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International rugby
Portugal’s national men’s team suffered two chastening defeats. Firstly, Os Lobos played the US in Coimbra, where they were on the receiving end of a 21-17 home defeat. This was a surprising loss, considering Portugal had beaten the visitors 46-20 in 2023. Next, they took on the might of Scotland at Murrayfield when the Scots ran in nine tries to three in a 59-21 loss. The never-say-die approach was in full force, but Portugal were well beaten on the day. The Portuguese will have just cause to feel frustrated knowing that only nine of the 23 players who played in the World Cup were in attendance for the match.
Local rugby
Loulé Rugby Club have announced their fixtures for the National Championship Division 1. The Algarve’s top rugby side start their campaign with an away match at CR Evora on 23 November, followed by a home game against GD Direito. Other notable home games include Evora on 21 December and Setúbal on 18 January.
Angling (main photo)
Lourenço Martins once again represented Portugal in the Junior World Angling Championships. The 18-year-old from Burgau finished a creditable 20th position in cold and wet conditions in Wexford, on the southeast coast of Ireland. In the team competition, Portugal finished in sixth position, while Spain took overall honours. Lourenço has represented his country since he was 12 years old and has been a fine ambassador for the Algarve.
Surfing
Yolanda Hopkins has missed out on qualifying for next year’s World Surf League by the smallest of margins.The Algarve surfer needed to reach the final of the season-ending Challenger event in Brazil to guarantee the fifth and final promotion spot. However, in a winner-takes-all semi-final, she ended up losing to Frenchwoman Vahiné Fierro by just 1.06 points. Victory would have meant that Hopkins would be the first Portuguese surfer to ever compete on the World Tour.
International football
The Portugal men’s team have topped Group 1 in the UEFA Nations League. Despite calls to drop talisman Cristiano Ronaldo, the 39-year-old has returned to form scoring twice against Poland, including an acrobatic overhead kick. Portugal have advanced to the quarter-finals of the competition that is due to take place next March.
In the women’s competition, Portugal have been handed a tough group draw. They have been pitted against Belgium, current Nations League champions Spain and world number two England.
Algarve football
João Neves has been voted the sixth best young footballer in the world at the annual UEFA player awards ceremony. Neves, who hails from Tavira, has undertaken a meteoric rise to stardom. He began by playing for his local side in the Algarve before making his debut for the Benfica first team in 2022. A big money transfer to Paris St Germain soon followed, together with 12 caps for the national side. The winner of the Kopa Trophy for best young player of the year was Lamine Yamal of Barcelona.
Farense and Portimonense are among 36 Portuguese clubs that will receive €222,000 to invest in their development programmes. The Algarve sides will receive the money from UEFA as part of a 662 million euro ‘solidarity fund’.
Tennis
It has been a great year for the Portuguese number one tennis player. In the women’s game, Francisca Jorge secured her first-ever WTA Challenger title by winning the Oeiras Ladies Open doubles tournament with her younger sister, Matilde. In a breakthrough year, she also played in all four of the Grand Slam tournaments, reaching a career-high of 176 in the rankings.
On the men’s side, Nuno Borges has continued his extraordinary rise in the game by reaching the fourth round of both the Australian and US Open Grand Slam tournaments. He also won his first ATP singles title, beating the great Rafael Nadal in the Swedish Open in July. In doing so, he has reached a career-high number 30 in the world rankings.
Handball
The Portuguese women’s handball team is set to take part in the 2024 European Handball Championships. The event takes place from 28 November to 15 December in Austria, Hungary and Switzerland. This is just the second time that the women’s team have qualified for the tournament with their last appearance being in 2008. Sweden are the overwhelming favourites to take the title.
