round of 16 in Nuremberg in an acrimonious match marked by 16 yellow cards, with four players sent off.^[55] Portugal drew 0–0 after extra-time with England, but won 3–1 on penalties to reach their first World Cup semi-final since 1966.^[56][57] They then lost 1–0 against France,^[58] and faced hosts Germany in the third place play-off match in a 3–1 defeat.^[59]

For Euro 2008 Portugal finished second in qualification behind Poland,^[60] 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 3–2.^[61] After the tournament, Scolari left to take over at Chelsea.^[62] Afterwards, Carlos Queiroz was appointed as the head coach of the Portugal national team.^{[63][64][65][66]}

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.^[67][68][69] 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, 1–0.^[70] Queiroz was later criticised for setting up his team in an overly cautious way.^[71] After the World Cup, squad regulars Simão, Paulo Ferreira, Miguel and Tiago all retired from international football.^[72][73][74] 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.^[75] In consequence, he received a further six-month suspension. Several media outbursts from Queiroz^[76] against the heads of the Portuguese Football Federation followed, which partly prompted his dismissal. Paulo Bento was appointed as his replacement at head coach.^[77]

Bento's team qualified for Euro 2012; they were drawn with Germany, Denmark, and the Netherlands in a widely speculated "group of death".^{[78][79][80][81]} They lost their first game 0–1 to Germany, then beat Denmark 3–2.^[82][83] The final group stage match was against the Netherlands. After Van der Vaart had given the Dutch a 1–0 lead, Ronaldo netted twice to ensure a 2–1 victory.^[84][85][86] Portugal finished second in the group and qualified for the knockout phase. Portugal defeated the Czech Republic 1–0 in the quarter-finals with a header from Ronaldo.^[87] The semi-final match was against Spain, who defeated Portugal 4–2 on penalties after a goalless draw.^[88]

In 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifying, Portugal won 4–2 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 4–0 loss.^[89] They went on to draw 2–2 against the United States and won 2–1 against Ghana.^[90][91] However, the team were eliminated due to inferior goal difference to the Americans.^[92]

In UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying, Bento was dismissed following a defeat to Albania and was replaced by Fernando Santos in September 2014.^[93] 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 1–0 after extra time in the round of 16^[94] and then defeated Poland 5–3 on penalties to reach the semi-finals,^[95] where they defeated Wales 2–0.^[96] In the final against the hosts France, Ronaldo went off injured. However, in extra time, substitute Eder scored the winning goal in the 109th minute.^[97][98]

Following their Euro 2016 victory, Portugal participated in the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup. They finished top of their group,^[99][100] but lost to Chile on penalties after a goalless draw in the semi-finals,^[101] but rebounded in the third place game, defeating Mexico 2–1 after extra time.^[102]

At the 2018 FIFA World Cup, Portugal opened their campaign with a 3–3 draw with Spain, with Cristiano Ronaldo scoring a hat-trick.^[103] After a 1–0 victory against Morocco,^[104] Portugal drew 1–1 with Iran to progress to the knockout round as group runners-up.^[105] Portugal were eliminated following a 2–1 defeat to Uruguay in the round of 16.^[106]

Following the World Cup, Portugal won the inaugural UEFA Nations League beating the Netherlands at the Estádio do Dragão in Porto, with the only being scored by Gonçalo Guedes in the 60th minute.^[107][108]

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 1–0.

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.^[109] Nevertheless, Portugal managed to beat Turkey^[110] and North Macedonia to qualify for the final tournament.^[111] At the 2022 World Cup, Portugal defeated Ghana 3–2 in their first group game^[112] and then beat Uruguay 2–0.^[113] to qualify for the knockout stages.^[114] The Portuguese would demolish Switzerland 6–1 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.^[115][116] However, they were eliminated in the quarter-finals by Morocco, 1–0.^[117] Following a disappointing World Cup campaign, Santos was dismissed on 15 December.^[118] On 9 January 2023, Roberto Martinez was announced as the head coach of Portugal, replacing Fernando Santos.^[119]

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.

