# Boavista F.C.

Boavista Futebol Clube, commonly known as Boavista (Portuguese pronunciation:), is a Portuguese professional sports club from the Boavista neighborhood [pt] of Porto. Founded on 1 August 1903 by British entrepreneurs and Portuguese textile workers, it is one of the oldest clubs in the country and plays in the Primeira Liga, Portuguese football's top flight.
Boavista grew to become an important sports club in Portugal, with sections dedicated to several sports including football, chess, gymnastics, bicycle racing, futsal, volleyball, rink hockey, and boxing, among others, with the most notable being the football section with their trademark chequered white and black shirts.
With 9 major domestic trophies won (1 Championship, 5 Portuguese Cups and 3 domestic Super Cups, all during the presidencies of Valentim Loureiro or João Loureiro, of the Loureiro family), Boavista is the most decorated Portuguese football club after the "Big Three" (Benfica, Porto and Sporting CP). Boavista spent 39 consecutive seasons in the Primeira Liga (50 in total) and, together with Belenenses, is the only team outside the "Big Three" to have won the Portuguese Championship, in the 2000–01 season. Boavista has a rivalry with fellow city club Porto; the matches between the clubs are sometimes called Invicta derby.
Its stadium, Estádio do Bessa, was built in 1973, although football had been played there at the former Campo do Bessa since the 1910s, and revamped for use in Euro 2004.

## History
### Foundation and the chequered shirts (1903–1933)

The club was founded on 1 August 1903, in the Boavista area of the western part of the city of Porto, by two English brothers, Harry and Dick Lowe. Having received an imported football from their father in England, they founded The Boavista Footballers, and an early rival was another English club in the city, the Oporto Cricket and Lawn Tennis Club. The team had an early schism as its British contingent refused to play on Sundays due to their Anglican faith, while the Catholic locals could only play on Sundays due to work commitments; the locals won, drastically changing the demographics of the club. In 1910 the current name was adopted, and on 11 April that year the ground now occupied by the Estádio do Bessa was inaugurated with a match against Leixões SC. In 1913–14, the team won the inaugural Porto Football Association.
In the 1920s the club increased the number of sports practiced. The team boasted "the best defensive trio of the North": goalkeeper Casoto and defenders Lúzia and Óscar Vasques de Carvalho. In the following decade, the club lobbied for the legalisation of professionalism after being sanctioned, having been investigated after complaining that FC Porto had paid Boavista's Nova to join them. In 1933, the club adopted its black-and-white shirts, based on a French team that club president Artur Oliveira Valença had watched.

### League entry and golden 1970s (1934–1980)

Boavista's first decades in league football saw the club bounce between the Primeira and the Segunda Divisão, winning the latter's title in 1937 and 1950. In 1966, they fell to the Terceira Divisão, and stayed there for two years.
The team bounced back to the top flight by 1970 with two consecutive promotions, finished renovation of its stadium two years later and in 1974 hired manager José Maria Pedroto and president Valentim Loureiro. In their first year, Boavista achieved their best classification of fourth in the 1974-1975 championship, and won the Taça de Portugal for the first time after defeating Benfica 2–1 in the final. A year later, the club finished as runners-up to S.L. Benfica by two points, and defended their cup title by defeating Vitória de Guimarães 2–1 in the 1976 final at rival Porto's Estádio das Antas; Pedroto left for Porto at the end of the season.
Experienced English manager Jimmy Hagan led the club to its third Taça de Portugal win in five years after defeating Sporting CP 1–0 in the replay of the 1979 final, after a 1–1 draw occurred the day prior. At the beginning of the following season, Porto and Boavista organised the first edition of the Portuguese Supercup, a season-opening match between the league and cup holders. The match was contested at the Estádio das Antas, and Boavista (with new manager Mário Lino) beat Pedroto's Porto 2–1 in a violent match where Boavista had two men sent off.

### From contenders to champions and European forays (1980–2003)

In 1997, Valentim Loureiro was succeeded as president by his son João, who at 34 was the youngest in the whole league. Also, former Portugal international Jaime Pacheco was appointed manager, and led the club to runners-up in 1999 and fourth place in 2000. In 2000–01, they won the derby in the second half of the season against Porto and went on to win the league with a 3–0 win over C.D. Aves on 18 May. This was only the second time that a team from outside the Big Three won the league, after C.F. Os Belenenses in 1946. Pacheco's team conceded just 22 goals in 34 games and lost at home only once. The team featured Ricardo in goal, academy product Petit in midfield, Bolivian free-kick specialist Erwin Sánchez in attacking midfield, Duda and Martelinho on the wings, and Brazilian striker Elpídio Silva was the club's top scorer with 11 goals.
After finishing runners-up to Sporting a year later, the squad began to break up, with Petit heading to Benfica and fellow midfielder Pedro Emanuel going to Porto; both skippered their new teams. The club rebuilt the Estádio do Bessa for UEFA Euro 2004, contributing to their financial problems. Pacheco left for Spain's RCD Mallorca in 2003, returning soon to replace Sánchez briefly as manager the following year, and came back again in October 2006.
Boavista were regulars in UEFA competitions in the 1990 and early 2000s. In the 2002–03 UEFA Cup, they reached the semi-finals before a 2–1 aggregate loss to Celtic due to a late Henrik Larsson strike; they would have faced Porto in the final.

