FC Porto can go clear at the top with a win over Torreense | OneFootball

FC Porto intend to start the 2026/27 season the same way they ended the previous one: by winning. A triumph in the Cândido de Oliveira Super Cup, scheduled for Saturday at 8:15 pm against Torreense, would allow the Dragons to take sole possession of first place in the national ranking of clubs with the most trophies. At present, the national champions are tied with Benfica, both on 87 titles. Therefore, a victory in the first official match of the season, at the Cidade de Coimbra Stadium, would give FC Porto top spot in a ranking that continues to generate widespread… debate. André Villas-Boas, Porto’s president, has in fact often argued that the club already leads this count, since both the blue and whites and the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) consider Benfica’s 1980 Super Cup to be unofficial.

Despite the different interpretations of the numbers, FC Porto need to beat Torreense to reach the top unequivocally and put an end to the doubts. Standing in their way will be the surprise winner of the last edition of the Portuguese Cup, who pulled off a huge shock at Jamor by beating favourites Sporting. In the final, the Lions were unable to hide the scars of losing the league title and being eliminated from the Champions League.

With 87 trophies each, FC Porto and Benfica share dominance of Portuguese football. The rivalry between the two clubs is also reflected in this matter, with the Dragons having closed the gap on the club from Luz after the 1970s, during the presidency of Jorge Nuno Pinto da Costa. Now, Villas-Boas wants to continue that recovery during his current term.

Sporting sit in third place on this list of domestic and international honours, but they are well behind the other two rivals. The Lions have 57 trophies, 30 fewer than FC Porto and Benfica.

Two trophies in a row?

Underestimating Torreense in the first official match of the season would be a major step toward failure in Coimbra. Aware of what happened to Sporting at the National Stadium, Francesco Farioli will not allow any complacency against the team from Torres Vedras, who compete in Liga 2. Winning the league title, which had eluded FC Porto for four years, remains very fresh in the memory of the blue and white supporters, who celebrated in style, with more than half a million people gathering along the banks of the Douro, in Ribeira and on Avenida dos Aliados.

The goal is to begin 2026/2027 on the right foot, in a season that is expected to be particularly demanding. The priority will be to retain the national title, without forgetting the other domestic competitions and the ambition of putting together a strong campaign in the new Champions League format, a competition in which Porto will make their debut in September.

The national title-winning coach therefore has extra motivation for the team talk before the match against Torreense. Leading the list of clubs with the most titles in Portugal is always a source of pride and a show of superiority over the main rivals, especially against eternal rivals Benfica.

As for the Super Cup specifically, FC Porto have clearly dominated the competition’s history. The Dragons have already lifted the trophy — contested annually between the national champions and the winner, or losing finalist, of the Portuguese Cup — 24 times. Benfica have won it on ten occasions and Sporting on nine, in a competition that marks the official start of the football season in Portugal.

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