Position	Name
Head coach	Roberto Martínez
Assistant coaches	Anthony Barry (until January 1) Ricardo Carvalho
Goalkeeping coaches	Ricardo Iñaki Bergara
Chief analyst	Bruno Pereira
Performance manager	Richard Evans
Technical director	José Couceiro José Guilherme
Sports scientist	João Brito
Head of media and communications	Marco Ferreira
Academy manager	Joaquim Milheiro

The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.

  Win   Draw   Loss   Fixture

The following 24^{[note 1]} players were called up for the UEFA Nations League matches against Poland and Croatia on 15 and 18 November 2024, respectively.^{[120][121][122][123]}

• Caps and goals correct as of: 18 November 2024, after the match against Croatia.

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
1	1GK	Diogo Costa	(1999-09-19) 19 September 1999 (age 25)	32	0	Porto
12	1GK	José Sá	(1993-01-17) 17 January 1993 (age 31)	3	0	Wolverhampton Wanderers
22	1GK	Rui Silva	(1994-02-07) 7 February 1994 (age 30)	1	0	Real Betis
2	2DF	Nélson Semedo	(1993-11-16) 16 November 1993 (age 31)	40	0	Wolverhampton Wanderers
3	2DF	Tomás Araújo	(2002-05-16) 16 May 2002 (age 22)	1	0	Benfica
4	2DF	António Silva	(2003-10-30) 30 October 2003 (age 21)	17	0	Benfica
5	2DF	Diogo Dalot	(1999-03-18) 18 March 1999 (age 25)	27	3	Manchester United
13	2DF	Renato Veiga	(2003-07-29) 29 July 2003 (age 21)	3	0	Chelsea
14	2DF	Tiago Djaló	(2000-04-09) 9 April 2000 (age 24)	1	0	Porto
19	2DF	Nuno Mendes	(2002-06-19) 19 June 2002 (age 22)	33	0	Paris Saint-Germain
20	2DF	João Cancelo	(1994-05-27) 27 May 1994 (age 30)	60	10	Al Hilal
	2DF	Nuno Tavares	(2000-01-26) 26 January 2000 (age 24)	1	0	Lazio
6	3MF	Samú Costa	(2000-11-27) 27 November 2000 (age 23)	2	0	Mallorca
15	3MF	João Neves	(2004-09-27) 27 September 2004 (age 20)	13	0	Paris Saint-Germain
16	3MF	Otávio	(1995-02-09) 9 February 1995 (age 29)	22	3	Al Nassr
23	3MF	Vitinha	(2000-02-13) 13 February 2000 (age 24)	25	0	Paris Saint-Germain
8	4FW	Geovany Quenda	(2007-04-30) 30 April 2007 (age 17)	0	0	Sporting CP
9	4FW	Francisco Trincão	(1999-12-29) 29 December 1999 (age 24)	9	0	Sporting CP
10	4FW	João Félix	(1999-11-10) 10 November 1999 (age 25)	45	9	Chelsea
11	4FW	Fábio Silva	(2002-07-19) 19 July 2002 (age 22)	1	0	Las Palmas
17	4FW	Rafael Leão	(1999-06-10) 10 June 1999 (age 25)	37	5	AC Milan
21	4FW	Francisco Conceição	(2002-12-14) 14 December 2002 (age 21)	8	1	Juventus

The following players have also been called up to the Portugal squad within the last 12 months.

