Cristiano Ronaldo

Portugal will play its upcoming World Cup qualifiers with Cristiano Ronaldo, who will have another chance to break the all-time men's international scoring record

Know more about Portugal national football team, squad, history, Portugal team at UEFA European Championship, Portugal at the FIFA World Cup etc. with business-standard.com

Portugal national football team | Business Standard

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	<strong>Portugal national football team</strong></div>
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	Portugal&#39;s national men&rsquo;s football team represents Portugal in the international men&rsquo;s football tournament. The team is governed by the Portuguese Football federation. It is under the global jurisdiction of the Federation of International Football Federations (FIFA) and the Union of European Football Association (UEFA).</div>
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	For many years, Portugal wasn&rsquo;t considered a major force in the football world. The 1966 World Cup was Portugal&rsquo;s first major international tournament. Led by Ballon d&#39;Or winner Eusebio, the Selecao finished third in the 1966 World Cup, which is to date their best-ever finish at the tournament. After 1966, the team was able to qualify for the mega event only once until 2002. Similarly, in the UEFA European Championship, the team qualified only twice for the continental event until 2000.</div>
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	After 2000, the Portuguese team has been qualifying regularly for all the major international tournaments. This has been responsible mainly for the quality and the quantity of talent being produced by the country. In early 2000s, Portugal&rsquo;s rise was led by Luis Figo, Rui Costa, and Ricardo Carvalho. They were later joined by Cristiano Ronaldo, who is considered amongst the greatest players of all time. Ronaldo along with Fabio Coentrao, Joao Moutinho, Nani, Pepe, and new players such as Bruno Fernandes, Diogo Jota, Ruben Dias, Renato Sanches, and Joao Felix has helped in the continuous rise and establishment of the national team as a major force in the world football today. The national team, led by Ronaldo, won its first major international title in 2016 in France after defeating the host nation in the final of Euro 2016. The team also won the inaugural season of the UEFA Nations League in 2018-19 which was held in Portugal. These titles were won under head coach Fernando Santos who was appointed in 2014 and still is in charge of the national team. Cristiano Ronaldo, who holds the team record for most caps and goals, is the team captain. The home stadium of the national team is the Est&aacute;dio Nacional, in Oeiras.</div>
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	<strong>History of the Portugal national football team</strong></h4>
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	In 1921, the national team started participating in major tournaments. However, Portugal was not invited for the first World Cup held in 1930 and failed to qualify for the next few World Cup finals until the 1966 World Cup.</div>
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	<strong>Portugal at the FIFA World Cup</strong></h4>
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	The team has qualified for the World Cup seven times. The first was in 1966, the second time was 20 years later in 1986, and the third was in 2002. Since 2002, the team has consistently qualified for the world tournament. Their best-ever finish was in 1966 when they finished third and the second-best finish came in 2006 when they managed the fourth position.</div>
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	In the 2018 World Cup in Russia, the team failed to go past the round of 16.</div>
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	<strong>Portugal at UEFA European Championship</strong></h4>
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	In the continental event, the team has qualified 8 times, including the Euro 2020. The first tournament participation came in 1984 where they lost in the semi-finals against France. They reached the finals of the 2004 edition which was being held on home soil, losing to underdogs Greece. 12 years later, in 2016, they defeated host nation France to win its first major international title. The team has qualified for Euro 2020.</div>


Euro Cup 2021

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Page 4 - Portugal National Football Team

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