Lisboa Futebol

Futebol is the lifeblood of many a Portuguese citizen. Futebol fever became an epidemic during the 2006 World Cup, and after a month of nail-biting, shop-closing, crowd-gathering soccer mania, the Portuguese team returned from Germany national heroes after reaching the semifinal round for the first time in 40 years. These days, the Portuguese get riled up for the popular Euro Cup and regional games. If you are in Lisboa when Portugal is playing, go to Marques de Pombal (M: Marques de Pombal), where you will see hundreds of fans screaming at a giant TV screen. If they win, follow the fans to the main praça, where they will stop traffic, clamber onto random cars, and sometimes flip them over. Portugal’s two most renowned teams are in Lisboa: Benfica and Sporting, both of which feature some of the world’s finest players. (Benfica at Estádio da Luz. ☎707 200 100; www.slbenfica.pt. M: Colégio Militar-Luz. Ticket office open daily 10am-7pm. Sporting at Alvalade Stadium. ☎707 20 44 44; www.sporting.pt. M: Campo Grande. Ticket office open M-F 10am-7pm.) Benfica made headlines with its magical rise to the semifinal round of the 2006 UEFA Champions League, the most prestigious club tournament in Europe, for the first time in over a decade. Benfica and Sporting are bitter rivals—be careful whom you support, since both have diehard fans who won’t care that you’re “just a tourist.” Check the newspaper A Bola for games.

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