Portugal national football team

Portugal national football team

The Portugal national football team (Portuguese: Seleção Portuguesa de Futebol) 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, such as the Estádio da Luz, Estádio José Alvalade and the Estádio do Dragão. The head coach is Jorge Jesus, 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 FIFA World Cup, which saw a team featuring Ballon d'Or winner Eusébio finish in third place. Since the 2000s, Portugal started an uninterrupted streak of qualification for every European Championship and World Cup finals, including a runners-up finish at Euro 2004 on home soil. They experienced much of their success in the late 2010s to mid 2020s, during the captaincy of Ballon d'Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo, where they won their first-ever major trophy Euro 2016 and the UEFA Nations League in (/wiki/2019UEFANationsLeague), hosting the first finals, and a record second time in (/wiki/2025UEFANationsLeaguefinal).

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 Spain, due to their historical rivalry as Iberian neighbours; as well as France due to several high-stake meetings against them at the Euro and World Cup.

History

Early World Cup attempts

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.

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. The Second World War delayed the World Cup until (/wiki/1950FIFAWorldCup) and subsequently, the national team rarely played. A 10–0 home friendly loss against England, two years after the war, still stands as their biggest ever defeat.

1950s and early 1960s

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.

In 1954 FIFA World Cup qualification, the team would play Austria; the Austrians won the first game with a 9–1 result. The best the Portuguese could do was hold the Austrians to a goalless draw in Lisbon, resulting in a 9–1 aggregate defeat. 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.

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. Portugal faced Yugoslavia in the quarter-finals, losing 6–3 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 4–4, a replay was needed in a neutral country. In the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, Portugal lost 1–0 thanks to a late strike from Georgi Asparuhov.

Third place at the 1966 World Cup

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 1–0 away win against Czechoslovakia and Turkey and a 5–1 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 3–1, Bulgaria 3–0, and two-time defending champions Brazil 3–1. Secondly, they beat quarter-finalists North Korea 5–3, with Eusébio getting four markers to overturn a 3–0 deficit. 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. Portugal then defeated the Soviet Union 2–1 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.

1980s

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 0–0 and 1–1 against West Germany and Spain, respectively. 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. 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.

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 1–0 win against England, but later were beaten by Poland and Morocco 1–0 and 3–1 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.

1995–2006: The golden generation

At UEFA Euro 1996, Portugal finished first in Group D, and in the quarter-finals, they lost 1–0 to the Czech Republic.

Portugal lost the Euro 2004 final 0–1 to Greece with a header from Angelos Charisteas (pictured)

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. The final eventually finished 2–1.

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 3–2 by the United States. They then rebounded with a 4–0 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.

Ronaldo, pictured playing against Germany at Euro 2012, assumed the captaincy in the wake of Euro 2008

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 1–2. They achieved their first win against Russia 2–0 and also beat Spain 1–0. They went on to play against England, in a 2–2 draw that went into penalties, with Portugal winning. Portugal beat the Netherlands 2–1 in the semi-finals, and suffered a second defeat from Greece, 1–0, in the final.

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. 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 (1–0), Iran (2–0) and Mexico (2–1). Portugal defeated the Netherlands 1–0 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 0–0 after extra time with England in the quarter-final, but won 3–1 on penalties to reach their first World Cup semi-final since 1966. Portugal lost the semi-final 1–0 against France, and were then defeated 3–1 by the tournament hosts, Germany, in the third-place play-off match.

2006–2014: Post-golden generation and mixed results

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 3–2. 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, 1–0. 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 0–1 to Germany, then beat Denmark 3–2. 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. 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. The semi-final match was against Spain, who defeated Portugal 4–2 on penalties after a goalless draw.

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. They went on to draw 2–2 against the United States and won 2–1 against Ghana. However, the team were eliminated due to inferior goal difference to the Americans.

2016–2022: Fernando Santos era and first international glories

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 1–0 after extra time in the round of 16 and then defeated Poland 5–3 on penalties to reach the semi-finals, where they defeated Wales 2–0. 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 2–1 after extra time.

Portugal lining up before a match at the 2018 FIFA World Cup

At the 2018 FIFA World Cup, Portugal opened their campaign with a 3–3 draw with Spain, with Cristiano Ronaldo scoring a hat-trick. After a 1–0 victory against Morocco, Portugal drew 1–1 with Iran to progress to the knockout round as group runners-up. Portugal were eliminated following a 2–1 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 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. Nevertheless, Portugal managed to beat Turkey and North Macedonia to qualify for the final tournament. At the 2022 World Cup, Portugal defeated Ghana 3–2 in their first group game and then beat Uruguay 2–0. to qualify for the knockout stages. 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. However, they were eliminated by tournament in the quarter-finals by Morocco, 1–0. Following a disappointing World Cup campaign, Fernando Santos was dismissed on 15 December.

