Portugal

The history of cricket in Portugal goes back to the days of the Peninsular War when Wellington's British troops were encamped in Lisbon. The fact that there has been an annual fixture between sides from Oporto and Lisbon, played virtually every year since 1861, gives testimony to the credentials of the cricketing establishment.

Seen as a sport with strong English ties, it was the almost exclusive domain of a relatively small group of ex-pats and sons of British families of long-standing residence in Portugal. After the 1974 revolution, which saw the former Portuguese territories in Africa and the east being granted independence, the population shift of Portuguese nationals which resulted meant that there was an influx into metropolitan Portugal of people who had learned how to play cricket in places such as Goa and Mozambique. In addition, many Portuguese residing in Angola and Mozambique relocated to Rhodesia and South Africa where their children were soon exposed to the traditions of cricket.

The harnessing of this latent talent was no easy task but, with the help, guidance and understanding of the European Cricket Federation, European Cricket Council (ECC), and the International Cricket Council - Europe Office, over the past two decades, the present administrators of cricket in Portugal have embarked upon a development plan which is intended to see cricket progress into a truly national game within the next ten years.

The Cricket Association of Portugal was formed in 1994 and the Portuguese Cricket Federation in 2001. Portugal became an Affiliate member of the ICC in 1996.