Porto

The club was founded in 1893, and one of its first-ever matches was attended by Portugal’s King Carlos I and Queen Amelie of Orleans in 1894. The club went through a period of inactivity, but it was revived in 1906 by new owners.

Their first team trophy came in 1911, and the club won many regional championships heading into the 1920s. Porto was a founding member of the top flight of Portuguese football, Primeira Liga, and won the first two titles. They currently hold the Portuguese record with five straight league titles (from 1994-95 to 1998-99).

Porto have employed successful Premier League managers Bobby Robson (1994-96) and Jose Mourinho (2002-04). Mourinho’s 2003-04 squad defeated Monaco (France) in the Champions League final, 3-0.

On the international level, Porto have claimed seven titles including a pair of major trophies in the Champions League/European Cup in 1986-87 and again in 2003-04. They are tied with Bayern Munich for the third-most appearances in the Champions League group stage with 24, behind only Barcelona and Real Madrid (25). They reached the round of 16 in the 2023-24 season.

2023-24 SEASON: 3rd in Primeira Liga (qualified for Europa League), Champions League Round of 16

2024-25 SEASON: Primeira Liga, Europa League

As part of the Portuguese “Big 3”, Porto’s main rivals are the other two clubs of the Big 3, Benfica and Sporting Lisbon. None of them have been relegated from the Portuguese top flight, and only two seasons have had Portuguese champions outside of these three clubs.

Porto shares a rivalry with both main clubs of Lisbon, Benfica and Sporting Lisbon. As Lisbon and Porto are the largest Portuguese cities, and the two regions have differing political ideologies, this rivalry is another great game to keep an eye out for on the schedule. Games between Porto and Sporting Lisbon are known as “O Clássico”. Porto holds more wins over Sporting in their head to head games as they have 91 to Sporting’s 84, with 72 draws.

FC Porto has recently introduced their first women’s team for the 2024-25 season and they currently play in the third division.

Here is a pregame anthem:

Porto have played their home matches at Estadio do Dragao since 2003. The stadium was built to replace the club’s 50-year-old former ground. Construction coincided with Portugal’s designation as the host country for Euro 2004. The new stadium hosted the opening ceremonies and four matches in the tournament.

The first game in the 50,431-seat venue took place against FC Barcelona in 2003, which was also Lionel Messi’s professional debut.

A unique feature of the stadium is the 21,000 square meters of azulejos, the typical white and sky-blue Portuguese ceramic tiles.

TOURS: Check the club’s website for tour info.

We haven’t been on a tour yet, but this guy has:

GETTING THERE: The stadium is on the eastern side of the city (Google Maps), about a 30-minute walk from the main train station, Campanhã. Three different Metro lines will also get you there in less than 10 minutes. They also run out there from the old city center.

PUBS and GRUB: There is a shopping center next to the stadium, but if you’re in Porto, that’s not where you want to eat and drink. The old city center is lovely.

AROUND TOWN: The city’s tourism site has plenty to offer, and our friend Rick Steves has his say below.