Portuguese dreams in the 2025/26 Champions League | OneFootball

The UEFA Champions League is back with new 36-team league phase introduced last season, and Portugal has two proud representatives flying the flag: Sporting CP and Benfica. FC Porto, usually a mainstay, miss out this year and will play in Europa League. That puts extra spotlight — and pressure — on Lisbon’s two giants.

Both clubs arrive with different stories to tell. Sporting stormed their way to the domestic title in 2024/25, playing fearless, attacking soccer. Benfica, meanwhile, never lost touch of their city rivals and fell just short at the last hurdle. Together, they carry the hopes of Portuguese soccer into a Champions League campaign that promises spectacle, sweat, and a little bit of drama.

TrustnBet.com offers a comprehensive Champions League betting guide with up-to-date odds to help fans make informed picks.

Sporting CP — Champions with a point to prove

If any Portuguese side looks built for the new Champions League gauntlet, it’s Sporting. Last season they were relentless at home, ruthless in front of goal, and solid when matches tightened. That mix carried them to the Primeira Liga crown, despite the wobble when coach Ruben Amorim switched to Manchester United. His replacement João Pereira did not last long but the Lions found stability again under Rui Borges and ended the season strongly, winning the Portuguese League and Cup double.

But Sporting’s draw is brutal. Their fixture list includes Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern Munich, and Juventus, plus stern tests against Napoli, Marseille, and the ever-awkward Club Brugge. These are fixtures where concentration lapses get punished, and where even a strong performance can end in defeat.

Strengths: Sporting’s strength lies in their stability having largely the same squad as last season. Even the loss of star striker Viktor Gyökeres does not seem to have affected the Green and Whites much, with his replacement Luis Suárez hitting the ground running. Their midfield presses intelligently, and their back line, moving from a three-man defence to a conventional back four under Borges, is maturing into one of the most organised in Portugal. At home in Alvalade, they’ve turned the crowd’s roar into a genuine weapon.

Form check: They come into the Champions League full of confidence, riding the momentum of their domestic triumphs in recent years. Confidence matters — especially against giants like Bayern and PSG, where belief often tips the balance between narrow defeat and famous victory.

Key men:

Chances: With such a tough draw, an automatic top-8 qualification looks ambitious. But Sporting should absolutely target a finish in the 9–24 zone, which brings a knockout playoff. If they protect home turf and nick points away, they could well be the dark horse that no heavyweight wants to meet in spring.

Benfica — Tradition Meets transition

Where Sporting bring swagger, Benfica bring tradition. The Águias have been Portuguese football’s great exporters — selling stars, reinventing squads, and still managing to stay relevant on Europe’s biggest nights. That balancing act continues in 2025/26.

Their league-phase fixtures feature a blend of glamour and grind: opponents like Chelsea, Bayer Leverkusen, Napoli, and Newcastle United guarantee high-intensity nights. Some are winnable, some daunting, but all will test Benfica’s ability to manage turnover in their squad while maintaining sharpness.

Strengths: Benfica’s biggest weapon is their attacking firepower and their ability to carve open defences with pace and technique from wingbacks Samuel Dahl and Amar Dedić. At the Estádio da Luz they are formidable, feeding off a crowd that turns Champions League nights into something special. Their European savvy — built from decades of competing at this level and backed up by two triumphs in their trophy cabinet — also counts.

Form check: They looked sharp at the tail end of last season, and though they lost pieces in the transfer market (as always), they’ve retooled efficiently. The first three or four fixtures will be decisive; start well and belief will snowball, start poorly and they’ll be scrapping to survive.

Chances: Benfica’s ceiling would appear to be slightly lower than Sporting’s given the recent history of the two clubs and an apparent over-reliance on Pavlidis for goals. But the playoff zone is very much within reach, and on a good run, they could surprise a heavyweight. Expect them to hover around the top-20 mark, scrapping for every point.

Opponents: different styles

Portuguese clubs thrive on tactical adaptability, but their Champions League opponents this year bring contrasting tests:

For Sporting and Benfica, the formula is clear: dominate at home, fight for scraps away, and keep an eye on goal difference.

The road ahead

So what can Portugal realistically hope for in Europe this season?

The Champions League rarely rewards sentiment, but Portuguese football has always thrived on punching above its weight. If Pote lights up Alvalade and Pavlidis keeps scoring in Lisbon, don’t be surprised if both Sporting and Benfica are still in the conversation come March.

Portugal may only have two tickets this year, but both clubs bring passion, pedigree, and players capable of writing new European stories. The continent’s giants may look at them as outsiders — but outsiders with bite are often the ones who leave the deepest mark.

Porto and Braga in the Europa League

FC Porto’s absence from the Champions League this year is a rare sight, but perhaps a good thing for the club as part of its rebuild under new coach Francesco Farioli, and also an opportunity to sum plenty of coefficient points for Portugal.

Braga join Porto in Europe’s secondary competition after negotiating the qualifiers in impressive fashion. Both clubs have been given a favourable Europa League draw, in which the standout ties curiously involve the same opponents – Rangers and Nottingham Forest. The northerners will not be playing just for pride but for the country’s future European seeding.