The Portugal Soccer Team represents Portugal in association football and it is controlled by the Portuguese Football Federation which is the governing body for football in Portugal. The home ground for Portugal is Estadio Nacional in Oeira. The head coach for Portugal Soccer Team is Paulo Bento. Their first appearance in the FIFA World Cup of 1966 saw them reach the semi-final where they lost to the eventual world champions England. The next two times Portugal qualified for the World Cup in 1986 and 2002 as well but they were out in the first round both times. In the 1986 tournament, players went on strike over prize-money and refused to train between their first and second games.

Portugal’s football fame began in the 19th century. The Portuguese students brought the sport to the country from England. Guilherme Basto is considered to be the person responsible for introducing the sport in Portugal. The Portugal Soccer Team played their first match against England and Portugal recorded a 2-1 win. The victory further popularized the sport in the country and also fascinated high society who encouraged the Luso-British rivalry. Several clubs were created due to the increasing popularity of football in Portugal. Real Ginasio Clube Portugues, Estrela Futebol Clube, Clube Lisbonense, Carcavelos, Braco de Prata Futebol Academico, Campo de Ourique and Sport Clube Vianense were some of the renowned clubs of that time. The first international match was played in 1902 by the Clube Internacional de Futebol team.

Portugal entered the European Championship for the first time in 1984. They played very good matches against Spain, West Germany and Romania but the most exciting game was against France. After a good match, Portugal was eliminated in the semi-finals. During the 2000 European Championship, the Portugal team was captained by Luis Figo. The semi-final match of 2000 EC was played against France. Portugal was defeated after a tight match.

Portugal hosted the 2004 European Championship. The match against England went on to become the most memorable match where Ricardo scored the winning penalty for Portugal. The Portugal Soccer Team defeated Holland in the semi-finals but was defeated by Greece in the final.