Football in Portugal

Portugal Football has come a long way since the introduction of this game in the late nineteenth century. Today, Portugal has made its mark as one of the best football playing nations in the world. The FIFA, in 2006 has ranked Portugal as the 7th among all the football playing nations in the world.

Portugal in FIFA World Cup

Portugal had its strong presence felt in its very first Tournament in World cup and it made its way to the final. However, the Portuguese players lost to England. In the FIFA World Cup, Portugal had qualified for the semifinal several times, in 1966,1986, 2002 and 2006. The national football team in Portugal functions under the authority of the Portuguese Football Federation. In the 2006 World Cup held in Germany, Portugal ended up ranking fourth.

Domestic Football in Portugal

There are a number of football clubs, which are busy all round the year contributing much to the domestic football. The most important tournament in Portugal is the Superlinga. Clubs such as FC Porto, SL Benfica and Sporting CP are well known among the people of Portugal.

The success of Portugal Football is largely due to the determination of the players and also the enthusiasm among the people of Portugal.