Portugal national under-20 football team

Portugal Under-20

Association

Federação Portuguesa de Futebol

Confederation

UEFA (Europe)

Head coach

Oceano Cruz

Captain

Diogo Prioste

Most caps

Tiago Ferreira (28)

Top scorer

Nuno Gomes
Lourenço
Nélson Oliveira
(9 goals each)

FIFA code

POR

First colours

Second colours

First international

Spain 1–0 Portugal

(Cáceres, Spain; 7 May 1979)

Biggest win

Macau 0–6 Portugal

(São Tomé, São Tomé and Príncipe; 5 October 2006)

São Tomé and Príncipe 0–6 Portugal

(Macau; 5 October 2006)

Biggest defeat

Japan 4–1 Portugal

(Tokyo, Japan; 26 August 1994)

FIFA U-20 World Cup

Appearances

12 (first in 1979)

Best result

Champions (1989, 1991)

The Portugal national under-20 football team is the national under-20 football team of Portugal and is controlled by the Portuguese Football Federation, the governing body for football in Portugal.

The U20 team acts mainly as a feeder team for the under-21s and provides further international development for youth players. The team qualified for its only official match, FIFA U-20 World Cup, depends on U19 results.

The Portuguese team has 12 participations in the FIFA U-20 World Cup and 12 in the Toulon Tournament.

History

The Golden Generation (1989–1991)

The Golden Generation was the Generation of the players that won consecutive FIFA Youth Championships in 1989 and 1991.

The Silver Generation (2011)

The Courage Generation was the Generation of players that was runner up in the 2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup.

Competitive record

FIFA U-20 World Cup

Year	Round	GP	W	D	L	GS	GA
1977	Did not enter
1979	Quarter-finals	4	1	1	2	2	4
1981	Did not qualify
1983
1985
1987
1989	Champions	6	5	0	1	6	3
1991	Champions	6	5	1	0	9	1
1993	Group stage	3	0	0	3	1	5
1995	Third place	6	5	0	1	12	6
1997	Did not qualify
1999	Round of 16	4	1	2	1	5	4
2001	Did not qualify
2003
2005
2007	Round of 16	4	1	0	3	4	5
2009	Did not qualify
2011	Runners-up	7	4	2	1	7	3
2013	Round of 16	4	2	1	1	12	7
2015	Quarter-finals	5	4	1	0	12	2
2017	Quarter-finals	5	2	2	1	9	7
2019	Group stage	3	1	1	1	2	3
2023	Did not qualify
2025
2027
2029	To be determined
Total	12/26	57	31	11	15	81	50

Honours

Team

FIFA U-20 World Cup
- Winner (2): 1989, 1991
- Runner-up (1): 2011
- Third place (1): 1995
Toulon/Maurice Revello Tournament
- Winner (4): 1992, 2001, 2003, 2026
- Runner-up (4): 1994, 1997, 2000, 2005
- Third place (4): 1998, 2006, 2014, 2016
U20 Elite League
- Winner (1): 2025-26
- Runner-up (1): 2018-19
Torneio Internacional da Madeira
- Winner (7): 1997, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2008
- Runner-up (4): 1998, 2001, 2004, 2006
Torneio Campos Verdes
- Winner (2): 2007, 2008
Copa El Presidente de La Republica - Ricardo Martinelli
- Third place (1): 2011
SBS Cup International Youth Soccer
- Runner-up (1): 2012

Individual awards

FIFA U-20 World Cup

Year	Golden Ball	Silver Ball	Bronze Ball
1991	Emílio Peixe		Paulo Torres
1995		Dani
2011		Nélson Oliveira

Year	Golden Shoe	Silver Shoe	Bronze Show
1995		Dani
2013		Bruma

Year	Golden glove
2011	Mika

Toulon Tournament^[1]

Year	Top scorer
1996	Nuno Gomes
1997	Carlitos
2001	Lourenço
2003	Lourenço
2005	Ricardo Vaz Tê

Year	Most Elegant Player
1997	Edgar Pacheco
2000	Ednilson
2001	Ricardo Costa
2004	Raul Meireles
2005	Organista
2007	Bruno Gama

Year	Best Goalkeeper
1997	Nuno Santos
1998	Nuno Santos
2000	Sérgio Leite
2003	Bruno Vale
2016	Joel Pereira

Year	Revelation
2014	Ricardo Horta

Players

Current squad

The following players were called up for the Under 20 Elite League matches against Switzerland and Czech Republic on 27 and 30 March 2026; respectively.^[2]

Caps and goals correct as of 30 March 2026, after the match against the Czech Republic.