2023–present: Further international titles

On 9 January 2023, Roberto Martinez was announced as the new head coach of Portugal. On 11 September, Martinez led Portugal to their biggest victory in international history by defeating Luxembourg 9–0 at home. Martinez's Portuguese side were one of the first European sides to advance from qualifying into the UEFA Euro 2024 after their 3–2 win over Slovakia, making it their quickest qualification to a major tournament in their history. Following a 2–0 home over Iceland, Martinez led Portugal to a perfect qualification campaign, overtaking the record for most scored and least scored against in a qualifying campaign in the country's history, with a record of 36 goals scored and only two goals conceded, keeping nine clean sheets in the process. Portugal also became one of the few European national teams to win all of their matches for the qualifiers of the UEFA European Championship, with ten wins from ten matches, the first time in Portugal's international history.

In their European Championship group, Portugal were paired with Georgia, Turkey and Czechia. With wins against Czechia and Turkey and a loss to Georgia, Portugal qualified for the Round of 16 as group winners, where they played against Slovenia. The game finished 0–0 and was decided on penalties, with Portuguese goalkeeper Diogo Costa saving each of Slovenia's penalties, while Portugal scored all of theirs. Facing France in the Quarter finals, the game again finished 0–0 and was decided on penalties; a miss by João Felix meant France won 5–3, and Portugal were eliminated.

On 9 June 2025, Roberto Martinez guided Portugal to their second UEFA Nations League title after defeating the reigning European champions Spain 5–3 on penalties.

In the 2026 World Cup, Portugal were drawn into Group K with Colombia, DR Congo, and Uzbekistan. On June 17, they tied their opener against DR Congo 1–1 despite completing 724 passes, their most in a World Cup match. After a disappointing group stage where they finished second place in their group, Martinez let Portugal to an underwhelming round of 16 finish, after a 1–0 defeat to Spain. Following the match, he announced his resignation with immediate effect. The team was heavily criticized for their performance, including former Euro 2016 winner Ricardo Quaresma, who harshly criticized Portugal's exit, questioning the narrative of Portugal's the best generation in national history, their passive playing style, and expressed deep frustration with the team's overall lack of ambition.

On 10 July, Jorge Jesus was appointed as head coach of the Portugal national team. He was chosen to become the new manager to inject a relentless, club-style urgency and intense tactical discipline into a squad that underperformed relative to its immense talent pool at the World Cup.

Team image

Kits

Portugal's traditional home kit is mainly red with a green trim, reflecting the colours of the nation's flag. Over the years, the particular shade of red has alternated between a darker burgundy and a lighter scarlet, the latter matching the flag. 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 colour, either with blue shorts, or red and green highlights. In recent times, all-black has been utilised, as has a turquoise-teal colour, the latter of which was prominently featured during the title winning Euro 2016 campaign.

Kit suppliers

Period	Supplier
1920–1976	None
1976–1994	Adidas
1994–1996	Olympic Sportswear
1997–2024	Nike
2025–	Puma

Coaching staff

Portugal national football team

Current head coach Jorge Jesus

Position	Name
Head coach	Jorge Jesus
Assistant coaches	João de Deus Ricardo Carvalho
Goalkeeping coaches	Ricardo
Chief analyst	Rodrigo Araújo Gil Henriques Fábio Jesus
Performance manager	Márcio Sampaio
Technical director	José Couceiro José Guilherme
Sports scientist	João Brito
Head of media and communications	Marco Ferreira
Academy manager	Joaquim Milheiro

Results and fixtures

Portugal national football team

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

Players

Current squad

The following 26 players were called up to the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Caps and goals correct as of 6 July 2026, after the match against Spain.

