These notes are to help those who would like to
watch a live game while visiting the Algarve. I have been to many
of the grounds myself.
Page updated 17th November 2024
SEASON 2024 - 2025 IS NOW UNDERWAY FOR THE
NATIONAL LEAGUES. THE ALGARVE LEAGUE STARTED ON 28th SEPTEMBER
(1st Division) and 5th OCTOBER (2nd Division).
This is the Portuguese football set-up in
descending order for season 2024 - 2025. National Leagues consist
of four tiers. Fifth and lower tiers, where they exist, are the
regional leagues. Promotion and relegation operates between all
tiers.
This English language website http://www.portugoal.net/
covers the top level and national team.
Another good website, with areas in English and
several other languages, is www.zerozero.pt which, among a lot of
information has results, league tables and fixtures for all levels
of the game in Portugal.
There is only one website specifically for
Algarve football, the official Algarve FA website www.afalgarve.pt in
Portuguese only, but easy enough to navigate and make sense of.
In Portugal, there is little or no recreational
or 'park' football as we know it in the UK. Most organised
football is played on enclosed grounds with 'proper' referees and
linesmen. There are also national and regional set-ups for U-19
etc type football. There are some unofficial veterans leagues.
You will be pleased to hear that admission charges are a lot less than in the UK for the comparable level of football. Tickets are readily available apart from, for example, Benfica v Sporting or Benfica v Porto. In most top level grounds and all those below that level you can pay on the day.
Very few games are usually scheduled over the
weekend between the Christmas and New Year Holidays, or over the
two weekends at all if those holidays fall on a Friday, Saturday
or Sunday. At Easter there are usually no matches on Easter
Sunday, they are mostly played on the Saturday instead. Minor
leagues do not have games at Easter.
There is virtually no midweek football (ie Tuesday or Wednesday) anywhere in Portugal below the top two Divisions.
Would you like a football tour to the
Algarve? Algarve Football Tours can organise games at any level,
from full professional down to veterans and school-aged teams.
The company deals with top level and
semi-professional teams from Germany, Sweden, Norway etc during
their winter break and also arranges pre-season training matches
for top British and other clubs. Matches can be arranged against
suitable local opposition and also on a tournament basis between
visiting teams. Qualified referees are arranged for all matches
and those at higher level will be provided with appropriate people
from the Portuguese or Algarve Football Association lists.
Semi - professional clubs can also have suitable
matches arranged pre-season against local opposition. All matches
at such levels require official sanctions from the relevant
Football Associations. 
For those at the lower levels of the game, we
can organise end of season and pre- season tour games against
local teams of ex-pats, short end-of-season tournaments between
visiting teams, also trips for school age teams during the winter
and Easter holidays. Intending school aged teams should be
aware that most weekday matches would be played in the evenings on
3G pitches under floodlights. We ensure that age appropriate match
arrangements are in place.
It is not easy to organise anything in July and
August as it is too hot. The local football season, apart from the
top two divisions, ends in mid-May and resumes in late
September. Veteran's and school aged games are normally good
until the end of June.
Algarve Football Tours will make all the
arrangements necessary to make your trip a successful event -
except booking flights and the essential insurance! Hotels,
transport to and from matches, training venues (if required) and
other off the field and non football activities can be organised
Click the logo below to visit our website for
more information, testimonials and contact details.
As Women’s football gathers momentum and
popularity, we are delighted to offer Portugal as a great
destination for Women’s Football Tours offering bespoke packages
including matches or tournaments. Throughout Portugal we have
women's/girls teams providing ideal opposition for all levels,
amateur to Semi Professional. Selected hotels offer full training
facilities for the more serious, or we can create a tailor made
package based in a lively resort to make a perfect football
holiday.
We can create a tailor made package for your women’s and girl's
football teams with hotels/accommodation to suit your
requirements, training facilities and those all important matches
or tournaments. In the Algarve, Lisbon or Porto we have
great conditions, venues and opposition choices to be sure your
team has a great football experience in Portugal.
If your prefer your tour to be a more sociable event, you can be
based in one of the Algarve’s lively resorts, to enjoy beautiful
beaches, good restaurants and nightlife based around your
football.
Women's Futsal tours with
matches and tournaments can also be arranged. 