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club	Latest call-up
GK	Ricardo Velho	(1998-08-20) 20 August 1998 (age 26)	0	0	Farense	v.  Scotland, 15 October 2024
GK	Rui Patrício	(1988-02-15) 15 February 1988 (age 36)	108	0	Atalanta	UEFA Euro 2024
GK	Samuel Soares	(2002-06-15) 15 June 2002 (age 22)	0	0	Benfica	v.  Slovenia, 26 March 2024
DF	Rúben Dias	(1997-05-14) 14 May 1997 (age 27)	64	3	Manchester City	v.  Scotland, 15 October 2024
DF	Gonçalo Inácio	(2001-08-25) 25 August 2001 (age 23)	12	2	Sporting CP	v.  Poland, 12 October 2024 INJ
DF	Tiago Santos	(2002-07-23) 23 July 2002 (age 22)	0	0	Lille	v.  Scotland, 8 September 2024
DF	Pepe	(1983-02-26) 26 February 1983 (age 41)	141	8	Retired	UEFA Euro 2024
DF	João Mário	(2000-01-03) 3 January 2000 (age 24)	3	0	Porto	v.  Slovenia, 26 March 2024
DF	Toti Gomes	(1999-01-16) 16 January 1999 (age 25)	2	0	Wolverhampton Wanderers	v.  Slovenia, 26 March 2024
DF	Diogo Leite	(1999-01-23) 23 January 1999 (age 25)	0	0	Union Berlin	v.  Slovenia, 26 March 2024
DF	Raphaël Guerreiro	(1993-12-22) 22 December 1993 (age 30)	65	4	Bayern Munich	v.  Iceland, 19 November 2023
MF	Bernardo Silva (vice-captain)	(1994-08-10) 10 August 1994 (age 30)	98	13	Manchester City	v.  Croatia, 18 November 2024
MF	Bruno Fernandes	(1994-09-08) 8 September 1994 (age 30)	76	25	Manchester United	v.  Croatia, 18 November 2024
MF	João Palhinha	(1995-07-09) 9 July 1995 (age 29)	33	2	Bayern Munich	v.  Poland, 15 November 2024 INJ
MF	Matheus Nunes	(1998-08-27) 27 August 1998 (age 26)	16	2	Manchester City	v.  Poland, 15 November 2024 INJ
MF	Pedro Gonçalves	(1998-06-28) 28 June 1998 (age 26)	3	0	Sporting CP	v.  Poland, 15 November 2024 INJ
MF	Rúben Neves	(1997-03-13) 13 March 1997 (age 27)	54	0	Al Hilal	v.  Scotland, 15 October 2024
MF	Danilo Pereira	(1991-09-09) 9 September 1991 (age 33)	74	2	Al-Ittihad	UEFA Euro 2024
FW	Cristiano Ronaldo (captain)	(1985-02-05) 5 February 1985 (age 39)	217	135	Al Nassr	v.  Croatia, 18 November 2024
FW	Pedro Neto	(2000-03-09) 9 March 2000 (age 24)	14	2	Chelsea	v.  Croatia, 18 November 2024
FW	Diogo Jota	(1996-12-04) 4 December 1996 (age 27)	46	14	Liverpool	v.  Scotland, 15 October 2024
FW	Gonçalo Ramos	(2001-06-20) 20 June 2001 (age 23)	14	8	Paris Saint-Germain	UEFA Euro 2024
FW	Bruma	(1994-10-24) 24 October 1994 (age 30)	12	2	Braga	v.  Slovenia, 26 March 2024
FW	Jota Silva	(1999-08-01) 1 August 1999 (age 25)	2	0	Nottingham Forest	v.  Slovenia, 26 March 2024
FW	Dany Mota	(1998-05-02) 2 May 1998 (age 26)	0	0	Monza	v.  Slovenia, 26 March 2024
FW	Ricardo Horta	(1994-09-15) 15 September 1994 (age 30)	12	4	Braga	v.  Iceland, 19 November 2023
INJ Player withdrew from the squad due to an injury. PRE Preliminary squad. RET Player retired from international football. OTH Player withdrew from the squad due to other reasons.

As of match played 15 November 2024.^[124]

Players in bold are still active with Portugal.