### Downfall and return (2008–present)

In June 2008, Boavista was sentenced to relegation for its part in the Apito Dourado (Golden Whistle) matchfixing scandal, for three games in the 2003–04 season. A year later the club was relegated again: originally saved by promoted club F.C. Vizela being sanctioned for corruption, the team withdrew from the second division for financial reasons.
In January 2013, João Loureiro, pressed by thousands of members of the club to return to the presidency, was elected president once again. After a long legal battle, in June 2013, Boavista was entitled the right to come back to the Primeira Liga. Also, after a negotiation with the creditors of the club, the €65 million debt was cut in half. After a six-year absence, Boavista returned to the Primeira Liga in the 2014–15 season, coached by Petit, a member of the title-winning side of 2001.
In October 2020, Boavista's members approved of investment from Spanish-Luxembourgish businessman Gérard Lopez, owner of Ligue 1 club Lille OSC. Petit returned as manager, leading the club to the Taça da Liga semi-finals for the first time in 2021–22.

## Honours

* Primeira Liga
** Winners (1): 2000–01
** 2nd place (3): 1975–76, 1998–99, 2001–02
* Taça de Portugal
** Winners (5): 1974–75, 1975–76, 1978–79, 1991–92, 1996–97
** Runners-up (1): 1992–93
* Supertaça de Portugal
** Winners (3): 1979, 1992, 1997
** Runners-up (1): 2001
* Segunda Divisão
** Winners (2): 1936–37, 1949–50
* Campeonato do Porto
** Winners (1): 1913–14
* 1.ª Divisão da AF Porto
** Winners (1): 1967–68

