Estádio Nacional


The Estádio Nacional, also known as Centro Desportivo Nacional do Jamor, is a football stadium. It is located in the civil parish of Algés, Linda-a-Velha e Cruz Quebrada-Dafundo, in the municipality of Oeiras, in the southwestern part of Lisbon District.
The Portugal national team played 46 matches at the stadium from 1945 to 1987, then played additional friendlies in 1999, 2003, 2014 and 2024. The venue was used by B-SAD from 2018 to 2022 and by Casa Pia A.C. in 2022–23, both as a temporary home ground in the Primeira Liga.
The stadium hosted the first ever UEFA club game on 4 September 1955 between Primeira Divisão's third-placed team, Sporting CP, and the Yugoslav champions, Serbian side Partizan Belgrade. It ended as a 3–3 draw and was the first game to be played of the first edition of the European Cup.

History

In 1933, the decision was made to construct the national stadium alongside the Jamor ravine. The original design was authored by Francisco Caldeira Cabral and Konrad Weisner and Jacobetty Rosa, with works beginning in 1939.
It was inaugurated on 10 June 1944 by the Council president António Oliveira Salazar.
Work was complete in the Quinta da Graça, to install the Comissão Administrativa do Estádio Nacional.
In 1961, construction on the hippodrome began, in addition to the first phase of work on the shooting range, by the Serviços de Construção e de Conservação.
The Plano de Ordenamento do Complexo Desportivo da Jamor was issued in July 1982, ordered by the DGEMN Direção-Geral de Edifícios e Monumentos Nacionais, authored by the architects Vasco Croft, Nuno Bártolo and Joaquim Cadima, and by the landscape firm Professor Caldeira Cabral, Associados, Estudos e Projectos, Ld. was ordered by the DGEMN, by architects Vasco Croft and Nuno Bártolo, to limit the sports complex zone, providing a buffer for military access, a non aedificandi zone and urban growth, in addition to expansion for green spaces and support areas for nautical sports.
In 1993, a project to construct a sporting pavilion in Jamor was issued.
In September 2012, the Portuguese Football Federation announced that the stadium would undergo renovation in which work would begin in 2014.
It was announced by the Rugby governing body ERC on 2 September that the Portuguese team would hold their home games at the Estádio Nacional. However, all their home games were played at the Portuguese national rugby teams home stadium of Estádio Universitário de Lisboa.
On 6 February 2015, a tender was issued to cover the western edge of the audience seating for the rugby field.

Architecture

Architecturally the stadium is noteworthy for its open east side, unusual for a stadium otherwise featuring a typical oval configuration. Its current capacity is 37,593 and it is the venue for the Portuguese football cup final.

Sport

Football

The stadium has traditionally hosted the final of the Portuguese Cup ; in only five times was this game played in other venues and in total, 52 Cup finals have been played on the grounds. Portuguese football fans have bemoaned the historic stadium, owing to a lack of amenities; following the Euro 2004, there was a movement to move the event to one of the grounds built for the Euro football championships.
One memorable match was played here on 3 May 1949, when Benfica won 4-3 a testimonial to their captain Francisco Ferreira against Torino which turned out to be the last one played by the Grande Torino due to the Superga air disaster the following day.
The most prestigious international game ever staged at the Estádio Nacional was the 1967 European Cup Final, played between Celtic and Internazionale with the former winning 2-1.
In addition to hosting the Portugal national team since 1945, the site has held 50 international events for Portugal.
MatchDateScoreOpponentCompetition
1.11 March 19452–2Friendly
2.14 April 19462–1Friendly
3.16 June 19463–1Friendly
4.5 January 19472–2Friendly
5.26 January 19474–1Friendly
6.25 May 19470–10Friendly
7.23 November 19472–4Friendly
8.23 May 19482–0Friendly
9.20 March 19491–1Friendly
10.15 May 19493–2Friendly
11.9 April 19502–2World Cup 1950 qualification
12.14 May 19503–5Friendly
13.21 May 19502–2Friendly
14.8 April 19511–4Friendly
15.17 June 19511–1Friendly
16.14 December 19521–3Friendly
17.22 November 19533–1Friendly
18.29 November 19530–0World Cup 1954 qualification
19.28 November 19541–3Friendly
20.19 December 19540–3Friendly
21.20 November 19552–6Friendly
22.25 March 19563–1Friendly
23.8 April 19560–1Friendly
24.3 June 19563–1Friendly
25.9 June 19562–2Friendly
26.26 May 19573–0World Cup 1958 qualification
27.8 May 19602–1Euro 1960 Quarter-finals
28.19 March 19616–0World Cup 1962 qualification
29.21 May 19611–1World Cup 1962 qualification
30.4 June 19610–2Friendly
31.21 April 19631–0Friendly
32.17 May 19643–4Friendly
33.24 January 19655–1World Cup 1966 qualification
34.13 June 19652–1World Cup 1966 qualification
35.12 June 19664–0Friendly
36.26 June 19663–0Friendly
37.13 November 19661–2Euro 1968 qualifying
38.17 December 19670–0Euro 1968 qualifying
39.27 October 19683–0World Cup 1970 qualification
40.6 April 19690–0Friendly
41.10 May 19701–2Friendly
42.1 November 19793–1Euro 1980 qualifying
43.2 June 19842–3Friendly
44.24 February 19851–2World Cup 1986 qualification
45.12 October 19861–1Euro 1988 qualifying
46.14 February 19870–1Euro 1988 qualifying
47.18 August 19994–0Friendly
48.10 June 20034–0Friendly
49.31 May 20140–0Friendly
50.8 June 20241–2Friendly

Rugby

The Rugby governing body ERC announced on 2 September 2014 that the Portuguese club Lusitanos XV would hold their home games of the 2013-14 Amlin Challenge Cup at National Stadium. However, all their home games of the 2013-14 Amlin Challenge Cup were played at the Portuguese national rugby teams home stadium of Estádio Universitário de Lisboa.

Events

There have been notable concerts at the stadium, including The Police on 25 September 2007, as part of their The Police Reunion Tour and the Black Eyed Peas on 30 May 2010, during their The E.N.D. World Tour. Iron Maiden played a post-pandemic show at the stadium on 31 July 2022, on the final date of their Legacy of the Beast Tour.