Rank	Player	Caps	Goals	Career
1	Cristiano Ronaldo	217	135	2003–present
2	João Moutinho	146	7	2005–2022
3	Pepe	141	8	2007–2024
4	Luís Figo	127	32	1991–2006
5	Nani	112	24	2006–2017
6	Fernando Couto	110	8	1990–2004
7	Rui Patrício	108	0	2010–present
8	Bernardo Silva	98	13	2015–present
9	Bruno Alves	96	11	2007–2018
10	Rui Costa	94	26	1993–2004

Rank	Player	Goals	Caps	Ratio	Career
1	Cristiano Ronaldo (list)	135	217	0.62	2003–present
2	Pauleta (list)	47	88	0.53	1997–2006
3	Eusébio (list)	41	64	0.64	1961–1973
4	Luís Figo	32	127	0.25	1991–2006
5	Nuno Gomes	29	79	0.37	1996–2011
6	Hélder Postiga	27	71	0.38	2003–2014
7	Rui Costa	26	94	0.28	1993–2004
8	Bruno Fernandes	25	76	0.33	2017–present
9	Nani	24	112	0.21	2006–2017
10	João Pinto	23	81	0.28	1991–2002

Most goals scored in one World Cup

9 – Eusébio (1966)^[125]

Most goals scored in World Cup

9 – Eusébio (1966)^[125]

Most goals scored in one European Championship

5 – Cristiano Ronaldo (2020)

Most goals scored in European Championship

14 – Cristiano Ronaldo (2004, 2008, 2012, 2016 and 2020)^[126]

Oldest goalscorer

39 years, 9 months and 10 days – Pepe (6–1 against Switzerland on 6 December 2022)

Youngest goalscorer

17 years, 9 months and 25 days – Fernando Chalana (2–1 against Cyprus on 5 December 1976)

Most hat-tricks

10 – Cristiano Ronaldo (includes four goals against Andorra on 7 October 2016 and Lithuania on 10 September 2019)^[127]

Most pokers

2 – Cristiano Ronaldo

Youngest player to score a hat-trick

20 years, 11 months and 4 days – André Silva (6–0 against Faroe Islands on 10 October 2016)^[128]

Most matches played in World Cup

22 – Cristiano Ronaldo (2006, 2010, 2014, 2018 and 2022)^[103]

Most matches played in European Championship

30 – Cristiano Ronaldo (2004, 2008, 2012, 2016, 2020 and 2024)^[129]

Oldest player (outfield or goalkeeper)

41 years, 4 months and 9 days – Pepe (0–0 against France on 5 July 2024) 

Longest national career (outfield or goalkeeper)

21 years, 2 months and 27 days  – Cristiano Ronaldo (from 20 August 2003 to 15 November 2024) 

Youngest debutant

17 years, 6 months and 24 days – Paulo Futre (5–0 against Finland on 21 September 1983)^[130]

Youngest player to reach 100 caps

27 years, 8 months and 11 days – Cristiano Ronaldo (1–1 against Northern Ireland on 16 October 2012)^[131]

Youngest player to reach 200 caps

38 years, 4 months and 15 days – Cristiano Ronaldo (1–0 against Iceland on 20 June 2023)

