Benfica & Estádio da Luz Sporting & Estádio José Alvalade

Football in Lisbon

Football is big in Portugal, in fact, it's fair to say the Portuguese are mad about football and totally crazy when they win a cup. Lisbon has two main rival teams Benfica and Sporting. Benfica has a celebrated glorious past when the likes of the great Eusébio played for them in the '60s. Their home ground is the impressive 65,000-capacity Estádio da Luz. The stadium was rebuilt in preparation for the 2004 European Championships. The final was played here where Portugal lost to Greece 2-1.

Benfica’s traditional city rivals Sporting Lisbon (officially called Sporting Club de Portugal) had their stadium purposely built for the 2004 Euros and has a capacity of 54,000. Its located close to the Estádio da Luz at the Estádio José Alvalade.

Both Benfica and Sporting playing in the Primeira Liga, Portugal's premier league, as did Belenenses who have recently been renegated to the Liga Portugal 2. Confusingly the Belenenses (Sociedade Desportiva de Futebol, SAD) is an offshoot of a much older team, the Clube de Futebol of Belenenses. Belenenses SAD was founded in 2018 and play at the Estádio Nacional in Algés, Oeiras. Their older counterpart, Clube de Futebol of Belenenses, are in the Liga Portugal 3 and their homeground is the Estádio do Restelo in Belém, just behind the Jerónimos Monastery. In Sintra third division (Campeonato de Portugal) play at the Estadio do Sport União Sintrense.

Daily football newspaper Bola lists fixtures, match reports and news. Buy if from any newsagent or kiosk, or alternatively go to their website: www.portuguesesoccer.com. Advance tickets can also be bought at the kiosks rather than the stadium turnstiles.

BENFICA & THE ESTÁDIO DA LUZ

Benfica & The Estádio da Luz

Benfica

Officially called Sport Lisboa e Benfica the club has enjoyed great successes during its long history that dates back to 1902. Benfica is firmly placed in Portugal's Big Three (Três Grandes) national clubs. The other two are Sporting and FC Porto. The eagle that appears on the club crest has given Benfica the nickname "águias". Others simply refer to Benfica as the "Reds". Fans are known as "Benfiquistas".

As of 2022 Benfica has picked up almost forty league championship titles and is the only Portuguese club to win back-to-back European championships in 1961 and 1962, as well as being runners up five times. Since the inception of Portugal's Primeira Liga, they have been a permanent presence. The rivalry between Benfica and Sporting reaches its zenith each year during the Lisboa derby.

Estádio da Luz

The present Estádio da Luz dates back to 2004 after the original was demolished and rebuilt to host the Euros. A process that cost almost €165 million. The stadium was designed by architect Damon Lavelle and cleverly utilises natural light by incorporating transparent materials in the construction. The stadium seats over 65 thousand fans. The onsite Museum Benfica is well worth visiting the stadium even when there's no match on. Here too you'll find an indoor pool, a panoramic restaurant, and several shops including the Benfica Megastore.

Inauguration year:	2004
Capacity:	65, 000
Getting There:	Bus: 750, 754, 58B, 76B Metro: Colégio Militar/Luz, or Alto dos Moinhos. (Blue Line)
Contact Details:	Av. Eusébio da Silva Ferreira, 1500-313 Lisbon. 38° 45' 09.5" N \| 09° 11' 05.1" W +351 217 219 590 visitasestadio@slbenfica.pt Website
Opening Hours::	Stadium & Museum: 10h00 – 18h00

The Benfica Stadium is a popular attraction in Lisbon. To visit it you'll need to buy an entrance ticket or join a guided tour.

Estádio da Luz & Museum: Skip the line ticket

ONLINE TICKET

• Enter the main entrance at Avenida Machado Santos and go to the Official store (the building on the left)

• Take "Fast Track" line 1 or 2 and show your smartphone ticket to get it scanned. The staff will then give you instructions for the tour

Step in the footy-mad footsteps of S.L. Benfica's legendary players and learn about victories (and defeats) on a fact-filled tour of the Estádio da Luz! See the VIP areas, walk the player's tunnel, peek into the dressing rooms and get the lowdown on the team at the S.L. Benfica Cosme Damião Museum. This guided tour takes you to the scene of the 2014 Champions League final! Get the full lowdown on the team at the S.L. Benfica Cosme Damião Museum!

The Skip--the-line ticker includes:
•   Entrance to the stadium
•   Entrance to the Benfica Museum
•   Access to VIP areas
•   Access to the player tunnel and dugouts
•   Access to the visiting team dressing rooms
•   Audio guide (as an app on your smartphone)
•   Guided visit

Daily 10h00 - 18h00

Sporting & Estádio José Alvalade

Sporting

Generally known as Sporting CP, Sporting Clube de Portugal can date its history back to 1906. The first Lisbon derby between Sporting and Benfica occurred in 1907 and Sporting won 2-1. Sporting is one of Portugal's "Big Three" teams along with Benfica and Porto. The rampant lion found on the club badge was taken from the coat of arms of one of the club founders, D. Fernando Castelo Branco (Pombeiro). The club has had numerous successes such as being in the top five European teams. Sporting CP is the only Portuguese team that has ever won a UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup title.

Estadio Jose Alvalade

Sportings' home ground is the Estádio José Alvalade. They have been playing on this spot since 1956 yet just as with Benfica the stadium was rebuilt for the 2004 European championships. It was designed by the architect Taveira and has a capacity of 50 thousand. To attend a Sporting match you can purchase tickets online or at kiosks. On site there's the Museu Mundo Sporting which celebrates the history of the club.

Inauguration year:	2004
Capacity:	50, 000
Getting There:	Bus: 44B, 206, 767, 778, 798 Metro: Campo Grande, or Telheiras (Yellow & Green Lines)
Contact Details:	Rua Professor Fernando da Fonseca, 1501-806 Lisbon. 38° 45' 40.6" N \| 09° 09' 39.0" W +351 217 516 000 geral.fundacao@sporting.pt Website
Opening Hours::	Stadium & Museum: 10h00 – 20h00