Porto arrive at the FIFA Club World Cup for the first time, carrying decades of European pedigree and fresh ambition. Drawn into a manageable Group A alongside Palmeiras, Inter Miami and Al Ahly, the Portuguese giants have a real shot at making a deep run on their long-awaited global debut.
1) Who will Porto face at the Club World Cup?
Porto have been drawn into Group A and these are their group stage fixtures:
15 June: vs Palmeiras. MetLife Stadium, New Jersey.
19 June: vs Inter Miami. Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta.
23 June: vs Al Ahly. MetLife Stadium, New Jersey.
2) Domestic silverware
To date, Porto have won 30 Primeira Liga titles, eight behind Portugal's all-time most-successful club Benfica. However, since 2003, the Dragons have claimed 12 league titles to the Eagles' eight.
Porto have also picked up 20 Taça de Portugals and a record 24 Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira titles, beating Sporting 4-3 in the most-recent edition of the country's Super Cup in Aveiro last August.
3) European glory
On top of this, Porto have twice been crowned champions of Europe. They beat Bayern Munich 2-1 in the 1987 final in Vienna before, led by José Mourinho, smashing Monaco 3-0 in the 2004 Champions League Final in Gelsenkirchen. They also won the UEFA Cup in 2003 and the Europa League in 2011.
4) Past Club World Cup expirence
Porto have never previously featured at the FIFA Club World Cup, given that the competition was not held when they were most-recently European champions 21 years ago.
However, they are two-times Intercontinental Cup winners, beating Peñarol 2-1 in Tokyo in 1987, before a penalty shootout victory over Once Caldas in Yokohama in 2004. The latter was the 44th and last-ever staging of the now defunct competition.
5) Current down period
Porto have actually finished third in the last two Primeira Liga campaigns; this is the first time they've ended up outside the top two in successive seasons since 1977.
This years, the Dragões finished 11 points adrift champions Sporting, meaning they've missed out on Champions League qualification, earning their lowest points tally since 2014. Meanwhile, back in November, they were ignominiously dumped out of the Taça de Portugal by Moreirense.
6) André Villas-Boas' return
While Porto have endured plenty of on-pitch turmoil during the last two seasons, they've experienced whole sale change at boardroom level too.
Jorge Nuno Pinto da Costa was first elected club president in 1982, holding that position for 42 years, completely transforming Porto into the powerhouse we know today during his reign.
Nevertheless, his premiership came to an end in April 2024, defeated in the election by André Villas-Boas, who earned 21,489 of the 26,876 votes. Villas-Boas thereby returned to the club he led to an invincible treble as manager in 2011, winning the league, cup and Europa League back then.
7) Porto players to watch: Diogo Costa
Captain Diogo Costa is widely-considered to be one of the best young goalkeepers on the planet.
Since making his senior debut in 2019, the 25-year-old has accumulated 197 appearances for the Dragões, keeping 83 clean sheets and conceding only 174 goals.
This has seen him become his country's number one too, earning 34 caps to date. When Portugal ousted Slovenia on penalties at last summer's European Championships in Frankfurt, Costa was the hero, becoming the first goalkeeper to ever save three spot-kicks in a Euros shootout.
8) Porto players to watch: Samu Aghehowa
At the other end of the field, Samu Aghehowa is Porto's main man for goals. The Spanish international arrived last summer from Atlético Madrid for a reported fee of €15 million and has become the star.
The 21-year-old scored 25 goals during his debut campaign in Northern Portugal, six of which came in the Europa League, including a brace during a thrilling 3-3 draw with eventual finalists Manchester United at Estádio do Dragão.
9) Manager Martín Anselmi: plenty to prove
Sérgio Conceição had been Porto manager for seven seasons, overseeing 379 matches and winning 11 major honours, including three league titles. However, he resigned in the summer of 2024.
Well, his successor, a rookie by the name of Vítor Bruno, lasted just 29 games in charge, before being sacked in January. Somewhat out of left-field, Martín Anselmi was hired as his replacement, having previously been in charge of Unión La Calera in Chile, Independiente del Valle in Ecuador and Mexican club Cruz Azul.
Under Anselmi, the Dragões somewhat stabilised, dumped out the Europa League by Roma, but losing just three of 15 Primeira Liga fixtures. Fair to say, the jury is still out on the 39-year-old Argentine, so he'll be looking to this tournament to prove himself at a high level.
10) Are Porto favourites to top Group A?
Porto commence their Club World Cup campaign against Palmeiras in East Rutherford, before also facing Inter Miami and then Al Ahly. While the Brazilian side are capable of an upset, Porto must surely fancy their chances of not only advancing, but finishing first in Group A.
They'll then, more than likely, run into either Paris Saint-Germain or Atlético Madrid in the round of 16, which will be an exponentially tougher assignment one would imagine.