Chelsea fans’ guide to Sporting Lisbon

These FSF guides are intended to offer a quick snapshot of advice and info for fans ahead of their trips to Europe – if you have any specific questions about the city, how to get there, where to stay or anything else then simply email us your questions. Through our extensive network of contacts at Football Supporters Europe and experience of travelling throughout Europe ourselves, we will be able to answer just about any query you have. 

About the Team

Sporting Lisbon are actually called Sporting Club de Portugal, and were founded in 1906 in the Portuguese capital. José Alvalade was one of the key people responsible for founding the club, and Sporting’s current stadium bears his name in tribute. Since 1906 the club has always played in some variant of green and white, with their hooped tops making their first appearance in 1928.

Sporting are one of the most decorated clubs in Portugal, having won 18 Portuguese Liga Sagres titles and 15 Portuguese Cups, although they have only won the league twice in almost 30 years (2000 and 2002).

They’ve also tasted success in Europe, winning the Cup Winners’ Cup in 1964, and reaching the final of the UEFA Cup in 2005, where they somewhat surprisingly lost in their home stadium to CSKA Moscow 3-1.

About the Stadium

The Jose Alvalade Stadium is located in a development called Alvalade XXI to the north of the city centre (not far from Lisbon Airport). The complex includes a mall, cinema, health club and the club’s museum.

The stadium is easily reached on the metro, with Telheiras and Campo Grande stations within walking distance (the latter is the closest). Do not be confused and get off at the Alvalade station – this is some distance from the ground.

It is easily reached by metro (Campo Grande is the nearest stop, on the Green and Yellow lines) and several buses run from the city centre to the ground (1, 3, 46, 47, 77, 101, 106 and 108).

Chelsea fans will be seated in sectors A9, A11, B11 and B13 and should enter through gate 1. Visiting supporters will be kept behind for around 45 minutes after the match to allow the home fans to disperse

Eating and Drinking in Lisbon

Famed for their seafood as well as their steaks, there are some fantastic restaurants to be found in the Portuguese capital.

The Barrio Alto, and the streets to the south of Rossio Square, are littered with more restaurants, bars and cafés than you can shake a stick at. Have a wander round these central districts and take your pick from the cuisine on offer – you won’t regret it.

If you head down to the riverside, by Cais do Sodré Metro station you’ll find a couple of Lisbon’s Irish bars. Both within spitting distance of the metro, you can take your pick between O’Gillins on Rua dos Remolares or Hennesey’s on Cais do Sodré. Both provide that little bit of a ‘home away from home’ feeling.

A little further away from the city centre, in the shadows of the Ponte 25 de Abril by Alcantra Mar Metro is the Celtas and Iberos Irish pub.

Links

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office have produced this guide for fans travelling to Lisbon.