## League and cup history

The club has made 55 appearances at the top level of Portuguese football and has won the Portuguese cup five times. In 1979, it also won the first edition of the national supercup.
| Season | | League | League | League | League | League | League | League | League | Cup | League Cup | Europe | Europe | Other Competitions | Other Competitions | Top scorer | Top scorer |
| Season | | Pos. | Pl. | W | D | L | GS | GA | P | Cup | League Cup | Comp | Pos | Comp | Pos | Player | Goals |
| 1934–35 | 2D.4 | 1 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 36 | 5 | 12 | | Not held | — | — | | | | |
| 1935–36 | 1D | 6 | 14 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 24 | 39 | 11 | | Not held | — | — | | | Costuras | 5 |
| 1936–37 | 2D.2 | 1 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 22 | 12 | 9 | | Not held | — | — | | | | |
| 1937–38 | 2D.1 | 1 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 20 | 6 | 10 | | Not held | — | — | | | | |
| 1938–39 | 2D.DL | 2 | 10 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 27 | 14 | 13 | | Not held | — | — | | | | |
| 1939–40 | 2D.DL | 1 | 8 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 30 | 11 | 14 | Quarter-Final | Not held | — | — | | | | |
| 1940–41 | 1D | 8 | 14 | 2 | 1 | 11 | 12 | 63 | 5 | R16 | Not held | — | — | | | Leonel Loureiro | 3 |
| 1941–42 | 2D.2.1 | 2 | 14 | 9 | 2 | 3 | 63 | 23 | 20 | | Not held | — | — | | | | |
| 1942–43 | 2D.2.2 | 2 | 10 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 26 | 13 | 14 | | Not held | — | — | | | | |
| 1943–44 | 2D.2.2 | 2 | 14 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 76 | 23 | 25 | | Not held | — | — | | | | |
| 1944–45 | 2D.2 | 1 | 8 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 35 | 11 | 14 | Quarter-Final | Not held | — | — | | | | |
| 1945–46 | 1D | 11 | 22 | 6 | 0 | 16 | 39 | 73 | 12 | Quarter-Final | Not held | — | — | | | Barros | 12 |
| 1946–47 | 1D | 9 | 26 | 7 | 6 | 13 | 52 | 74 | 20 | Not held | Not held | — | — | | | Fernando Caiado | 19 |
| 1947–48 | 1D | 9 | 26 | 9 | 2 | 15 | 40 | 65 | 20 | R32 | Not held | — | — | | | Fernando Caiado | 12 |
| 1948–49 | 1D | 14 | 26 | 4 | 6 | 16 | 35 | 89 | 14 | R32 | Not held | — | — | | | Serafim Baptista | 10 |
| 1949–50 | 2D.B | 2 | 18 | 12 | 1 | 5 | 56 | 21 | 25 | Not held | Not held | — | — | | | | |
| 1950–51 | 1D | 10 | 26 | 10 | 3 | 13 | 50 | 62 | 23 | R16 | Not held | — | — | | | BarrosDuarte | 12 |
| 1951–52 | 1D | 5 | 26 | 12 | 1 | 13 | 47 | 55 | 25 | R16 | Not held | — | — | | | Gaston | 15 |
| 1952–53 | 1D | 9 | 26 | 7 | 6 | 13 | 35 | 54 | 20 | R16 | Not held | — | — | | | Manero | 6 |
| 1953–54 | 1D | 11 | 26 | 7 | 5 | 14 | 29 | 66 | 19 | Semi-Final | Not held | — | — | | | Manero | 7 |
| 1954–55 | 1D | 13 | 26 | 7 | 4 | 15 | 33 | 71 | 18 | R32 | Not held | — | — | | | Manero | 9 |
| 1955–56 | 2D.N | 1 | 26 | 16 | 6 | 4 | 77 | 35 | 38 | | Not held | — | — | | | | |
| 1956–57 | 2D.N | 6 | 26 | 13 | 3 | 10 | 54 | 45 | 29 | R32 | Not held | — | — | | | | |
| 1957–58 | 2D.N | 3 | 26 | 16 | 2 | 8 | 56 | 38 | 34 | | Not held | — | — | | | | |
| 1958–59 | 2D.N | 2 | 26 | 17 | 4 | 5 | 78 | 43 | 38 | | Not held | — | — | | | | |
| 1959–60 | 1D | 14 | 26 | 4 | 4 | 18 | 27 | 81 | 12 | R64 | Not held | — | — | | | Adriano Teixeira | 7 |
| 1960–61 | 2D.N | 3 | 26 | 14 | 1 | 11 | 56 | 35 | 29 | R32 | Not held | — | — | | | | |
| 1961–62 | 2D.N | 5 | 26 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 30 | 30 | 28 | R64 | Not held | — | — | | | | |