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
1	GK	Diogo Costa	19 September 1999	48	0	Porto
12	GK	José Sá	17 January 1993	5	0	Wolverhampton Wanderers
22	GK	Rui Silva	7 February 1994	3	0	Sporting CP
2	DF	Nélson Semedo	16 November 1993	54	0	Fenerbahçe
3	DF	Rúben Dias	14 May 1997	80	3	Manchester City
4	DF	Tomás Araújo	16 May 2002	6	0	Benfica
5	DF	Diogo Dalot	18 March 1999	37	3	Manchester United
13	DF	Renato Veiga	29 July 2003	18	1	Villarreal
14	DF	Gonçalo Inácio	25 August 2001	22	2	Sporting CP
20	DF	João Cancelo	27 May 1994	73	12	Barcelona
25	DF	Nuno Mendes	19 June 2002	49	2	Paris Saint-Germain
6	MF	Matheus Nunes	27 August 1998	21	2	Manchester City
8	MF	Bruno Fernandes	8 September 1994	94	29	Manchester United
10	MF	Bernardo Silva	10 August 1994	113	14	Real Madrid
15	MF	João Neves	27 September 2004	27	4	Paris Saint-Germain
21	MF	Rúben Neves	13 March 1997	69	1	Al-Hilal
23	MF	Vitinha	13 February 2000	43	0	Paris Saint-Germain
24	MF	Samú Costa	27 November 2000	7	0	Al-Nassr
7	FW	Cristiano Ronaldo (captain)	5 February 1985	233	146	Al-Nassr
9	FW	Gonçalo Ramos	20 June 2001	27	11	AC Milan
11	FW	João Félix	10 November 1999	57	12	Al-Nassr
16	FW	Francisco Trincão	29 December 1999	19	3	Al-Ahli
17	FW	Rafael Leão	10 June 1999	49	6	AC Milan
18	FW	Pedro Neto	9 March 2000	30	3	Chelsea
19	FW	Gonçalo Guedes	29 November 1996	34	8	Real Sociedad
26	FW	Francisco Conceição	14 December 2002	21	4	Juventus

Recent call-ups

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

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club	Latest call-up
GK	Ricardo Velho	20 August 1998	1	0	Aris	v.  Nigeria, 10 June 2026
GK	João Carvalho	9 April 2004	0	0	Braga	v.  Republic of Ireland, 13 November 2025
DF	António Silva	30 October 2003	20	0	Bournemouth	v.  United States, 31 March 2026
DF	Nuno Tavares	26 January 2000	3	0	Lazio	v.  Hungary, 14 October 2025
MF	Mateus Fernandes	10 July 2004	1	0	Tottenham Hotspur	v.  United States, 31 March 2026
MF	João Palhinha	9 July 1995	37	2	Bayern Munich	v.  Armenia, 16 November 2025
FW	Ricardo Horta	15 September 1994	13	4	Braga	v.  United States, 31 March 2026
FW	Paulinho	9 November 1992	5	2	Toluca	v.  United States, 31 March 2026
FW	Pedro Gonçalves	28 June 1998	4	0	Sporting CP	v.  United States, 31 March 2026
FW	Rodrigo Mora	5 May 2007	0	0	Roma	v.  Mexico, 29 March 2026 INJ
FW	Carlos Forbs	19 March 2004	1	0	Club Brugge	v.  Armenia, 16 November 2025
INJ Player withdrew from the squad due to an injury. FIT Player withdrew from the squad due to fitness concerns. PRE Preliminary squad. RET Player retired from international football. OTH Player withdrew from the squad due to other reasons. SUS Serving Suspension

Individual statistics

Portugal national football team

As of match played 6 July 2026. Players in bold are still active.

Most appearances

Cristiano Ronaldo is Portugal's most capped player and all-time top scorer.

Rank	Player	Caps	Goals	Career
1	Cristiano Ronaldo	233	146	2003–present
2	João Moutinho	146	7	2005–2022
3	Pepe	141	8	2007–2024
4	Luís Figo	127	32	1991–2006
5	Bernardo Silva	113	14	2015–present
6	Nani	112	24	2006–2017
7	Fernando Couto	110	8	1990–2004
8	Rui Patrício	108	0	2010–2024
9	Bruno Alves	96	11	2007–2018
10	Rui Costa	94	26	1993–2004
	Bruno Fernandes	94	29	2017–present

Top goalscorers

Rank	Player	Goals	Caps	Ratio	Career
1	Cristiano Ronaldo (list)	146	233	0.63	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
	Bruno Fernandes	29	94	0.31	2017–present
7	Hélder Postiga	27	71	0.38	2003–2014
8	Rui Costa	26	94	0.28	1993–2004
9	Nani	24	112	0.21	2006–2017
10	João Pinto	23	81	0.28	1991–2002

Goal records

Most goals scored in World Cup: 11 – Cristiano Ronaldo ((/wiki/2006FIFAWorldCup), (/wiki/2010FIFAWorldCup), (/wiki/2014FIFAWorldCup), (/wiki/2018FIFAWorldCup), (/wiki/2022FIFAWorldCup) and (/wiki/2026FIFAWorldCup)) Most goals scored in one World Cup: 9 – Eusébio ((/wiki/1966FIFAWorldCup)) Most goals scored in one European Championship: 5 – Cristiano Ronaldo ((/wiki/UEFAEuro2020)) Most goals scored in European Championship: 14 – Cristiano Ronaldo ((/wiki/UEFAEuro2004), (/wiki/UEFAEuro2008), (/wiki/UEFAEuro2012), (/wiki/UEFAEuro2016) and (/wiki/UEFAEuro2020)) Oldest goalscorer: 41 years, 4 months and 27 days – Cristiano Ronaldo (2–1 against Croatia on 2 July 2026) 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) 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)