Futsal in Europe has a long history in the sport and Portugal is
host some of the best players and teams. Take the chance to test
your skills on the European stage. Our package of accommodation,
training facilities and matches all set in a lively resort means
you and your team can enjoy a great tour in the Algarve.
Please click here to make an enquiry for more
information about football trips for women. See also http://futebolfemininoportugal.com/
Strictly for the over 50's, we are now able to help you with
visits and competitions for walking football teams. There are a
growing number of active walking football teams in the Algarve.
Contact us if you would like a one-off game or perhaps we
can organise a small tournament. A full scale tournament involving
around 50 teams held over two days will take place on 18th and
19th April 2025 at the stadium of Ferreiras FC, near Albufeira.
Next year's event is already fully subscribed. Make contact early
for the 2026 event! Other, smaller, tournaments may be held at
other times.
The first Women only tournament was held in March 2024 and was a
great success. For women, the age brackets are 40+ and 55+.
Tournaments for March 2025 are almost fully subscribed. Make
contact early if you are interested - same as above for the men's.
This website will be of interest to visitors - https://walkingfootballalgarve.com/
not connected with us, this is the site of the East Algarve
Walking Football club.
This map shows the various grounds used by the professional and
semi-professional clubs based in the Algarve. Zoom in to see a
more precise location, click the marker to see who plays there.
Many towns have no active senior football clubs, hence the big
gaps in the map!
The two marked in red are those of Portimonense and Farense, the
two top level teams of the Algarve.
Those marked in yellow are, so far as I know, used only by junior
age group teams. For interest I have marked, in grey, some of the
grounds I know and that are now not used by anyone. Click
the square on the right hand side of the box to open the map.
Season 2024 -
2025 started on 11th August 2024 and ends on 18th May 2025,
followed by any promotion / relegation playoffs.
Fixtures on the official website in English is https://www.ligaportugal.pt/en/homepage/
Games are scheduled for television purposes and
are played over Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday evenings. Very
rarely does a team play at the default 3.30pm /1530 hrs on a
Sunday afternoon, the 'default' time for kickoffs. ALL matches are
shown live on TV, hence strange kick-off times and sparse crowds
at many venues.
Dates and times of matches are confirmed four to six weeks in advance, except at the end of the season when certain games are ordered to be played at the same time, sometimes at less than a week's notice! Fixture dates and times can be found on the official League website which also has links to the club websites.
Farense,
the team of Faro, play in the renovated city centre São Luis
stadium, which has a present limited capacity of about 6,400
They finished second in the Second League, winning promotion.
Average attendance last season was 4999, therefore about 3/4 full
for most games, although the final two matches were almost sold
out. Average attendance so far this season is 5078 for games
played in San Luis, but they have played two recent matches at the
Algarve Stadium (against Sporting and Benfica) in front of many
more. That has boosted the overall average to just over 9,000.
The São Luis stadium is located in a mainly
residential area on the north side of the city near the large
hospital, about 15 minutes walk from the railway and bus stations.
Those familiar with many UK grounds will see it as 'traditional'
i.e it is not miles out of town and only accessible by car. There
is no cover from the elements on the non-members side of the
stadium. Parking is very limited, avoid driving there if you can.
Official website https://www.scfarense.pt/modalidades/futebol
The Lisbon based teams of Benfica and Sporting are about 3 to 4 hours drive from the Algarve (depending on where you are) or between 4 and 5 hours overall by bus or train. That includes the time spent in the city getting to the ground. It is impossible to travel to and from their games by train unless staying overnight. If going by coach (bus to non UK readers) you will have a long wait (until 0100) before your return journey! ALL top flight matches are shown live on TV and are therefore mostly played in the evenings, sometimes kicking off as late as 21.15hrs even on Sundays.
Apart from games involving the 'big three' of
Benfica, Sporting and Porto and the honourable exceptions of Braga
and Guimarães, crowds even in the top division of Portugal´s
national league often number less than 5,000. The latest
statistics show that only those five teams have average crowds in
excess of 10,000.
Portimonense
(the team based in Portimão) will play next season in the Liga Meu
Super, the second division. They were relegated from the top tier
after two playoff matches. They play in Portimão's city centre
municipal stadium, a short walk from buses and trains. It is an
'old fashioned' ground in that there are steep terraces close to
the pitch and no running track etc around it. To be honest it
would barely pass muster in the UK National League (5th tier) let
alone the second division of a national competition. Spectator
facilities are minimal, there are few toilets, one portable bar on
the non-members side, no match day programmes etc.