| 1962–63 | 2D.N | 11 | 26 | 9 | 3 | 14 | 35 | 52 | 21 | R64 | Not held | — | — | | | | |
| 1963–64 | 2D.N | 9 | 26 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 45 | 60 | 24 | R32 | Not held | — | — | | | | |
| 1964–65 | 2D.N | 10 | 26 | 9 | 6 | 11 | 37 | 37 | 24 | R32 | Not held | — | — | | | | |
| 1965–66 | 2D.N | 14 | 26 | 6 | 7 | 13 | 31 | 45 | 19 | R64 | Not held | — | — | | | | |
| 1966–67 | 3D.2 | 1 | 10 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 15 | 7 | 13 | | Not held | — | — | | | | |
| 1967–68 | 3D.2 | 1 | 10 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 25 | 11 | 14 | | Not held | — | — | | | | |
| 1968–69 | 2D | 1 | 26 | 17 | 5 | 4 | 57 | 21 | 39 | 1st Round | Not held | — | — | | | | |
| 1969–70 | 1D | 12 | 26 | 6 | 6 | 14 | 35 | 61 | 18 | R16 | Not held | — | — | | | Moura | 9 |
| 1970–71 | 1D | 6 | 26 | 9 | 4 | 13 | 18 | 38 | 22 | R16 | Not held | — | — | | | TaíMoinhosJuvenalAlexandre | 3 |
| 1971–72 | 1D | 11 | 30 | 7 | 10 | 13 | 28 | 46 | 24 | R32 | Not held | — | — | | | Jorge Félix | 7 |
| 1972–73 | 1D | 7 | 30 | 12 | 7 | 11 | 41 | 47 | 31 | R32 | Not held | — | — | | | Moinhos | 14 |
| 1973–74 | 1D | 9 | 30 | 9 | 7 | 14 | 35 | 43 | 25 | Quarter-Final | Not held | — | — | | | Rufino | 9 |
| 1974–75 | 1D | 4 | 30 | 16 | 6 | 8 | 58 | 32 | 38 | Winner | Not held | — | — | | | Salvador | 14 |
| 1975–76 | 1D | 2 | 30 | 21 | 6 | 3 | 65 | 23 | 48 | Winner | Not held | CWC | 2nd Round | | | João Alves | 15 |
| 1976–77 | 1D | 4 | 30 | 13 | 8 | 9 | 41 | 33 | 34 | R32 | Not held | CWC | 2nd Round | | | Celso Pita | 14 |
| 1977–78 | 1D | 7 | 30 | 10 | 8 | 12 | 36 | 38 | 28 | R16 | Not held | UC | 1st Round | | | Albertino Pereira | 13 |
| 1978–79 | 1D | 9 | 30 | 12 | 3 | 15 | 36 | 40 | 27 | Winner | Not held | — | — | | | Jorge Gomes | 11 |
| 1979–80 | 1D | 4 | 30 | 15 | 7 | 8 | 44 | 30 | 37 | Quarter-Final | Not held | CWC | 2nd Round | Supertaça | Winner | Júlio | 12 |
| 1980–81 | 1D | 4 | 30 | 14 | 8 | 8 | 36 | 25 | 36 | R16 | Not held | UC | 2nd Round | | | Júlio | 13 |
| 1981–82 | 1D | 9 | 30 | 10 | 6 | 14 | 36 | 37 | 26 | R32 | Not held | UC | 2nd Round | | | Diamantino | 8 |
| 1982–83 | 1D | 5 | 30 | 12 | 6 | 12 | 32 | 38 | 30 | Quarter-Final | Not held | — | — | | | Reinaldo | 9 |
| 1983–84 | 1D | 7 | 30 | 12 | 7 | 11 | 36 | 31 | 31 | 2nd Round | Not held | — | — | | | Jorge Silva | 13 |
| 1984–85 | 1D | 4 | 30 | 13 | 11 | 6 | 37 | 26 | 37 | Quarter-Final | Not held | — | — | | | Filipović | 10 |
| 1985–86 | 1D | 5 | 30 | 14 | 8 | 8 | 44 | 29 | 36 | R64 | Not held | UC | 1st Round | | | Tonanha | 9 |
| 1986–87 | 1D | 8 | 30 | 9 | 9 | 12 | 34 | 36 | 27 | Quarter-Final | Not held | UC | 2nd Round | | | Coelho | 7 |
| 1987–88 | 1D | 5 | 38 | 16 | 14 | 8 | 42 | 25 | 46 | Quarter-Final | Not held | — | — | | | Parente | 8 |
| 1988–89 | 1D | 3 | 38 | 19 | 11 | 8 | 56 | 29 | 49 | R32 | Not held | — | — | | | Jorge Andrade | 11 |
| 1989–90 | 1D | 8 | 34 | 13 | 8 | 13 | 49 | 36 | 34 | R16 | Not held | UC | 1st Round | | | Isaías | 12 |
| 1990–91 | 1D | 4 | 38 | 15 | 11 | 12 | 53 | 46 | 41 | Semi-Final | Not held | — | — | | | Jorge Andrade | 13 |
| 1991–92 | 1D | 3 | 34 | 16 | 12 | 6 | 45 | 27 | 44 | Winner | Not held | UC | 2nd Round | | | Ricky | 30 |
| 1992–93 | 1D | 4 | 34 | 14 | 11 | 9 | 46 | 34 | 39 | RU | Not held | CWC | 2nd Round | Supertaça | Winner | Ricky | 14 |
| 1993–94 | 1D | 4 | 34 | 16 | 6 | 12 | 46 | 31 | 38 | R16 | Not held | UC | Quarter-Final | | | Marlon Brandão | 9 |
