The Portuguese Football Federation holds a pivotal role in the country’s entertainment landscape, primarily through its extensive involvement in football. Established in 1914, the FPF oversees all national football activities, from grassroots to elite levels. This year, their hard work may bear fruits once again as the Seleção looks to become European Champions once more.
Led by the ever-green Cristiano Ronaldo, Portugal is through to the quarterfinals of Euro 2024, and they are aiming to go all the way to Germany this summer. They have already knocked off the likes of the Czech Republic and Turkey, as well as holding their nerve in a tense second-round clash against Slovenia, ultimately winning a penalty shootout thanks to the brilliance of goalkeeper Diogo Costa. However, should Euros success not come to Portuguese shores, there is still plenty for the locals to look forward to throughout the rest of 2024.
Embracing the digital age
While the tradition of the beautiful game remains at the heart of the FPF’s operations, the federation has also embraced the burgeoning field of eSports. Recently, several of the country’s organisations joined forces under FEPODLE to support the growth of eSports in Portugal. This collaboration aims to capitalise on the continued surge in the popularity of digital sports. In recent years, the industry has become so popular that online bookmakers are accepting bets on Dota 2 and other popular games such as CS:GO and League of Legends. Expect there to be an official FPF eFootball tournament in the not-so-distant future as well.
The 2024/25 domestic season
Portugal’s clubs are currently in the midst of their close season while the national team takes centre stage. They will have to wait until August until the campaign gets underway and right now, clubs are strengthening their squads ahead of another blockbuster year.
So far this summer, each member of the country’s resident “Big Three”, namely SL Benfica, FC Porto and Sporting CP, have all been active in the transfer market. Notable acquisitions include Greek striker Vangelis Pavlidis who has signed for Benfica from AZ Alkmaar, while the reigning champions have secured the services of Zeno Debast from Anderlecht.
Sporting head into the 2024/25 season as the dominant force in Portuguese football. They managed to hold onto manager Ruben Amorim despite English heavyweights Liverpool attempting to secure his services, and they will be hoping he can lead them to back-to-back titles for the first time in 70 years. Benfica and Porto are hot on their heels and they will be aiming to usurp the Lisbon club, as well as providing competitive teams in both the Taça de Portugal and Taça da Liga.
Sporting was unable to completely dominate the entire domestic landscape, losing in the semi-finals and final of the two cup competitions. Porto managed to win the Portuguese Cup for the third straight season while in the League Cup, it was SC Braga - the fourth biggest club in the country - that managed to claim the crown.