Their website is www.portimonense.pt
- it is only in Portuguese. The stadium holds about 5,500. If it's
looking like rain, be aware that the entire stadium, apart from
the executive area, has no roof cover. Average attendance last
season was 2347. This season so far, the average attendance is
1,156..
Note for visitors - children under 6 years old are not allowed in. The price of tickets will be €10 - 15 in non-members areas. Tickets are not sold on websites etc except for the big games. Ticket office in Rua Pé da Cruz (opposite blocks of flats painted yellow and green) opens two hours before kick-off. There are cafés and bars in the surrounding area in which to wait. The normal entrance for non-members is Gate 6, located around the corner in Avenida Zeca Afonso. There is NOTHING inside the ground in the way of spectator amenities before the game starts.
There is a fairly large free car park outside, which does get full as it also serves two large apartment blocks. There are other places to park nearby. For those coming by bus, the ground is 4 minutes walk from the main bus stop area on Avenida Guanaré. The railway station is about 15 minutes walk. However some games are played at times not allowing journeys by train or bus.Official website for fixtures and results in
English is https://www.ligaportugal.pt/en/homepage/
The Portuguese FA Cup is open to all
teams in the National setup, including those in Madeira and the
Azores. Almost all games are played at the weekend, as the leagues
mostly consist of between 12 and 16 teams, thus creating plenty of
spare dates. The only regional teams allowed to enter are,
generally, the league runner's up and the regional cup winners.
The fixtures can be found at www.zerozero.pt but kickoff times are harder
to find and will have to be checked locally or at the Portugal FA
website www.fpf.pt.
The League Cup (Taça Allianz) will next
season be, in effect, by invitation only, to the top six of the
Liga Betclic plus the two teams who finished top of the Liga
Sabseg. So our local teams will not be involved.
Season 2024 - 2025 started on the 18th August 2024. The season is
split into two phases, with the second phase phase ending on 18th
May 2025. There will therefore be several weekends with no
matches! Various playoffs to determine championship, promotion and
relegation will extend the season for some teams until early June.
. For fixtures, when available, go to https://resultados.fpf.pt/Competition/Details?competitionId=19509&seasonId=104.
Matches are normally played on Sunday afternoons at 3pm / 1500hrs
but later in August, April, May and June.
The Algarve has three teams involved, Lagoa, Louletano (Loulé) and Moncarapachense.
Lagoa play at the Estádio Capitão Josino da Costa, in the town centre about 5 minutes walk from the bus station. There is plenty of parking nearby.The Algarve
League First Division season began on 28th September 2024 and
will end in May 2025.
This is a semi-professional league, roughly the
equivalent of a good English county FA league. Matches are
normally played on Saturday afternoons, although some games are at
different times because of ground sharing. In May and June, games
will be kicking off normally at 1700hrs / 5pm
Lagos
play in an open air stadium just outside the town centre, about 10
minutes walk from the bus and railway stations.
Imortal
(Albufeira) play in the Municipal Stadium about 1km
outside the town centre. Location Map here. Easy access from around town and
elsewhere by bus. Some stop outside or the main bus station is 5
minutes walk. There is a large free car park. For Imortal's
results and fixtures click here.
Olhanense - were relegated from the
national leagues a few years ago and have since folded and
re-formed. The new club played last season n the Algarve League
Second Division, the very lowest level. They won it
fairly easily and are in the first division next season. Their
stadium Estádio José Arcanjo is close to the town centre, about 10
minutes walk from railway and bus stations. Parking is available
nearby for those who drive. Unofficial website only in Portuguese
is http://www.olhanense.net/
First Division
Algarve League First Division games are played
on SATURDAYS normally at 1500hrs / 3pm (later in April, May and
June) but as before fixtures can change, often at short notice.
Best check locally if you can. Some kick-off times are changed
because of ground sharing.
The Algarve FA website usually publishes changes
to the fixture lists with confirmed kickoff times on the MONDAY
prior to the weekend concerned. The local press does not usually
list kick-off times in their information.
A problem is that kickoff times and even match
dates may be altered with as little as a week's warning. It is
difficult therefore to keep up to date as few of the clubs have an
official website and the FA website does not highlight any
changes. So if I forget to look...