| 1994–95 | 1D | 9 | 34 | 12 | 8 | 14 | 40 | 49 | 32 | R16 | Not held | UC | 2nd Round | | | Artur | 16 |
| 1995–96 | 1D | 4 | 34 | 19 | 8 | 7 | 59 | 28 | 65 | R16 | Not held | — | — | | | Artur | 14 |
| 1996–97 | 1D | 7 | 34 | 12 | 13 | 9 | 62 | 39 | 49 | Winner | Not held | UC | 3rd Round | | | Jimmy Hasselbaink | 20 |
| 1997–98 | 1D | 6 | 34 | 15 | 10 | 9 | 54 | 31 | 55 | Quarter-Final | Not held | CWC | 1st Round | Supertaça | Winner | Ayew | 16 |
| 1998–99 | 1D | 2 | 34 | 20 | 11 | 3 | 57 | 29 | 71 | Quarter-Final | Not held | — | — | | | AyewTimofte | 15 |
| 1999–00 | 1D | 4 | 34 | 16 | 7 | 11 | 40 | 31 | 55 | Quarter-Final | Not held | CL | Group Stage | | | Whelliton | 11 |
| 2000–01 | 1D | 1 | 34 | 23 | 8 | 3 | 63 | 22 | 77 | Semi-Final | Not held | UC | 2nd Round | | | Elpídio Silva | 11 |
| 2001–02 | 1D | 2 | 34 | 21 | 7 | 6 | 53 | 20 | 70 | R16 | Not held | CL | 2nd Group Stage | Supertaça | RU | Elpídio Silva | 8 |
| 2002–03 | 1D | 10 | 34 | 10 | 13 | 11 | 32 | 31 | 43 | R32 | Not held | CLUC | 3rd Qualifying RoundSemi-Final | | | Elpídio Silva | 10 |
| 2003–04 | 1D | 8 | 34 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 32 | 31 | 47 | R32 | Not held | — | — | | | Ricardo Sousa | 14 |
| 2004–05 | 1D | 6 | 34 | 13 | 11 | 10 | 39 | 43 | 50 | Semi-Final | Not held | — | — | | | Zé Manel | 10 |
| 2005–06 | 1D | 6 | 34 | 12 | 14 | 8 | 37 | 29 | 50 | Quarter-Final | Not held | — | — | | | João V. Pinto | 9 |
| 2006–07 | 1D | 10 | 30 | 8 | 11 | 11 | 32 | 34 | 35 | Quarter-Final | Not held | — | — | | | Roland Linz | 10 |
| 2007–08 | 1D | 9 | 30 | 8 | 12 | 10 | 32 | 41 | 36 | R16 | 2nd Round | — | — | | | Jorge Ribeiro | 8 |
| 2008–09 | 2D | 15 | 30 | 9 | 5 | 16 | 28 | 44 | 32 | R32 | — | — | — | | | João Tomás | 12 |
| 2009–10 | 3D.N | 7 | 28 | 10 | 7 | 11 | 34 | 38 | 37 | — | — | — | — | | | Diogo Fonseca | 11 |
| 2010–11 | 3D.C | 2 | 30 | 16 | 8 | 6 | 46 | 25 | 56 | — | — | — | — | | | Beré | 14 |
| 2011–12 | 3D.C | 4 | 30 | 15 | 5 | 10 | 43 | 31 | 50 | — | — | — | — | | | Fary | 8 |
| 2012–13 | 3D.N | 10 | 30 | 9 | 11 | 10 | 44 | 40 | 38 | 1st Round | — | — | — | | | Fary | 15 |
| 2013–14 | 3D.N | 4 | 32 | 21 | 5 | 6 | 59 | 26 | 68 | 2nd Round | — | — | — | | | Bobô | 18 |
| 2014–15 | 1D | 13 | 34 | 9 | 7 | 18 | 27 | 50 | 34 | R64 | Group Stage | — | — | | | Zé Manuel | 6 |
| 2015–16 | 1D | 14 | 34 | 8 | 9 | 17 | 24 | 41 | 33 | Quarter-Final | 2nd Round | — | — | | | Zé Manuel | 6 |
| 2016–17 | 1D | 9 | 34 | 10 | 13 | 11 | 33 | 36 | 43 | R32 | 2nd Round | — | — | | | Iuri Medeiros | 7 |
| 2017–18 | 1D | 8 | 34 | 13 | 6 | 15 | 35 | 44 | 45 | R64 | 2nd Round | — | — | | | Mateus | 6 |
| 2018–19 | 1D | 8 | 34 | 13 | 5 | 16 | 34 | 40 | 44 | R16 | 2nd Round | — | — | | | Mateus | 5 |
| 2019–20 | 1D | 12 | 34 | 10 | 9 | 15 | 28 | 39 | 39 | R64 | 2nd Round | — | — | | | Heriberto Tavares | 4 |
| 2020–21 | 1D | 13 | 34 | 8 | 12 | 14 | 39 | 49 | 36 | R32 | — | — | — | | | Alberth Elis | 8 |
| 2021–22 | 1D | 12 | 34 | 7 | 17 | 10 | 39 | 52 | 38 | R64 | Semi-Final | — | — | | | Petar Musa | 11 |
| 2022–23 | 1D | 9 | 34 | 12 | 8 | 14 | 43 | 54 | 44 | R64 | Quarter-Final | — | — | | | Yusupha Njie | 13 |
| 2023–24 | 1D | 15 | 34 | 7 | 11 | 16 | 39 | 62 | 32 | R32 | 1st Round | — | — | | | Róbert Boženík | 8 |
| Season | | Pos. | Pl. | W | D | L | GS | GA | P | Cup | League Cup | Comp | Pos | Comp | Pos | Player | Goals |
    ^s Top scorer
    ^c Champions
    ^p Promoted
    ^P Promoted in court
    ^r Relegated
    ^R Relegated in court
As of 19 May 2024
Sources: Soccer Library, Zero a Zero, Fora de Jogo.

