GOAAAAAAAAL! Did you feel the emotion? It's Portugal! Football is one of the most popular and important sports in this country. An important match is capable of stopping the whole nation. Yeap, this is the effect of football in Portugal! From Cristiano Ronaldo to José Mourinho, Portugal continues to bring great names to the football world. No more delays, let’s discover the best football stadiums in Portugal. We know you won't miss the opportunity to visit it during your holidays in Portugal. 

Top football stadiums in Portugal

Estadio do Dragão – Futebol Clube do Porto

Estadio do Dragão is home to one of the greatest football teams in Portugal, FC Porto. Opening in 2003 in Porto city, welcomed the FC Barcelona in a friendly match, a match which resulted in a win for FC Porto, 2-0. 

With a capacity for more than 50000 spectators, Estadio do Dragão is a UEFA Category 4 Stadium, this means that it can host games in the playoffs of the qualifying stage for the UEFA Champions League or any game in the main competition, this a big deal! That’s why it has seen great games like the opening match of Euro 2004 (Portugal vs. Greece) and the first edition of the UEFA Nations League, championship won by Portugal. 

But this stadium's championship doesn't just translate into football, it also hosts some of the biggest concerts, which have brought major music artists to the Porto city like Coldplay, Muse and even the Rolling Stones. 

FC Porto was champions of Portugal over 20 times and it was also the winner of the 2004 Champions League when José Mourinho was still the coach of the team. 

Don't just visit the stadium, the FC Porto Museum owns a unique collection of trophies and a record number of exclusive objects. Take a look at the Intercontinental Cup, the UEFA Cup, and the European Super Cup. What a place!

Estadio da Luz - Benfica

Sport Lisboa e Benfica or Benfica for short, is not only one of the best football clubs in Portugal, but also in the entire world, you will find Benfica fans all over the world! You don't believe it? Benfica set the Guinness World Record for “the most widely supported football club” in 2009 with more than 160 000 paid members. Great names of the football have passed through this club, such as Eusebio (Pantera Negra) and Joao Felix, who signed for Atlético Madrid in 2019.

Estadio da luz was established in 2003 and the first match here was between Benfica and Club Nacional de Football from Uruguay, which resulted in 2-1. From here, the football stadium starts to receive more and more important matches. Two greats examples took place during UEFA Euro 2004, first during the quarter-final where Portugal beat England in an exciting penalty final, and the second one was the Euro 2004 final between Greece and Portugal, ending the dream for the Portuguese people (1-0).

We can't help but mention the 2014 UEFA Champions League Final between Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid, where Cristiano Ronaldo shine (4-1).

If you don’t even watch a match in this stadium, you should! At the beginning of every game, Benfica releases the two eagle mascots (Vitória and Gloriosa) that fly over the fans, an extraordinary experience!

If you are planning to visit the Estadio da Luz in a guided tour, know that it includes access to the VIP areas, players' tunnel, and the away team dressing rooms. You will have access to the Benfica museum where you will able to see the many trophies won by the team over the years, but also to learn a little bit about Portugal's history. Curious enough? Let’s make a tour!

José Alvalade Stadium - Sporting Clube de Portugal

The Sporting Clube de Portugal Stadium owes its name to Sporting club founder the aristocrat José Alvalade. This is a true temple for the Sporting fans since is not only a football stadium but above all is an impressive complex which includes a health club, cinema, mall, and a museum, the Museu Mundo Sporting, place that celebrates history of the club and where you will be able to see some of the most important earned trophies. 

Open in 2003, starts with an inaugural match between Sporting and Manchester United, where the home team was a successful outcome (3-1). On that day, one Sporting player had caught Manchester United eye, can you guess who? That’s right, Cristiano Ronaldo! This was the game that made the player sign for Manchester.

Estadio de Alvalade hosted some important games in the Euro 2004, including the semi-final between Portugal and the Netherlands (2-1). The year after, receive the 2005 UEFA Cup Final which saw Russian side CSKA Moscow defeat Sporting 3-1. But, not all is about football when it comes to important events, this was also home to great music concerts such as the incredible Phil Collins.

It’s classified by UEFA as a five-star stadium, which means it can hosts finals of major UEFA events. It’s truly one of the coolest football stadiums in Europe, don’t skip a tour here!

With all these reasons it gets tough, if not impossible, to visit at least one of these football stadiums in Portugal. Which one is your favorite?