A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | CH | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9
 Porto lifted the European Champion Clubs' Cup (pictured) in 1987 and 2004. | |
| Club | FC Porto |
|---|---|
| Seasons played | 62 |
| First entry | 1956–57 European Cup |
| Latest entry | 2024–25 UEFA Europa League |
| Titles | |
| Champions League | 2 (1987, 2004) |
| Europa League | 2 (2003, 2011) |
| Super Cup | 1 (1987) |
| Intercontinental Cup | 2 (1987, 2004) |
Futebol Clube do Porto, an association football team based in Porto, is the most decorated Portuguese team in international club competitions. They have won two UEFA Champions League titles (in 1987, as the European Cup, and 2004), two UEFA Europa League titles (in 2003, as the UEFA Cup, and 2011), one UEFA Super Cup (in 1987), and two Intercontinental Cups (in 1987 and 2004), for a total of seven international trophies. In addition, they were Cup Winners' Cup runners-up in 1984 – their first European final – and lost three other UEFA Super Cup matches, in 2003, 2004, and 2011.
Porto first participated in international competitions in 1956, when they qualified for the second season of the European Cup as the domestic league winners. They lost their first two European matches against Athletic Bilbao and were eliminated from the competition. Porto then debuted in the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup (not organised by UEFA) in 1962–63, in the Cup Winners' Cup in 1964–65, and in the inaugural editions of the UEFA Cup (Fairs Cup successor) and UEFA Champions League (European Cup successor) in 1971–72 and 1992–93, respectively. The club has qualified for UEFA competitions every season since 1974–75, and shares the second place in UEFA Champions League group stage appearances with Bayern Munich (24), one less than Barcelona and Real Madrid.[1]
Until their 1986–87 European Cup success, Porto were the only of Portugal's "Big Three" teams without international silverware – Benfica had won two consecutive European Cup titles in 1961 and 1962, and Sporting CP were Cup Winners' Cup victors in 1964. As European champions, Porto contested the UEFA Super Cup and the Intercontinental Cup, lifting both trophies in their first appearance. To this date, they remain the only Portuguese team to have won either of these trophies or the UEFA Cup/UEFA Europa League. As of the 2020–21 season, Porto occupies the ninth place in the all-time European Cup and UEFA Champions League club rankings,[2][1] and is the best placed Portuguese team in the UEFA club ranking.[3]
Tomislav Ivić and José Mourinho are Porto's most decorated head coaches, each with two international titles. Former Portuguese international goalkeeper and club captain Vítor Baía holds the record for the most appearances in international competitions (99), while Colombian striker Radamel Falcao is the club's top goalscorer, with 22 goals.
History
Early decades (1956–77)
Porto first participated in international club competitions in 1956, when they took part in the second edition of the European Cup.[4] Qualification for this competition – contested between Europe's national champions – was achieved after Porto secured their fourth Primeira Divisão title in the previous season. Their debut was in a preliminary round tie against Spanish champions Atlético Bilbao. At their new home ground, the Estádio das Antas, Porto lost the first match 2–1 and were eliminated a week later in Bilbao, after a 3–2 defeat.[5] Porto returned to this tournament two years later but fell at the same stage.[6] After three seasons without qualifying for European competitions, Porto finished the 1961–62 league as runners-up and entered the non-UEFA-affiliated Inter-Cities Fairs Cup for the first time in 1962–63. They were knocked out in the first round by Dinamo Zagreb, who secured a draw in Yugoslavia after winning in Portugal.[7] Porto returned to the Fairs Cup in the following season, but failed to advance past the first round.[8]
The Cup Winners' Cup was a UEFA competition open to domestic cup winners (or losing finalists, if the winners had already qualified for the European Cup).[9] Porto qualified for this tournament for the first time in 1964–65, after losing the 1964 Portuguese Cup final against champions Benfica. Porto progressed from the first round of a European competition for the first time, after a 4–0 aggregate victory over French Cup winners Lyon, but fell in the next round to 1860 Munich.[10] At the end of that season, Porto finished runners-up to Benfica in the league and qualified for the following season's Fairs Cup. The club's performance was similar to that of the previous campaign: a first-round elimination of a French team (Stade Français) followed by a second-round loss to a German team (Hannover 96),[11] which included a 5–0 away defeat that was, at the time, Porto's heaviest in Europe.[12] They took part in the Fairs Cup in the following two seasons, but could not progress beyond the first round.[13][14] In the first case, Porto were eliminated by the flip of a coin, after extra-time was not enough to break the deadlock with Bordeaux.[13]