## European record
### Overview

| Competition | Appearances | Matches | Títles | Best |
| UEFA Champions League | 3 | 24 (7W 8D 9L) | - | Second Group Stage/Last 16 (2001–02) |
| UEFA Cup Winners' Cup | 5 | 18 (6W 7D 5L) | - | Last 16 (1975–76, 1976–77, 1979–80, 1992–93) |
| UEFA Europa League | 12 | 58 (25W 9D 24L) | - | Semi-final (2002–03) |
| Total | 20 | 100 (38W 25D 38L) | | |
* Biggest win: Boavista 8–0 Sliema Wanderers, 05/10/1979, Estádio do Bessa, Porto
* Biggest defeat: Lazio 5–0 Boavista, 28/09/1977, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
* Players with most UEFA appearances: Erwin Sánchez and Ricardo, 35 matches
* Top scorers in UEFA club competitions: Elpídio Silva, 11 goals

### Matches

| Season | Competition | Round | Opponent | Home | Away | Aggregate |
| 1975–76 | Cup Winners' Cup | First round | Spartak Trnava | 3–0 | 0–0 | 3–0 |
| 1975–76 | Cup Winners' Cup | Second round | Celtic | 0–0 | 1–3 | 1–3 |
| 1976–77 | Cup Winners' Cup | First round | CSU Galați | 2–0 | 3–2 | 5–2 |
| 1976–77 | Cup Winners' Cup | Second round | Levski Sofia | 3–1 | 0–2 | 3–3 (a) |
| 1977–78 | UEFA Cup | First round | Lazio | 1–0 | 0–5 | 1–5 |
| 1979–80 | Cup Winners' Cup | First round | Sliema Wanderers | 8–0 | 1–2 | 9–2 |
| 1979–80 | Cup Winners' Cup | Second round | Dynamo Moscow | 1–1 | 0–0 | 1–1 (a) |
| 1980–81 | UEFA Cup | First round | Vasas | 0–1 | 2–0 | 2–1 |
| 1980–81 | UEFA Cup | Second round | Sochaux | 0–1 | 2–2 | 2–3 |
| 1981–82 | UEFA Cup | First round | Atlético Madrid | 4–1 | 1–3 | 5–4 |
| 1981–82 | UEFA Cup | Second round | Valencia | 0–2 | 1–0 | 1–2 |
| 1985–86 | UEFA Cup | First round | Club Brugge | 4–3 | 1–3 | 5–6 |
| 1986–87 | UEFA Cup | First round | Fiorentina | 1–0 (3–1 (p)) | 0–1 | 1–1 |
| 1986–87 | UEFA Cup | Second round | Rangers | 0–1 | 1–2 | 1–3 |
| 1989–90 | UEFA Cup | First round | FC Karl-Marx-Stadt | 2–2 (aet) | 0–1 | 2–3 |
| 1991–92 | UEFA Cup | First round | Internazionale | 2–1 | 0–0 | 2–1 |
| 1991–92 | UEFA Cup | Second round | Torino | 0–0 | 0–2 | 0–2 |
| 1992–93 | Cup Winners' Cup | First round | Valur | 3–0 | 0–0 | 3–0 |
| 1992–93 | Cup Winners' Cup | Second round | Parma | 0–2 | 0–0 | 0–2 |
| 1993–94 | UEFA Cup | First round | Union Luxembourg | 4–0 | 1–0 | 5–0 |
| 1993–94 | UEFA Cup | Second round | Lazio | 2–0 | 0–1 | 1–1 |
| 1993–94 | UEFA Cup | Third round | OFI Crete | 2–0 | 4–1 | 6–1 |
| 1993–94 | UEFA Cup | Quarter-finals | Karlsruher SC | 1–1 | 0–1 | 1–2 |
| 1994–95 | UEFA Cup | First round | MYPA | 2–1 | 1–1 | 3–2 |
| 1994–95 | UEFA Cup | Second round | Napoli | 1–1 | 1–2 | 2–3 |
| 1996–97 | UEFA Cup | First round | Odense | 1–2 | 3–2 | 4–4 (a) |
| 1996–97 | UEFA Cup | Second round | Dinamo Tbilisi | 5–0 | 0–1 | 5–1 |
| 1996–97 | UEFA Cup | Third round | Internazionale | 0–2 | 1–5 | 1–7 |
| 1997–98 | UEFA Cup Winners' Cup | First round | Shakhtar Donetsk | 2–3 | 1–1 | 3–4 |
| 1999–00 | UEFA Champions League | Q3 | Brøndby | 4–2 (aet) | 2–1 | 6–3 |
| 1999–00 | UEFA Champions League | Group C | Rosenborg | 0–3 | 0–2 | 4th place |
| 1999–00 | UEFA Champions League | Group C | Feyenoord | 1–1 | 1–1 | 4th place |
| 1999–00 | UEFA Champions League | Group C | Borussia Dortmund | 1–0 | 1–3 | 4th place |
| 2000–01 | UEFA Cup | Qualif. round | Barry Town | 2–0 | 3–0 | 5–0 |
| 2000–01 | UEFA Cup | First round | Vorskla Poltava | 2–1 | 2–1 | 4–2 |
| 2000–01 | UEFA Cup | Second round | Roma | 1–1 | 0–1 | 1–2 |
| 2001–02 | UEFA Champions League | Group B | Liverpool | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2nd place |
| 2001–02 | UEFA Champions League | Group B | Dynamo Kyiv | 3–1 | 0–1 | 2nd place |
| 2001–02 | UEFA Champions League | Group B | Borussia Dortmund | 2–1 | 1–2 | 2nd place |
| 2001–02 | UEFA Champions League | Group A | Manchester United | 0–3 | 0–3 | 3rd place |
| 2001–02 | UEFA Champions League | Group A | Nantes | 1–0 | 1–1 | 3rd place |
| 2001–02 | UEFA Champions League | Group A | Bayern Munich | 0–0 | 0–1 | 3rd place |
| 2002–03 | UEFA Champions League | Q2 | Hibernians | 4–0 | 3–3 | 7–3 |
| 2002–03 | UEFA Champions League | Q3 | Auxerre | 0–1 | 0–0 | 0–1 |
| 2002–03 | UEFA Cup | First round | Maccabi Tel Aviv | 4–1 | 0–1 | 4–2 |
| 2002–03 | UEFA Cup | Second round | Anorthosis Famagusta | 2–1 | 1–0 | 3–1 |
| 2002–03 | UEFA Cup | Third round | Paris Saint-Germain | 1–0 | 1–2 | 2–2 (a) |
| 2002–03 | UEFA Cup | Fourth round | Hertha BSC | 1–0 | 2–3 | 3–3 (a) |
| 2002–03 | UEFA Cup | Quarter-finals | Málaga | 1–0 (4–1 (p)) | 0–1 | 1–1 |
| 2002–03 | UEFA Cup | Semi-finals | Celtic | 0–1 | 1–1 | 1–2 |