  Champions    Runners-up    Third place  

FIFA World Cup record										Qualification record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA		Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1930	Did not enter									Declined participation
1934	Did not qualify									2nd	2	0	0	2	1	11
1938										2nd	1	0	0	1	1	2
1950										2nd	2	0	1	1	3	7
1954										2nd	2	0	1	1	1	9
1958										3rd	4	1	1	2	4	7
1962										2nd	4	1	1	2	9	7
1966	Third place	3rd	6	5	0	1	17	8		1st	6	4	1	1	9	4
1970	Did not qualify									4th	6	1	2	3	8	10
1974										2nd	6	2	3	1	10	6
1978										2nd	6	4	1	1	12	6
1982										4th	8	3	1	4	8	11
1986	Group stage	17th	3	1	0	2	2	4		2nd	8	5	0	3	12	10
1990	Did not qualify									3rd	8	4	2	2	11	8
1994										3rd	10	6	2	2	18	5
1998										3rd	10	5	4	1	12	4
2002	Group stage	21st	3	1	0	2	6	4		1st	10	7	3	0	33	7
2006	Fourth place	4th	7	4	1	2	7	5		1st	12	9	3	0	35	5
2010	Round of 16	11th	4	1	2	1	7	1		P/O	12	7	4	1	19	5
2014	Group stage	18th	3	1	1	1	4	7		P/O	12	8	3	1	24	11
2018	Round of 16	13th	4	1	2	1	6	6		1st	10	9	0	1	32	4
2022	Quarter-finals	8th	5	3	0	2	12	6		P/O	10	7	2	1	22	7
2026	To be determined									To be determined
2030	Qualified as co-host									Qualified as co-host
2034	To be determined									To be determined
Total	Third place	8/22	35	17	6	12	61	41		—	149	83	35	31	284	146

FIFA World Cup history
First match	Portugal 3–1 Hungary  (13 July 1966; Manchester, England)
Biggest win	Portugal 7–0 North Korea  (21 June 2010; Cape Town, South Africa)
Biggest defeat	Germany 4–0 Portugal  (16 June 2014; Salvador, Brazil)
Best result	Third place in 1966
Worst result	Group stage in 1986, 2002 and 2014

*Draws include knockout matches decided via penalty shoot-out.

UEFA European Championship record										Qualifying record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA		Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1960	Did not qualify									4	3	0	1	8	8
1964										3	1	0	2	4	5
1968										6	2	2	2	6	6
1972										6	3	1	2	10	6
1976										6	2	3	1	5	7
1980										8	4	1	3	10	11
1984	Semi-finals	3rd	4	1	2	1	4	4		6	5	0	1	11	6
1988	Did not qualify									8	2	4	2	6	8
1992										8	5	1	2	11	4
1996	Quarter-finals	5th	4	2	1	1	5	2		10	7	2	1	29	7
2000	Semi-finals	3rd	5	4	0	1	10	4		10	7	2	1	32	4
2004	Runners-up	2nd	6	3	1	2	8	6		Qualified as hosts
2008	Quarter-finals	7th	4	2	0	2	7	6		14	7	6	1	24	10
2012	Semi-finals	3rd	5	3	1	1	6	4		10	6	2	2	27	14
2016	Champions	1st	7	3	4	0	9	5		8	7	0	1	11	5
2020	Round of 16	13th	4	1	1	2	7	7		8	5	2	1	22	6
2024	Quarter-finals	8th	5	2	2	1	5	3		10	10	0	0	36	2
2028	To be determined									To be determined
Total	1 Title	9/17	44	21	12	11	61	41		125	76	26	23	252	109

UEFA European Championship history
First match	Portugal 0–0 West Germany  (14 June 1984; Strasbourg, France)
Biggest win	Portugal 3–0 Croatia  (19 June 1996; Nottingham, England)
	Portugal 3–0 Germany  (20 June 2000; Rotterdam, Netherlands)
	Portugal 3–0 Hungary  (15 June 2021; Budapest, Hungary)
	Portugal 3–0 Turkey  (22 June 2024; Dortmund, Germany)
Biggest defeat	Switzerland 2–0 Portugal  (15 June 2008; Basel, Switzerland)
	Germany 4–2 Portugal  (19 June 2021; Munich, Germany)
	Georgia 2–0 Portugal  (26 June 2024; Gelsenkirchen, Germany)
Best result	Champions in 2016
Worst result	Round of 16 in 2020

*Draws include knockout matches decided via penalty shoot-out. Red border colour indicates that the tournament was held on home soil.