In 1968, the club won their third Portuguese Cup and qualified for the 1968–69 Cup Winners' Cup. As in previous years, they were unable to get past the second round, losing 4–1 on aggregate to Slovan Bratislava.[15] Porto's last participation in the Fairs Cup, in 1969–70, also ended in the second round, with a defeat against holders Newcastle United.[16] Domestically, Porto finished the league in an all-time low ninth place,[17] thus failing to qualify for European competition in the 1970–71 season. They returned the following season to participate in the inaugural edition of the UEFA Cup, which officially replaced the Fairs Cup, but their debut against Nantes led to another premature exit.[18] Porto returned to this tournament in four of the following five seasons, the exception being 1973–74, when it failed qualification for European competitions. In the first of those seasons (1972–73), Porto reached the third round of a European competition for the first time, but were eliminated by Dynamo Dresden.[19] They beat Barcelona in the first round, in what was the teams' first European encounter and the only time Porto eliminated the Spanish side from European competitions.[12] In the 1975–76 UEFA Cup, Porto were again eliminated in the third round, but in the process they beat Luxembourg's Avenir Beggen with a club record home (7–0) and aggregate (10–0) win scores.[20] In the first round of the following season's UEFA Cup, Porto were matched with Schalke 04. After a tie in the first leg, Porto squandered a 2–0 lead in the second leg, conceding three goals in the last 15 minutes, which resulted in their elimination.[21][22]
First final – Pedroto years (1977–84)
Head coach José Maria Pedroto oversaw Porto's victory over Braga in the 1977 Portuguese Cup final, which ensured the club's participation in the 1977–78 Cup Winners' Cup. After overcoming Köln in the first round, Porto met Manchester United for the first time in international club competition.[24][25] Reactions to the second round draw predicted an easy task for the English team,[26] but Porto stunned its visitors and Europe with a 4–0 win.[27] In Old Trafford, Manchester United pressed hard and even benefited from two own goals, but their 5–2 win was insufficient to prevent a shocking elimination at the hands of Porto.[28] Playing in a quarter-final round for the first time, they were defeated by the eventual competition winners, Anderlecht.[24]
Porto finished the season at the top of the Primeira Liga, ending a 19-year drought of league titles. In their return to the European Cup, they were eliminated in the first round after suffering their heaviest defeat in European competitions: 6–1 against AEK Athens.[12][29] Porto secured back-to-back league titles to participate in the 1979–80 European Cup. They eliminated Milan in the first round, with a second-leg 1–0 win at San Siro, and advanced to a second-round contest with Real Madrid. Two goals from Fernando Gomes granted a 2–1 home win for Porto, but Real's goal proved crucial to secure their qualification on the away goals rule, after a 1–0 win in Madrid.[30] Porto spent their following five seasons competing either in the UEFA Cup or Cup Winners' Cup. In the 1980–81 and 1982–83 UEFA Cup editions, Porto was eliminated in the second round by Grasshoppers and Anderlecht, respectively.[31][32] In between, the club sailed into the 1981–82 Cup Winners' Cup quarter-finals, where they were beaten by the eventual runners-up Standard Liège.[33]
Porto lost the 1983 Portuguese Cup final to league champions Benfica, which allowed their participation in the 1983–84 Cup Winners' Cup as losing cup finalists. They eliminated Dinamo Zagreb, Rangers, and Shakhtar Donetsk to reach their first European semi-final.[34] The competition draw paired Porto with the holders Aberdeen, managed by Alex Ferguson. Taking a 1–0 lead to Pittodrie, Porto resisted to the attacking pressure of their opponents.[35] In the 76th minute, Vermelhinho scored the only goal of the match,[36] which confirmed Porto's place in their first European final. "We simply were not good enough against Porto", said Ferguson in the aftermath.[37] This feat was met with such enthusiasm that the plane returning the team to Porto could not land because the runway had been invaded by supporters.[38] The final against Juventus was contested at the former St. Jakob Stadium in Basel, where Portuguese supporters were a minority.[39] The Italians were the favourites and started off well, taking the lead through Beniamino Vignola in the 13th minute. Seventeen minutes later, António Sousa equalised for Porto, but the Portuguese side could not prevent Zbigniew Boniek from scoring Juventus's winning goal just before half-time.[40] Despite the defeat, this final was a stepping stone in the growth of the club's international reputation.[41]
