Women's football in Portugal on the rise
miércoles, 21 de mayo de 2025
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These are exciting times for women’s football in Portugal as the country prepares to host the UEFA Women’s Champions League final at Estádio José Alvalade in Lisbon.
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Sporting CP's 50,000-capacity stadium is set to host the showdown between Arsenal and Barcelona on Saturday 24 May.
The Portuguese Football Federation's (FPF)'s bid to host the pinnacle of the European women's club competition season is the latest step in their strategy to increase the visibility of women's football in the country, which is having noticeable results.
"It is a great privilege for Portugal to host the final of such an important competition for women’s football, and even more so that it is going to be played at Alvalade. I don’t doubt that the fans and the city will embrace this event, and that is very good for our country."
Investment paying off on the pitch
In February 2024, the FPF announced an investment of more than €7.8m into women's football for the following two seasons, with the aim of increasing competitiveness at domestic and European levels.
Investment into infrastructure has also been growing, with all top-flight matches now played on natural grass pitches. The FPF have also introduced pregnancy and maternity protections and are encouraging clubs to professionalise their structures.
This dedicated approach to women's football is paying off on the pitch – the national team's FIFA ranking rose 46th to 19th in 11 years after playing at Women's EURO 2017 and 2022, alongside a debut appearance at the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup.
Seleção are currently 22nd in the rankings heading into UEFA Women's EURO 2025 – their third major tournament in a row. They have been preparing for the competition in Switzerland with matches against heavyweight teams in League A of the UEFA Nations League.
At a domestic level, Portugal will have three teams in the UEFA Women’s Champions League for the first time in 2025/26 – competition regulars SL Benfica in the new league phase, as well as Sporting CP and SC Braga in qualifying.
"It has been extraordinary. We’ve been on a remarkable trajectory, supported by a well-built triangle, which is made of the Portuguese Football Federation, the clubs and the regional associations. And this triangle is working very well, which has allowed us to grow and to improve the team, the national team, and, at the same time, the players."
Nationwide growth
Across Portugal, the momentum is clear.
SC Braga was the first elite club in Portugal to have a women’s side in the top-flight and were again in the driving seat in February 2025 when they unveiled the Amélia Morais Stadium.
This facility, the first in Portugal to be dedicated to a women's football team, came from an investment of more than €10 million. “It's a transformative piece of infrastructure that has radically changed the club we are and the prospects we have for the future,” said SC Braga President António Salvador.
Weeks later, another milestone was achieved as Catarina Campos – one of the 12 referees appointed for Women’s EURO 2025 – led the first female refereeing team to take charge of a men’s top-flight match in Portugal, having made her debut in the men's game officiating a second division match in February.
Growth is also being seen at a grassroots level. According to a study by the FPF unveiled in January 2024, the number of female football and futsal players increased by 132% over 11 seasons – 2012/13 to 2022/23.
The number of female players then rose from 14,607 in 2022/23 to 17,859 in 2023/24 and is now at 20,000. The most significant growth has been seen at the under-11 level.
More players, more teams, more competitions, more investment and more visibility – all signs point towards a bright future for women's football in Portugal, which is heading towards full professionalisation in a sustainable way.