Taça de Portugal

About Taça de Portugal

Taça de Portugal History, Format, Organization, Media Coverage

The Taça de Portugal, or Portuguese Cup in English, is an annual football tournament played by Portuguese teams. This tournament is open to professional and amateur clubs from the top four league divisions in this country. Over 140 teams get a chance to play in this competition, which is divided in eight rounds, including the final. All rounds are played in a single-game format, except for the semi-finals.

The competition had its first season played back in 1938, replacing the old Campeonato de Portugal. At times, over 150 clubs have played in this competition, with only 13 of those being able to lift the title. The winner of this competition earns a spot in the Supertaça Candido de Oliveira and in the group stage of the UEFA Europa League, unless the winner had already accomplished that feat via the Primeira Liga standings.

Just as it happens in the Portuguese top-flight, the so called “Big Three” -Benfica, Sporting, and Porto- have dominated the competition, with their titles adding up to over 60 titles since the tournament was created.

Given the popularity of this tournament in Portugal, and the significance it has for European tournaments, the Taça de Portugal has signed broadcasting deals with free-to-air channel RTP and also with commercial broadcaster Sport TV. The competition is also available for all fans to watch via Canal 11, a television channel created by the Portuguese Football Federation. In the USA, viewers can watch specific key games, usually involving the "Big Three" on RTP International which is availble on the fuboTV streaming platform.