## Players
### Current squad

    As of 15 February 2025
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 1 | GK | BRA | César |
| 2 | MF | GUI | Ibrahima Camará |
| 3 | DF | FRA | Layvin Kurzawa |
| 5 | DF | RUS | Vitali Lystsov |
| 7 | FW | POR | Salvador Agra |
| 8 | MF | NED | Marco van Ginkel |
| 9 | FW | SVK | Róbert Boženík |
| 10 | MF | POR | Miguel Reisinho |
| 11 | FW | USA | Gboly Ariyibi |
| 12 | GK | BRA | Luís Pires |
| 13 | DF | CMR | Sidoine Fogning |
| 14 | FW | SEN | Moussa Koné |
| 15 | DF | POR | Pedro Gomes |
| 16 | MF | POR | Joel Silva |
| 17 | FW | POR | Manuel Namora |
| 18 | MF | MNE | Ilija Vukotić |
| 19 | DF | CAN | Steven Vitória |
| 20 | DF | POR | Filipe Ferreira |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 21 | FW | MLI | Abdoulay Diaby |
| 23 | FW | POR | Tiago Machado |
| 24 | MF | COL | Sebastián Pérez (captain) |
| 25 | DF | GNB | Augusto Dabó |
| 26 | DF | URU | Rodrigo Abascal |
| 27 | DF | SLE | Osman Kakay |
| 31 | GK | CZE | Tomáš Vaclík |
| 35 | DF | POR | Gonçalo Almeida |
| 71 | FW | POR | João Barros |
| 73 | DF | POR | Alex Marques |
| 74 | FW | DOM | Diego Llorente |
| 75 | DF | POR | Tomás Silva |
| 76 | GK | POR | Tomé Sousa |
| 82 | FW | POR | Fábio Sambú |
| 85 | DF | POR | Leonardo Ferreira |
| 88 | MF | POR | Marco Ribeiro |
| 99 | GK | POR | João Gonçalves |

### Out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |

### Retired numbers

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 29 | FW | POR | Edu Ferreira (23 April 1997 – 24 December 2017) |

## Statistics
### Most appearances

    As of 27 January 2025
| Rank | Player | Appearances | Goals |
| 1 | Manuel Barbosa | 381 | 6 |
| 2 | Paulo Sousa | 313 | 0 |
| 3 | Rui Bento | 305 | 6 |
| 4 | Alfredo | 302 | 0 |
| 5 | Rui Casaca | 298 | 15 |
| 6 | Mário João | 281 | 6 |
| 7 | Erwin Sánchez | 278 | 57 |
| 8 | Jaime Alves | 249 | 26 |
| 9 | Queiró | 244 | 3 |
| 10 | Martelinho | 243 | 32 |

