FC Porto celebrate 133 years as Portugal’s most decorated club | OneFootball

FC Porto’s journey has been marked by a string of triumphs that built the richest honours list in Portuguese football and one of the most significant in world football. Born from the initiative of a small group of friends, the Club grew, faced – and continues to face – centralism, establishing itself 133 years later as the most decorated institution in the country, with 88 official trophies. A history shaped by persistence, identity and achievements that Porto fans have learned to celebrate and that deserves to be revisited on yet another anniversary.

One city, one Club, one identity

It was on 28 September 1893 that the Lisbon newspaper Diário Illustrado reported, on its third page, the creation of an entity intended to make up for the lack of a football club in the north of Portugal. The project came from António Nicolau de Almeida, a young wine merchant who gathered leading figures of Porto’s bourgeoisie around the initiative.

Little less than six months later, on 2 March 1894, FC Porto’s first athletes contested the D. Carlos I Cup against Club Lisbonense, in a match attended by the king and Queen D. Amélia. A 12-year period of inactivity followed, interrupted in 1906 by José Monteiro da Costa and the so-called Group of Destiny.

The difficult years

From that moment on, FC Porto’s path became intertwined with that of the city of Porto, historically resistant to the influence of the capital. The Club became established, gained symbols and identity, first settled at Campo da Rainha and, from 1913, at Campo da Constituição, while also expanding its activity into sports such as tennis, athletics and swimming. It became a benchmark of the Invicta and won its first national titles through the Campeonato de Portugal in 1922 and the League in 1935.

As Campo da Constituição became increasingly filled with supporters, a new home became necessary. Estádio das Antas was inaugurated in 1952, thanks to the decisive contribution of thousands of members. The following years were particularly demanding, although they were marked by the Double of 1956, led by Brazilian Dorival Yustrich, and the league title of 1959, won under Béla Guttman. Those successes interrupted long title droughts, between 1940 and 1956 and between 1959 and 1978, in an era dominated by the Lisbon clubs.

The blue-and-white revolution

The year 1978 marked a turning point. Winning the league after 19 years of waiting was comparable to a 25 April in Portuguese football. However, the transformation had begun in 1976, when Jorge Nuno Pinto da Costa took over the leadership of the football department and brought back José Maria Pedroto. The Club modernised, gained international stature and established itself as the representative of a region and of opposition to centralism.

That change led to major achievements. In football, FC Porto won two European Cups/UEFA Champions Leagues, two Intercontinental Cups, two UEFA Cups/Europa Leagues, one European Super Cup, 25 Portuguese Leagues, 16 Portuguese Cups, 24 Super Cups and one League Cup. Success also spread to roller hockey, basketball, handball, volleyball, billiards, swimming, boxing, adapted sport and sports that have since been discontinued, such as athletics and gymnastics. Along the way, Estádio do Dragão, Dragão Arena and the FC Porto Museum were inaugurated.

A new cycle with the same ambition

In 2024, a new page was opened in the blue-and-white history. In the largest voter turnout in the Club’s history, 26,876 members chose the new governing bodies. On 26 May, FC Porto won the 20th Portuguese Cup in its honours list. Roughly two and a half months later, in Aveiro, a memorable comeback against the same opponent secured the Cândido de Oliveira Super Cup and reinforced its status as the most decorated club in the country.

Months of transformation, expansion and mourning followed. Under the presidency of André Villas-Boas, FC Porto began competing in sports such as women’s football, futsal, senior boccia and wheelchair basketball, while also recording a sharp rise in membership. The year 2025 was also marked by the deaths of Jorge Nuno Pinto da Costa and Jorge Costa. The former president died at the age of 87, after 71 years as a member, more than six decades in the governing bodies and 42 years at the head of the institution. Jorge Costa, a former captain, also left an indelible mark on the Club, having lifted the UEFA Cup in Seville, the Champions League in Gelsenkirchen and the Intercontinental Cup in Yokohama.

The best way to honour the past

With the memory of Jorge Nuno Pinto da Costa and Jorge Costa present, 2026 has been a year of significant results for FC Porto, both on the pitch and in the arenas.

In football, the first team won the 31st National Championship, celebrated through the city with thousands of Porto fans and began the following season with its 25th Super Cup, having more trophies in this competition than all its rivals combined. In youth development, the titles in the under-15, under-17 and under-19 categories completed a clean sweep matched only in 1985/86 and 1997/98.

In basketball, the 13th national championship ended a ten-year wait and put the Club in a position to win its ninth Super Cup. The women’s volleyball team added the National Championship to the Portuguese Cup, achieving an unprecedented Double, while the roller hockey side were crowned European Champions for the fourth time, repeating the feats of 1986, 1990 and 2023.

The results of 2025/26 placed FC Porto among Europe’s leading clubs, with seven teams qualified for the Champions League: senior and youth football, handball, basketball, roller hockey, volleyball and goalball.

The best in Portugal

On 28 September 2026, FC Porto stands as the most successful club in Portuguese football, with 88 titles. It is also the only club to have won a “Penta” and to have been crowned National Champion at every level, from senior to under-15. In membership terms, growth remains clear, with more than 185,000 Porto supporters registered on the membership list.

Thus, 133 years are celebrated of one of the most successful institutions in world sport: a story of resistance, ambition and pride, built by a Club that continues to look to the future without losing touch with its roots.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.