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
1	1GK	Francisco Silva	(2005-11-20) 20 November 2005	1	0	Sporting CP
12	4FW	Diogo Fernandes	(2005-02-17) 17 February 2005	6	0	Porto
	1GK	João Afonso	(2007-04-30) 30 April 2007	0	0	Santa Clara

2	2DF	José Silva	(2005-08-20) 20 August 2005	5	0	Arouca
3	2DF	Miguel Alves	(2005-12-30) 30 December 2005	2	0	Sporting CP
4	2DF	José Sampaio	(2005-01-04) 4 January 2005	6	0	Vizela
5	2DF	Tiago Parente	(2006-06-12) 12 June 2006	2	0	Benfica
13	2DF	Gu Costa	(2005-09-15) 15 September 2005	2	0	Académico de Viseu
14	2DF	André Oliveira	(2006-02-15) 15 February 2006	3	0	Vitória de Guimarães
15	2DF	Jónatas Noro	(2005-07-09) 9 July 2005	10	0	Braga
23	2DF	Dinis	(2005-01-12) 12 January 2005	3	0	Porto

6	3MF	Mathys De Carvalho	(2005-05-01) 1 May 2005	2	0	Lyon
8	3MF	Afonso Assis	(2006-07-15) 15 July 2006	2	0	Moreirense
10	3MF	Manuel Mendonça	(2005-03-24) 24 March 2005	2	0	Sporting CP
19	3MF	Tiago Freitas	(2006-08-17) 17 August 2006	2	2	Benfica
21	3MF	Martim Ferreira	(2006-01-26) 26 January 2006	2	0	Benfica
	3MF	Rafael Luís	(2005-02-18) 18 February 2005	0	0	Strasbourg
	3MF	Miguel Nogueira	(2005-02-27) 27 February 2005	0	0	Vitória Guimarães

7	4FW	Gonçalo Sousa	(2006-06-30) 30 June 2006	6	0	Porto
9	4FW	Gustavo Varela	(2005-01-30) 30 January 2005	1	1	Gil Vicente
11	4FW	Fabio Baldé	(2005-07-20) 20 July 2005	2	1	Hamburger SV
16	4FW	Tiago Andrade	(2005-10-21) 21 October 2005	9	3	Porto
17	4FW	Rafael Nel	(2005-04-03) 3 April 2005	3	0	Sporting CP
18	4FW	Vivaldo Semedo	(2005-01-28) 28 January 2005	2	1	Watford
20	4FW	Mauro Couto	(2005-11-15) 15 November 2005	2	0	Sporting CP

Recent call-ups

The following players have previously been called up to the Portugal under-20 squad in the last twelve months and remain eligible for selection.

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club	Latest call-up
GK	Gonçalo Ribeiro	(2006-01-15) 15 January 2006	2	0	Porto	v. Poland, 9 September 2025
GK	José Ribeiro	(2006-05-13) 13 May 2006	0	0	Vitória de Guimarães	v. Poland, 9 September 2025

DF	Leandro Santos	(2005-09-28) 28 September 2005	6	0	Benfica	v. Poland, 9 September 2025
DF	Luís Gomes	(2005-04-13) 13 April 2005	4	0	Porto	v. Poland, 9 September 2025
DF	Rayhan Momade	(2006-01-05) 5 January 2006	0	0	Sporting CP	v. Poland, 9 September 2025
DF	Guilherme Peixoto	(2006-05-25) 25 May 2006	0	0	Twente	v. Poland, 9 September 2025
DF	Ricardo Ribeiro	(2006-04-26) 26 April 2006	0	0	Vitória de Guimarães	v. Poland, 9 September 2025

MF	João Rego	(2005-06-20) 20 June 2005	6	0	Benfica	v. Poland, 9 September 2025
MF	Leonardo Cardoso	(2006-10-18) 18 October 2006	0	0	Chelsea	v. Poland, 9 September 2025
MF	Gabriel Costa	(2006-11-14) 14 November 2006	0	0	Feirense	v. Poland, 9 September 2025
MF	Lucas Ferreira	(2006-11-25) 25 November 2006	0	0	Luzern	v. Poland, 9 September 2025
MF	Gonçalo Moreira	(2006-01-03) 3 January 2006	0	0	Benfica	v. Poland, 9 September 2025
MF	João Veloso	(2005-06-26) 26 June 2005	5	0	Benfica	September 2025 Camp^SEN

FW	Rodrigo Ribeiro	(2005-04-28) 28 April 2005	9	1	Sporting CP	v. Poland, 9 September 2025
FW	Gustavo Ferreira	(2007-05-29) 29 May 2007	0	0	Benfica	v. Poland, 9 September 2025
FW	Olívio Tomé	(2006-01-27) 27 January 2006	0	0	Benfica	v. Poland, 9 September 2025
FW	Keyan Varela	(2006-04-26) 26 April 2006	0	0	Servette	September 2025 Camp^INJ
^INJ Withdrew due to injury. ^SEN Called up to Under-21s squad.

Head-to-head record

The following table shows Portugal's head-to-head record in the FIFA U-20 World Cup.