### Top goalscorers

    As of 27 January 2025
| Rank | Player | Appearances | Goals |
| 1 | Fernando Caiado | 163 | 63 |
| 2 | Ricky | 121 | 60 |
| 3 | Erwin Sánchez | 278 | 57 |
| 4 | Artur | 141 | 56 |
| 5 | Barros | 177 | 52 |
| 5 | Salvador | 202 | 52 |
| 5 | Moinhos | 204 | 52 |
| 8 | Fary Faye | 179 | 48 |
| 9 | Júlio | 96 | 46 |
| 10 | Ion Timofte | 174 | 44 |

## Club Officials

    As of 30 November 2021
| Position | Staff |
| Sporting Director | Rafael Bracali |
| Head Coach | Cristiano Bacci |
| Assistant Head Coach | Ferruccio Bonvini |
| Assistant Head Coach | Gil Andrade |
| Assistant Head Coach | Ricardo Paiva |
| Goalkeeping Coach | Pedro Miranda |
| Scout | António Caetano |

## Coaches

Since 1970
* Fernando Caiado (1970–71)
* Joaquim Meirim (1971)
* Jaime Garcia (caretaker manager) (1971)
* António Teixeira (1971–72)
* Jaime Garcia (caretaker manager) (1972)
* Dante Bianchi (1972)
* Aymoré Moreira (1972–1974)
* José Maria Pedroto (1974–1976)
* Mário Wilson (1976–1977)
* Fernando Caiado (1977)
* Jimmy Hagan (1978)
* José Carlos (1978)
* Jimmy Hagan (1978–1979)
* Mário Lino (1979–1980)
* António Teixeira (1980)
* Henrique Calisto (1981)
* Mário Lino (1981–1982)
* Álvaro Carolino (1982)
* Hermann Stessl (1982)
* Joaquim Meirim (1982)
* Ferdinand Smetana (1982–1983)
* Manuel Barbosa (1983)
* Henrique Calisto (1983–1984)
* Mário Wilson (1984)
* João Alves (1984–1986)
* José Torres (1987)
* Pepe (1987–1988)
* Raul Águas (1988–1989)
* Manuel Barbosa (1989–1990)
* João Alves (1990)
* Raul Águas (1990–1991)
* Manuel José (1991–1996)
* João Alves (1996–1997)
* Zoran Filipović (1997)
* Rui Casaca (1997)
* Mário Reis (1997–1998)
* Jaime Pacheco (1998–2004)
* Erwin Sánchez (2004)
* Jaime Pacheco (2004)
* Pedro Barny (2005)
* Carlos Brito (2005–2006)
* Jesualdo Ferreira (2006)
* Pedro Barny (caretaker manager) (2006)
* Željko Petrović (2006)
* Jaime Pacheco (2006–08)
* Rui Bento (2008–2009)
* Jorge Madureira (2009)
* Vítor Paneira (2009–2010)
* Rui Ferreira (2010–11)
* Filipe Gouveia (2011)
* Mário Silva (2011)
* Rui Amorim (caretaker manager) (2011)
* Ferreirinha (2011–2012)
* Amândio Barreiras (2012)
* Petit (2012–2015)
* Erwin Sánchez (2015–2016)
* Miguel Leal (2016–2017)
* Jorge Simão (2017–2019)
* Lito Vidigal (2019)
* Daniel Ramos (2019–2020)
* Vasco Seabra (2020)
* Jesualdo Ferreira (2021)
* João Pedro Sousa (2021)
* Petit (2021–2023)
* Ricardo Paiva (2023–2024)
* Jorge Simão (2024)
* Cristiano Bacci (2024–2025)
* Lito Vidigal (2025–)

## Stadium

The Estádio do Bessa (later Estádio do Bessa XXI) is Boavista's home ground, used for football and occasionally for music concerts. The stadium was first used in 1911, then known as 'Campo do Bessa'.
The stadium had several renovations in its history, namely in 1967–72, where turf was installed as well as floodlights. Like other stadiums used in UEFA Euro 2004, the stadium was rebuilt for the competition, but on top of the old stands, and each one of them at a different time, allowing Boavista to continue playing there. It cost €45,164,726, from which €7,785,735 were supported from the Portuguese state, and featured an all-seater capacity of 28,263 spectators. Plans for improvement actually existed before the organization of the Euro 2004 was given to Portugal in 1999, and by then, the first works were already underway. It was designed by Grupo 3 Arquitectura.
The stadium has also been used several times in matches of the Portuguese national team.

## Colours

Boavista's black-and-white chequered shirt was introduced by journalist and club president Artur Oliveira Valença, based on a French team he had seen.

### Kit evolution

| Boavista's first home colours | Second home colours | Third home colours | Fourth home colours | 1933–Present |

## Women's team

The women's team is one of the strongest in Portugal, having won several titles in a row during the 1990s, as well as the formation U-19, U-17. U-15 and U-13 teams, that won all national championships, and brought up several talented and famous international players.