Fixtures (with kick-off times) will be seen here
Reminder that ko times for more than 2 or 3 weeks ahead should be
checked again as they are subject to change.
I will list all fixtures with kick-off times
each Monday or Tuesday at www.albufeira.com/forum
The First Division teams are : Culatrense (*),
Ferreiras, Imortal Albufeira, Lagos, Lusitano VRSA,
Odiáxere, Olhanense, Moncarapachense B, Os 11 Esperanças (*),
Portimonense B, Quarteirense and Silves. (*) these two are based
in Faro.
The Algarve Cup is the regional cup
competition and most teams enter, including those in the national
Leagues. Matches are usually played midweek often at very short
notice. The first round has been completed. Saturday December 21st
has been set aside for the second round. Through to the second
round : Ferreiras, Imortal Albufeira, Os Armacanenses, Culatrense,
Sambrasense, Quarteira SC, Messinense, Silves, Guia, SC Olhanense,
Odiáxere, Bensafrim and Quarteirense. They will be joined by the
three teams in the Campeonato de Portugal, namely Lagoa, Louletano
and Moncarapachense.
Many bars in the Algarve, especially those run
by British people, have access to UK sports channels via 'illegal'
internet streams. In the Algarve you will almost always be able to
find somewhere showing English football. Some bars will also show
Scottish games, but you may have to look rather harder!
If you are coming to the Albufeira area and need to know a good bar in which to watch a game near where you are staying, go to www.albufeira.com/forum and ask there for a recommendation.
Portugal's DAZN Eleven subscription channels
show English Premier League matches each weekend and during
midweek, including the 3pm Saturday matches not normally available
to UK viewers. English language commentary may not be available.
Another subscription service, SportTV, shows Championship, FA Cup
and League Cup matches. Very occasionally there will be a match on
free to air channels, particularly if a Portuguese team is playing
in Europe.
DAZN Portugal also show Spanish La Liga games.
Many bars in tourist areas (ie the Algarve) have
access to other broadcast streams, including Irish channels, Bein
Sport also South African, US and Canadian channels, which show
many English Premier League games with English commentary. You can
find bars showing three or four games at the same time on a
Saturday afternoon.
Portugal's SportTV (subscription channel) also
shows live US Major League, Dutch, Italian, French, German and
other games fairly regularly. You may also get Brazilian games
late at night.
If you have a car while you are here, you might
be able to get over to Huelva or Seville. Seville play in the
Spanish First Division (La Liga) of course as do the other team in
Seville, Real Betis.
The local team just across the border in Huelva,
called Recreativo, are in the Segunda Federacíon, in effect the
regionalised fourth division. Their website is https://recreativohuelva.com/
and they are the oldest football club in Spain it says. League
website is https://rfef.es/es/competiciones/segunda-federacion
You can get fixtures from an English Language website at www.soccer-spain.com; which also has information about kickoff times and ticket sales generally. Beware that in Spain, many games are re-scheduled for TV purposes only a few days in advance of the weekend concerned. Tickets are therefore not normally available until a few days beforehand. Some games kick off as late as 10.15pm / 22.15hrs
The city of Seville is easily accessible from
the Algarve by car, but there are no trains and by bus it is
fairly hard work with very few buses running in winter. A trip out
and back in one day almost impossible! Click here for public transport information
Algarve - Seville.
Very little women's 11-a-side football in played in the Algarve. The whole Algarve Region recently has had just two active senior teams, those of Guia FC and Ferreiras FC. SC Olhanense formed a women's team for season 2024 - 2025.
The season for the women began early in September and will end in
late May, the exact date depending on success or otherwise in
various playoffs. It does seem that Saturday afternoons is the
preferred time for matches, but always check. I will list the
forthcoming weekend's games at albufeira.com/forum each Monday or
Tuesday.
Guia FC play in the national Second Division which is split into
two sections each of eight teams. Guia´s opponents include the B
teams of both Benfica and Sporting.
The third division, in which Ferreiras and Olhanense play,
started on 29th September. There will be very few games, the 78
teams being divided into 13 groups of six for the first phase.
Only the teams finishing first plus the three best second placed
teams will advance to the second phase. I do not know yet what the
others will do for the rest of the season, but there will possibly
be some form of supplementary competition.
Fixtures can be found at https://www.fpf.pt/pt/ - click
MENU on the top right , then Futebol Feminino then the required
competition.