World Cup History
Best Result:
1966, Third
Portugal's record in terms of qualifying for World Cups is relatively modest having only appeared in two tournaments before 2002. However, in its four appearances it has made the semi-finals on two occasions, finishing third in England in 1966 and fourth in Germany 2006.
Their debut appearance in 1966 was extremely successful, as they bolted through the group stages with wins over recent powers Brazil and Hungary as well as Bulgaria, with Eusebio scoring three goals. The best was yet to come from the striker as he helped his team recover from 3-0 down against DPR Korea with four goals in 32 minutes. But while he scored again in the semi-final against England, Bobby Charlton's double got the hosts through to the final. He would finish with nine goals thanks to another in the 2-1 victory over USSR in the third-place playoff.
It wasn't until 1986 that Portugal made it back into the World Cup, but they didn't get past the group stages, finishing bottom of their group. In 2002, with the team expected to perform well having made the semi-finals of Euro 2000, Portugal were knocked out of what looked a seemingly straight-forward group which contained USA, Poland and Korea Republic. A 1-0 loss to Korea Republic in the final match was compounded by two sendings-offs including Joao Pinto, who punched the referee in the stomach and was subsequently suspended for six months.
The 2006 World Cup was a lot more positive for Portugal, which progressed to the second round with three wins over Mexico, Angola and Iran. A 1-0 win over Netherlands got them into the quarter-finals where England awaited. It ended 0-0 after extra time and Portugal prevailed from a penalty shootout. But Zinedine's Zidane's goal for France in the semi-final ended their hopes of glory and they were beaten 3-1 by Germany in the third-place playoff.
Road to World Cup
Finished second in UEFA Group 1
Qualified with a 2-0 aggregate playoff win over Bosnia and Herzegovina
Portugal's progression to the 2010 World Cup was anything but straight-forward. A 4-0 win over Malta was a good way to start things off, but a 3-2 home loss to Denmark, followed by 0-0 draws against Sweden home and away and Albania at home had the national team in crisis. An injury-time winner against Albania away saved severe blushes, while back-to-back wins over Hungary got Portugal back in the running to finish second and make the playoffs. A 4-0 win over Malta put Portugal into second by just one point over Sweden.
The anxiety for Portuguese fans was to continue in a nail-biting two-legged playoff against Bosnia and Herzegovina. Bruno Alves scored in the 31st minute in the first leg in Lisbon, but the visitors repeatedly missed chances and hit the woodwork on several occasions. In the return leg in Zenica, Raul Meireles scored in the 56th minute to secure Portugal's passage.
Star Men
Cristiano Ronaldo - The reigning FIFA World Player of the Year failed to perform at his best in the qualifiers. He didn't score a goal and had to sit out the two playoff matches through injury. There are those who say that he has rarely produced his best when in national colours, and certainly in recent times this has been the case. South Africa 2010 presents Ronaldo with a shot at performing on the big stage.
Deco - The Chelsea midfielder has produced some great performances for his adopted country over the years, including a magnificent goal against Iran in the last World Cup. His pace and skill with the ball will be a massive asset for Portugal in South Africa 2010.
Stranger than Fiction
Portugal have never won a World Cup, and have never even made the final, but Brazil, its former colony, is the most successful nation in World Cup history. Perhaps in a bid to influence the team's successes, Portugal's team for the 2010 World Cup will feature several Brazilian-born players as well as at least two from another former colony Cape Verde.
