Today marks exactly 100 days before Euro 2024 kicks off. Portugal will be playing in their eighth consecutive European Championship tournament and as usual, they will be seen as one of the realistic winners of the competition.

The 2024 tournament will be hosted by Germany and Portugal will take an array of world-class talent across the continent to compete.

England and France have long been touted as the most likely teams to win EURO 2024 due to the depth of their rosters. However, there are several reasons why Portugal’s tournament-winning potential should be recognised too. 

Every build-up to a major tournament has its own unique emotional swells. From the rigors of qualification to the group stage draw to the fate of players at club level, there’s a distinct flavor or complexion to the ordeal.

Many Portugal supporters might rather forget the process and the not insignificant degree of cardiovascular and mental health abnormalities they induce. World Cup 2010 qualification anyone? Or World Cup 2014 when Ronaldo was injured and you could see disaster coming in slow motion?

While other nations flattened their opponents, Portugal’s qualification dumpster fire normally concluded with an assignment to the Group of Death. Ah these were simpler times, weren’t they? 

Even Euro 2016 qualifying was more toilsome than Portugal’s eventual 7-0-1 record might suggest, costing Paulo Bento his job. It is our lineage, a unifying element of Portugal’s football culture, this unsavory drama.

Liverpool forward Diogo Jota yesterday suffered a potentially serious injury in the English Premier League match against Brentford.

Jota had to be stretchered off late in the first half after the full weight of Danish midfielder Christian Nørgaard came crashing down on his knee after an aerial challenge. 

The extent of the injury is not yet known, but Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp admitted post-match “it doesn’t look good for Jota.” 

The FPF today announced two more friendly matches the Seleção will play shortly before heading to Germany for the European Championship this summer.

Portugal will host Finland in Lisbon on Tuesday 4 June and the Republic of Ireland in Aveiro one week later.

On the Saturday in between the Seleção will play Croatia, also in the Portuguese capital.