These are the 3 most popular sports in Portugal

Sports fan? Traveling to Portugal? Why not combine the two! Planning your travels around sporting events will give you a holiday experience away from the typical tourist traps, and is also the perfect excuse to practice a little Portuguese; not that us language lovers should need an excuse, of course! To help you with your planning, here are some of the most popular sports in Portugal. Which are your favorites?   [caption id="attachment_6196" align="aligncenter" width="500"] Photo via Flickr [/caption]  

Football

  How could a country producing one of the world's most famous footballers, Cristiano Ronaldo, not have football as one of its most popular sports? The Primeira League is the professional football league of Portugal, home to the Big Three teams; S. L. Benfica, Sporting CP, and FC Porto. If you would prefer some lower league action there are 18 teams competing in the LigaPro, or second division. Lower than that there is Campeonato de Portugal, which also has 18 teams. Between these and the hundreds of teams at District League level throughout the country, wherever you are in Portugal there is some football to watch!  

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  Here is some vocabulary to get you started with, for your first Portuguese match.   For the team: Artilheiro — best goal scorer Goleiro — goalkeeper Volante — central mid-fielder Zagueiro — central defenseperson Meio-campista — midfielder Árbitro de futebol — Referee   For the game: Futebol — football Gol — goal A linha de fundo — goal line A pequena área — goal area A trave — goalpost A rede — net O banco de reservas — bench A área — penalty area A marca de pênalty — mark Atacante — forward/attack Placar — scoreboard Campo de futebol — soccer field Estádio de futebol — soccer stadium Pontapé de canto — corner kick Cartão amarelo/vermelho —yellow/red card   [caption id="attachment_6198" align="aligncenter" width="500"] Photo via Wikimedia [/caption]  

Futsal

  Fustal is a form of football that is played indoors on a hard court. The Campeonato Nacional da I Divisão de Futsal is the professional futsal league to follow in Portugal if you are unfamiliar with the game. Fourteen teams compete at this level, with Sporting CP and Benfica two of the biggest name teams to look out for. And if you are lucky enough to be in Portugal when the country is hosting an international competition, you can cheer on the national futsal team as well. Portugal ranks sixth currently on the Futsal World Rankings and are determined to climb further back up that table! Be aware that the futsal season runs from September to February; perfect to watch if you're visiting Portugal out of peak tourist times.   How about a little vocabulary to get you started?   For the team: Equipe — team Goleiro — goalkeeper Vassoura / jogador de campo — sweeper Oponente direto — direct opponent Extremo — winger   For the game: defesa zonal — zonal defence Superioridade posicional / inferioridade — superior/inferior position Pressionando — pressing homem para homem defesa — man to man defence Abertura — opening Paralelo — parallel Rotações — rotations Transição — transition Atrasando — delaying   [caption id="attachment_6199" align="aligncenter" width="500"] Photo via Wikimedia [/caption]  

Cycling

  The Volta a Portugal is one of the oldest stage races in the world and by far the biggest cycling race held in Portugal. This challenging long-distance road race takes place over two weeks every August, the distance liable to change depending on the weather. Competitors enter the race in teams and as individual cyclists. The W52-FC Porto cycling team dominate the race as both, having won three years in a row as a team, and in the last two with their cyclist Raúl Alarcón. Other big cycling events to keep an eye out for if you are planning your trip outside of summer are the Volta ao Algarve in February, and the Classica da Arrabida in March.   Here is a little cycling vocabulary in Portuguese.   Um ciclista — cyclist O capacete — helmet A bicicleta — bicycle Os óculus — glasses As luvas — gloves A camisa — shirt A bermuda — shorts As sapatilhas — shoes A garrafa d’água — water bottle Uma corrida — race O percurso — the route O acidente — crash Estágios — stages Íngreme — steep Montanhoso — hilly Escalar — climb Arrancada — sprint Os espectadores — spectators   So, what sports are you planning to watch on your trip to Portugal?