Opponent	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Win %
Argentina	4	2	1	1	4	2	+2	050.00
Australia	2	2	0	0	3	1	+2	100.00
Brazil	5	1	2	2	3	4	−1	020.00
Cameroon	1	1	0	0	1	0	+1	100.00
Canada	1	0	0	1	1	3	−2	000.00
Chile	1	0	0	1	0	1	−1	000.00
Colombia	2	2	0	0	4	1	+3	100.00
Costa Rica	1	0	1	0	1	1	+0	000.00
Cuba	1	1	0	0	5	0	+5	100.00
Czech Republic	1	1	0	0	1	0	+1	100.00
France	1	1	0	0	2	0	+2	100.00
Gambia	1	0	0	1	1	2	−1	000.00
Germany	1	0	0	1	0	1	−1	000.00
Ghana	2	0	0	2	2	5	−3	000.00
Guatemala	1	1	0	0	1	0	+1	100.00
Honduras	1	1	0	0	3	2	+1	100.00
Iran	1	1	0	0	2	1	+1	100.00
Japan	1	0	1	0	1	1	+0	000.00
Korea	1	1	0	0	1	0	+1	100.00
Mali	1	0	0	1	1	2	−1	000.00
Mexico	2	1	0	1	3	3	+0	050.00
Netherlands	1	1	0	0	3	0	+3	100.00
New Zealand	3	3	0	0	5	1	+4	100.00
Nigeria	3	3	0	0	6	2	+4	100.00
Paraguay	1	1	0	0	1	0	+1	100.00
Qatar	1	1	0	0	4	0	+4	100.00
Republic of Ireland	1	1	0	0	2	0	+2	100.00
Saudi Arabia	1	0	0	1	0	3	−3	000.00
Senegal	1	1	0	0	3	0	+3	100.00
South Africa	1	0	1	0	1	1	+0	000.00
South Korea	5	3	2	0	9	4	+5	060.00
Spain	1	1	0	0	3	2	+1	100.00
Uruguay	5	0	3	2	3	5	−2	000.00
Zambia	1	0	0	1	1	2	−1	000.00
Total	57	31	11	15	81	50	+31	054.39

Previous squads

FIFA U-20 World Cup

Toulon Tournament

Most appearances

#	Name	Caps	Goals	First cap	Latest cap
1	Tiago Ferreira	28	2	July 13, 2011	July 3, 2013
2	Paulo Costa	20	5	September 10, 1998	June 3, 2000
2	Sérgio Oliveira	20	3	October 7, 2010	April 18, 2012
4	Ricardo Esteves	19	0	September 10, 1998	June 3, 2000
	Danilo Pereira	19	3	October 7, 2010	August 21, 2011
	Pelé	19	3	October 7, 2010	August 21, 2011
	Nuno Reis	19	0	October 7, 2010	August 21, 2011
	Nélson Oliveira	19	9	October 7, 2010	August 21, 2011

Most goals

#	Name	Goals	Caps	First cap	Latest cap
1	Nuno Gomes	9	13	June 2, 1995	January 21, 1997
	Lourenço	9	17	22 February 2001	June 21, 2003
	Nélson Oliveira	9	19	October 7, 2010	August 21, 2011
4	André Silva	8	10	November 17, 2014	June 14, 2015
5	Bruma	6	6	March 24, 2013	July 3, 2013
	Carlitos	6	11	May 27, 1997	May 19, 1998
	Paulo Torres	6	12	December 18, 1990	June 30, 1991
	Bruno Gama	6	14	November 21, 2006	July 8, 2007
	Dani	6	15	August 26, 1994	June 1, 1996
6	Ricardo Vaz Tê	5	8	February 16, 2005	September 22, 2005

Head coaches

As of 2022

Manager	Period	Record
Manager	Period	Matches	Won	Draw	Lost	GF	GA	GD
Peres Bandeira	1979
Carlos Queiroz	1989–1991
Agostinho Oliveira	1993
Nelo Vingada	1994–1995
Jesualdo Ferreira	1996–2000
António Violante	2001–2002 2008–2009
Rui Caçador	2003–2004 2007–2008
José Couceiro	2006–2007	21	13	4	4	37	8	+29
Paulo Alves	2009–2010	5	3	1	1	9	3	+6
Oceano Cruz	2010
Ilídio Vale	2010–2012	24	9	12	3	27	20	+7
Edgar Borges	2012–2014 2015–2016	29	5	3	3	17	12	+5
Hélio Sousa	2014–2015 2018–2019	24	16	3	5	46	22	+24
Emílio Peixe	2016–2017 2021–2022	19	6	8	5	33	29	+4
José Guilherme	2017–2018	7	2	1	4	7	12	-5
Filipe Ramos	2019–2020	6	1	2	3	7	13	-6
Rui Bento	2020–2021

References

"Festival International Espoirs Football Tournoi Maurice Revello Toulon". festival-foot-espoirs.com. Retrieved 2022-06-17.
"Eleitos para jogos com Chéquia e Suíça" (in Portuguese). Federação Portuguesa de Futebol. 20 March 2026. Retrieved 26 March 2026.