# Estádio Nacional

The Estádio Nacional (English: National Stadium), also known as National Stadium Sports Complex (Portuguese: Complexo Desportivo do Estádio Nacional) and as Jamor Sports Complex (Portuguese: Complexo Desportivo 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.
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 (Portugal Day) by the Council president António Oliveira Salazar.
Work was complete in the Quinta da Graça (in 1953), to install the Comissão Administrativa do Estádio Nacional (National Stadium Administrative Commission).
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 (Construction and Conservation Services).
The Plano de Ordenamento do Complexo Desportivo da Jamor (Jamor Sports Complex Development Plan) was issued in July 1982, ordered by the DGEMN Direção-Geral de Edifícios e Monumentos Nacionais (Directorate-General for Buildings and National Monuments), authored by the architects Vasco Croft (coordinator), Nuno Bártolo and Joaquim Cadima, and by the landscape firm Professor Caldeira Cabral, Associados, Estudos e Projectos, Ld. (under the direction of landscape architects Francisco Caldeira Cabral and agronomist engineer João Caldeira Cabral. During this phase, diagnostic studies were performed to reformulate and re-evaluate the strategic importance of the complex.
In May 1985, the study Estabelecimento de zona de protecção (to establish a protection zone) 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 (since 1946); 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 (becoming the first British European champion team, nicknamed the Lisbon Lions).
In addition to hosting the Portugal national team since 1945, the site has held 50 international events for Portugal.
| Match | Date | Score | Opponent | Competition |
| 1. | 11 March 1945 | 2–2 | Spain | Friendly |
| 2. | 14 April 1946 | 2–1 | France | Friendly |
| 3. | 16 June 1946 | 3–1 | Republic of Ireland | Friendly |
| 4. | 5 January 1947 | 2–2 | Switzerland | Friendly |
| 5. | 26 January 1947 | 4–1 | Spain | Friendly |
| 6. | 25 May 1947 | 0–10 | England | Friendly |
| 7. | 23 November 1947 | 2–4 | France | Friendly |
| 8. | 23 May 1948 | 2–0 | Republic of Ireland | Friendly |
| 9. | 20 March 1949 | 1–1 | Spain | Friendly |
| 10. | 15 May 1949 | 3–2 | Wales | Friendly |
| 11. | 9 April 1950 | 2–2 | Spain | World Cup 1950 qualification |
| 12. | 14 May 1950 | 3–5 | England | Friendly |
| 13. | 21 May 1950 | 2–2 | Scotland | Friendly |
| 14. | 8 April 1951 | 1–4 | Italy | Friendly |
| 15. | 17 June 1951 | 1–1 | Belgium | Friendly |
| 16. | 14 December 1952 | 1–3 | Argentina | Friendly |
| 17. | 22 November 1953 | 3–1 | South Africa | Friendly |
| 18. | 29 November 1953 | 0–0 | Austria | World Cup 1954 qualification |
| 19. | 28 November 1954 | 1–3 | Argentina | Friendly |
| 20. | 19 December 1954 | 0–3 | West Germany | Friendly |
| 21. | 20 November 1955 | 2–6 | Sweden | Friendly |
| 22. | 25 March 1956 | 3–1 | Turkey | Friendly |
| 23. | 8 April 1956 | 0–1 | Brazil | Friendly |
| 24. | 3 June 1956 | 3–1 | Spain | Friendly |
| 25. | 9 June 1956 | 2–2 | Hungary | Friendly |
| 26. | 26 May 1957 | 3–0 | Italy | World Cup 1958 qualification |
| 27. | 8 May 1960 | 2–1 | Yugoslavia | Euro 1960 Quarter-finals |
| 28. | 19 March 1961 | 6–0 | Luxembourg | World Cup 1962 qualification |
| 29. | 21 May 1961 | 1–1 | England | World Cup 1962 qualification |
| 30. | 4 June 1961 | 0–2 | Argentina | Friendly |
| 31. | 21 April 1963 | 1–0 | Brazil | Friendly |
| 32. | 17 May 1964 | 3–4 | England | Friendly |
| 33. | 24 January 1965 | 5–1 | Turkey | World Cup 1966 qualification |
| 34. | 13 June 1965 | 2–1 | Romania | World Cup 1966 qualification |
| 35. | 12 June 1966 | 4–0 | Norway | Friendly |
| 36. | 26 June 1966 | 3–0 | Uruguay | Friendly |
| 37. | 13 November 1966 | 1–2 | Sweden | Euro 1968 qualifying |
| 38. | 17 December 1967 | 0–0 | Bulgaria | Euro 1968 qualifying |
| 39. | 27 October 1968 | 3–0 | Romania | World Cup 1970 qualification |
| 40. | 6 April 1969 | 0–0 | Mexico | Friendly |
| 41. | 10 May 1970 | 1–2 | Italy | Friendly |
| 42. | 1 November 1979 | 3–1 | Norway | Euro 1980 qualifying |
| 43. | 2 June 1984 | 2–3 | Yugoslavia | Friendly |
| 44. | 24 February 1985 | 1–2 | West Germany | World Cup 1986 qualification |
| 45. | 12 October 1986 | 1–1 | Sweden | Euro 1988 qualifying |
| 46. | 14 February 1987 | 0–1 | Italy | Euro 1988 qualifying |
| 47. | 18 August 1999 | 4–0 | Andorra | Friendly |
| 48. | 10 June 2003 | 4–0 | Bolivia | Friendly |
| 49. | 31 May 2014 | 0–0 | Greece | Friendly |
| 50. | 8 June 2024 | 1–2 | Croatia | Friendly |

### 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.