Football in Portugal: Match Tickets and Stadium Tours

Seeing Benfica, Sporting or FC Porto at home is one of the best nights out in Portugal, and the stadium tours suit a wet afternoon when there’s no game. Here’s how visitors buy match tickets, what they cost, and how the tours at the Luz, Alvalade and Dragão work in 2026.

Quick answer: the 2026-27 season runs from early August 2026 to mid-May 2027. Buy match tickets only from the clubs’ own websites, apps or box offices, after the members’ presale. Public tickets for an ordinary league game usually cost about €20 to €75, and derbies rarely reach general sale. Stadium tours with the museum cost about €24 to €25 for adults and are cut back or closed on match days.

The big three and the rest

• Benfica (the Eagles, in red): the Estádio da Luz in north-west Lisbon, the country’s biggest stadium, with about 65,000 seats.
• Sporting (the Lions, in green and white hoops): the Estádio José Alvalade in north Lisbon, about 50,000 seats.
• FC Porto (the Dragons, in blue and white): the Estádio do Dragão in east Porto, about 50,000 seats. They are the 2025-26 champions.

SC Braga play in a stadium carved into a granite quarry, and Vitória SC in Guimarães have some of the loudest fans in the country; see Braga and Guimarães. Don’t plan around Boavista: after its financial collapse, the club is out of the professional leagues and the Bessa stadium hasn’t hosted matches for over a year.

The 2026-27 season

The top division (Liga Portugal Betclic) has 34 rounds, from 8-9 August 2026 to 15-16 May 2027. Rounds spread from Friday to Monday, and exact days and kick-off times are usually fixed only a few weeks ahead, so don’t book flights around a game until it’s confirmed. The remaining big-three games are drawn for these weekends, though dates can move: FC Porto v Sporting (29 November 2026), Benfica v Sporting (27 December), Benfica v FC Porto (28 February 2027), Sporting v FC Porto (11 April) and Sporting v Benfica (9 May).

How to buy match tickets

• Where: Benfica sell through slbenfica.pt and the club app, Sporting through sporting.pt, and FC Porto through bilhetes.fcporto.pt and its club shops. Each stadium has a box office too.
• When: members (sócios) buy first, then the general public, usually in the week or two before the game.
• Account and ID: you register an account in your name. At FC Porto, non-members download an access card from their account to get through the gates. Carry your passport or ID card, as stewards can ask for it.
• Prices: they vary by match and seat. Sporting charged the public €22 for some league games in 2025, and FC Porto v Alverca in May 2026 cost €33 to €72. Big games cost more.
• Resale: avoid it. The clubs say tickets bought from third parties aren’t recognised at the gate.
• Away fans: away sections are sold through the visiting club. Don’t wear the visitors’ colours in a home section, or you can be refused entry.

Derbies: best avoided

The Lisbon derby (Benfica v Sporting) and the clássicos against FC Porto sell out to members and season-ticket holders; for the 2025 derby, Benfica only sold to members who had joined by a cut-off date. Any ticket you find will be marked up and may not get you in. A game against a mid-table team is cheaper, easier and still loud.

Stadium tours and museums

Stadium	Adult tour + museum	Usual hours
Luz (Benfica)	about €24	10am to 6pm; 9:30am to 7pm mid-June to mid-September
Alvalade (Sporting)	about €25	several tours a day, usually about 11am to 5pm
Dragão (FC Porto)	about €25	museum 10am to 7pm (Mondays from 2:30pm)

Benfica

The stadium alone is about €19 and the Museu Benfica Cosme Damião alone about €12, so the combined ticket saves money; children and over-65s pay less. Tickets aren’t dated and stay valid for a year. Tours start at Gate 17, by the statue of Eusébio, who now lies in the National Pantheon. Allow 90 minutes. The museum closes on men’s match days and stadium hours are cut.

Sporting

The stadium tour alone is about €21, less for children and over-65s, and free for under-5s. Only groups need to book, and tours start in the VIP hall by Gate 1. Stadium upgrades can change the route. Around league games the museum usually closes and tours run shorter hours; on European match days there are no visits.

FC Porto

The museum alone is about €17, and under-5s go free. Both visits are self-guided, with an app or audio guide in English, and you book your stadium time at the museum reception on the day. There are no stadium visits on match days or the day before a UEFA game, but the museum stays open.

Book direct: the clubs’ own websites are usually the cheapest place for tour tickets. Resellers often add a mark-up, so compare before you buy.

Getting there

• Luz: blue metro line to Colégio Militar/Luz, about 20 minutes from Restauradores and three stops past the zoo, with the Colombo shopping centre across the road.
• Alvalade: green or yellow line to Campo Grande, next to the stadium. Despite its name, Alvalade station is a long walk away.
• Dragão: metro lines A, B, E and F stop at Estádio do Dragão, one stop from Campanhã station; line E runs straight there from the airport.

A Lisbon metro trip costs €1.90, or €1.72 on zapping; see Lisbon public transport and Porto public transport. Trains are packed after the final whistle, so consider waiting 20 minutes.

Match-day tips

• Arrive early: gates usually open about 90 minutes before kick-off.
• Bags: bring a small one, expect a search, and leave glass and flares behind.
• Where to sit: the organised fan groups stand behind the goals, in sections with special entry rules; side stands suit first-timers and families.
• Atmosphere: at Benfica an eagle usually circles the stadium before kick-off. Learn the club’s name chant and buy a scarf at the club shop.
• Food and drink: vans outside sell bifanas. Lisbon shops stop selling takeaway alcohol at 11pm Sunday to Thursday (midnight Friday and Saturday), and Porto bans selling alcohol for the street from 9pm to 8am.

The national team and the cup final

Portugal’s home games move between the Luz, Alvalade, the Dragão, Braga and other grounds. The next one is Portugal v Denmark in the Nations League at Braga on 14 November 2026. Tickets go through the Portuguese Football Federation’s official ticket office, usually up to four per buyer, and sell fast. The Estádio Nacional at Jamor, near Oeiras, usually hosts the Portuguese Cup final in late May.

Watching in a bar

Big games are shown in almost every café and tasca; arrive early for a seat. In Porto, pair the match with a francesinha. Then see Lisbon nightlife or Porto nightlife.

FAQ

Can tourists buy tickets for Benfica, Sporting or FC Porto?

Yes. Register on the club’s website or app and buy when the general sale opens. Ordinary league games are rarely a problem; derbies sell out to members.

How much is a football ticket in Portugal?

Usually about €20 to €75 for the public at the big three for an ordinary league game, depending on the match and seat. Smaller clubs are cheaper.

Can you do a stadium tour on match day?

Not fully. Benfica and Sporting close their museums and cut tour hours, and FC Porto stops stadium visits but keeps the museum open.

When is the football season in Portugal?

From early August to mid-May. The 2026-27 league ends on 15-16 May 2027.

More: things to do in Lisbon and things to do in Porto.

See also: where to stay in Lisbon, where to stay in Porto, Portugal with teenagers, Lisbon with kids and Porto with kids.

Prices and details change, so please double-check before you travel. Spotted something out of date? Tell us in the groups.