Other records

Most matches played in World Cup: 27 – Cristiano Ronaldo ((/wiki/2006FIFAWorldCup), (/wiki/2010FIFAWorldCup), (/wiki/2014FIFAWorldCup), (/wiki/2018FIFAWorldCup), (/wiki/2022FIFAWorldCup) and (/wiki/2026FIFAWorldCup)) Most matches played in European Championship: 30 – Cristiano Ronaldo ((/wiki/UEFAEuro2004), (/wiki/UEFAEuro2008), (/wiki/UEFAEuro2012), (/wiki/UEFAEuro2016), (/wiki/UEFAEuro2020) and (/wiki/UEFAEuro2024)) Oldest player (outfield or goalkeeper): 41 years, 5 months and 1 day – Cristiano Ronaldo (0–1 against Spain on 6 July 2026)  Longest national career (outfield or goalkeeper): 22 years, 10 months and 16 days  – Cristiano Ronaldo (from 20 August 2003 to 6 July 2026)  Youngest debutant: 17 years, 6 months and 24 days – Paulo Futre (5–0 against Finland on 21 September 1983) Youngest player to reach 100 caps: 27 years, 8 months and 11 days – Cristiano Ronaldo (1–1 against Northern Ireland on 16 October 2012) Youngest player to reach 200 caps: 38 years, 4 months and 15 days – Cristiano Ronaldo (1–0 against Iceland on 20 June 2023)

Competitive record

Portugal national football team

  Champions    Runners-up    Third place     Hosts

FIFA World Cup

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									Did not enter
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	Round of 16	13th	5	2	2	1	8	3		1st	6	4	1	1	20	7
2030	Qualified as co-hosts									Qualified as co-hosts
2034	To be determined									To be determined
Total:9/23	Third place		40	19	8	13	69	44		—	155	87	36	32	304	153

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, 2014

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

UEFA European Championship

UEFA European Championship record										Qualification 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	4th	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	4th	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	4th	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
2032
Total	1 Title	9/19	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

UEFA Nations League record
League phase / quarter-finals													Finals
Season	LG	Grp	Pos	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	P/R	IR		Year	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Squad	OR
2018–19	A	3	1st	4	2	2	0	5	3		2nd		2019	2	2	0	0	4	1	Squad	1st
2020–21	A	3	2nd	6	4	1	1	12	4		5th		2021	Did not qualify							5th
2022–23	A	2	2nd	6	3	1	2	11	3		6th		2023								6th
2024–25	A	1	1st	8	5	2	1	18	8		3rd		2025	2	1	1	0	4	3	Squad	1st
Total				24	14	6	4	46	18	N/A			Total	4	3	1	0	8	4	2 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)
	Portugal 5–1 Poland  (15 November 2024; Porto, 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)
	Denmark 1–0 Portugal  (20 March 2025; Copenhagen, Denmark)
Best result	Champions in 2018–19, 2024–25
Worst result	6th place in 2022–23

Draws include knockout matches decided via penalty shoot-out. Red border colour indicates that the tournament was held on home soil. League phase is played home and away. Flag shown represents hosts nations for the finals.

FIFA Confederations Cup

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	Portugal 4–0 New Zealand  (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. Red border colour indicates that the tournament was held on home soil.

All-time results

The following table shows Portugal's all-time international record, correct as of 23 June 2026.

	Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	GF	GA
Total	705	353	161	191	1240	789

Honours

Portugal national football team

The UEFA Euro 2016 trophy in the Museu CR7, Madeira, Portugal

Global

• FIFA World Cup • Third place: (/wiki/1966FIFAWorldCup) • FIFA Confederations Cup • Third place: (/wiki/2017FIFAConfederationsCup)

Continental

• UEFA European Championship • Champions: (/wiki/UEFAEuro2016) • Runners-up: (/wiki/UEFAEuro2004) • UEFA Nations League • Champions: (/wiki/2019UEFANationsLeagueFinals), (/wiki/2025UEFANationsLeagueFinals)

Awards

• FIFA World Cup Most Entertaining Team: (/wiki/2006FIFAWorldCup) • Globe Soccer Awards Best National Football Team: 2025

Summary

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	2	0	0	2
Total	3	1	2	6

Rivalries

Portugal national football team

• Portugal–Spain football rivalry