In its 100 year history, the Portugal national football team has never won a FIFA World Cup title. In fact, the Portugal soccer jersey has only been glimpsed on the pitches of six World Cup tournaments, meaning that, of the top-ranked teams in this year's event, Portugal will be one of the least experienced on the global football stage.
Still, that fact isn't lessening the vigor of the team's fans, who are ready to bleed the distinctive red color of the Portugal 2014 FIFA World Cup home jersey come this summer. The shirt, with its subtle striping of dark and bright red hues, not to mention the Nike swoosh and the classic cross of the team's crest, is expected to be a consistent presence at this year's cup.
An Attractive Narrative
In fact, while one narrative angle for this year's World Cup could be about Brazil which is hosting the tournament and fighting for a record sixth trophy in the venerable FIFA event arguably the most fun to follow story will be that of Portugal. Despite the fact that the players in the Portugal soccer jersey have never clinched a World Cup title, they are currently slotted in third place on FIFA's world rankings a fact that could predict a rousing rags-to-riches, Cinderella story for the western European team.
Indeed, a victory for the Portugal team would be something that, just a few years ago, would have been deemed impossibly unlikely. After all, when players take to the pitch in Brazil wearing the Portugal 2014 FIFA World Cup home jersey, they may be doing so with recent momentum, but not with a history of World Cup success.
World Cup Difficulties
After not entering the first World Cup in 1930, Portugal failed to qualify at every single tournament between 1934 and 1962. When the team finally managed to qualify, it arrived in impressive fashion, making it all the way to the semifinals at the 1966 World Cup in England, and ultimately coming in third place.
But if the England World Cup showed Portugal as a new presence to watch in international soccer, ensuing tournaments did little to back up that promise. In 1970, Portugal was back to not qualifying, and the next time the country made it to a World Cup in 1986, at the tournament in Mexico it couldn't muster enough momentum to make it past the group stage.
Ever since then, Portugal has been on a similar up-and-down ride as far as its World Cup successes have been concerned. The team failed to qualify for the Cup in 1990, 1994, and 1998 and suffered another group stage elimination in 2002 before making it back to the semis in 2006 and securing a fourth place finish.
The Chosen Year?
Now, after a finish in the round of 16 at the 2010 World Cup, many are wondering if Portugal's seesawing will finally end in a place at the top of the podium. Recent momentum has pushed the team to a high ranking to the point where FIFA experts only expect Spain and Germany to perform better in Brazil.
Furthermore, the Portuguese football team turns 100 this year, a fact that has led many a superstitious football enthusiast to wonder if this might be the year that the team is destined to win it all. Or perhaps the Portugal team has merely been inspired to perform better by its centennial celebration.
Either way, there is no doubt that the Portugal will be a symbol of much World Cup speculation this year. That speculation will be put to test in the group stage, where Portugal will come up against challenging competitors like Germany, the United States, and Ghana.
Portugal's first football match of the 2014 World Cup will take place on June 16 and will be played in the away position against Germany. A win there would bode extremely well for the team's chances in the Cup, as it would show Portugal's ability to upset a more highly ranked team.
Could this year's World Cup come down to Portugal and its neighbors (and defending champions), Spain? Only time will tell, but the Portugal soccer jersey will certainly prove to be a common sight in Brazil this summer, and if you are hoping to support the team, you won't want to be left out! Soccer Box has plentiful Portugal gear, and you can save 5% off anything you order by typing in BLOG5 as a coupon code.