UEFA Nations League record
Season**	Division	Group	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA	P/R	Rank
2018–19	A	3	6	4	2	0	9	4		1st
2020–21	A	3	6	4	1	1	12	4		5th
2022–23	A	2	6	3	1	2	11	3		6th
2024–25	A	1	In progress
Total			18	11	4	3	32	11	1 Title

UEFA Nations League history
First match	Portugal 1–0 Italy  (10 September 2018; Lisbon, Portugal)
Biggest win	Portugal 4–0 Switzerland  (5 June 2022; Lisbon, Portugal)
Biggest defeat	Portugal 0–1 France  (14 November 2020; Lisbon, Portugal)
	Switzerland 1–0 Portugal  (12 June 2022; Geneva, Switzerland)
	Portugal 0–1 Spain  (27 September 2022; Braga, Portugal)
Best result	Champions in 2018–19
Worst result	6th in 2022–23

*Draws include knockout matches decided via penalty shoot-out.

**Group stage played home and away. Flag shown represents hosts nations for the finals stage. Red border colour indicates the finals stage will be held on home soil

FIFA Confederations Cup record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA
1992	Did not qualify
1995
1997
1999
2001
2003
2005
2009
2013
2017	Third place	3rd	5	3	2	0	9	3
Total	Third place	1/10	5	3	2	0	9	3

FIFA Confederations Cup history
First match	Portugal 2–2 Mexico  (18 June 2017; Kazan, Russia)
Biggest win	New Zealand 0–4 Portugal  (24 June 2017; Saint Petersburg, Russia)
Biggest defeat	—
Best result	Third place in 2017
Worst result

*Draws include knockout matches decided via penalty shoot-out.

From 1968–1988 Portugal were represented by the national amateur football team. Football at the Summer Olympics has been an under-23 tournament since 1992.

Olympic Games Record
Year	Round	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA
1896	No football tournament
1900	Did not enter
1904
1908
1912
1920
1924
1928	Quarter-finals	3	2	0	1	7	5
1932	No football tournament
1936	Did not enter
1948
1952
1956
1960
1964
1968
1972
1976
1980
1984	Did not qualify
1988
1992
1996	Fourth place	6	2	2	2	6	10
2000	Did not qualify
2004	Group stage	3	1	0	2	6	9
2008	Did not qualify
2012
2016	Quarter-finals	4	2	1	1	5	6
2020	Did not qualify
2024
Total	Fourth place	16	7	3	6	24	30

*Draws include knockout matches decided via penalty shoot-out.

Year	Round	Position	GP	W	D*	L	GF	GA
1964 Taça de Nações	Third place	3rd	3	0	1	2	2	7
1972 Brazil Independence Cup	Runners-up	2nd	8	6	1	1	17	5
1992 U.S. Cup	Fourth place	4th	3	0	1	2	0	3
1995 SkyDome Cup	Champions	1st	2	1	1	0	2	1
Total	1 Title	4/4	16	7	4	5	21	16

*Draws include knockout matches decided via penalty shoot-out.

The following table shows Portugal's all-time international record, correct as of 8 September 2024.

	Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	GF	GA
Total	684	340	155	189	1188	769

Source: Portugal - Historical results

• FIFA World Cup
  • Third place (1): 1966^[132]
• FIFA Confederations Cup
  • Third place (1): 2017^[133]
• UEFA European Championship
  • Champions (1): 2016^[134]
  • Runners-up (1): 2004^[48]
• UEFA Nations League
  • Champions (1): 2019^[107]

• SkyDome Cup
  • Champions: 1995^[135]
• Brazil Independence Cup
  • Runners-up: 1972^[136]

• FIFA World Cup Most Entertaining Team: 2006
• Laureus World Sports Awards for Team of the Year: Nominations: 2017^[137][138]

Competition				Total
FIFA World Cup	0	0	1	1
FIFA Confederations Cup	0	0	1	1
UEFA European Championship	1	1	0	2
UEFA Nations League	1	0	0	1
Total	2	1	2	5

• Portugal–Spain football rivalry

* List of national sport teams of Portugal