Portugal's Historic Rugby Match Against Ireland Moves to Lisbon: What You Need to Know

Major Venue Change for Portugal's First-Ever Match Against Ireland

After the announcement last October, Portugal has been forced to make a significant change to their first-ever rugby match against Ireland. The Portuguese Rugby Union announced that the match will now take place in Lisbon instead of the Algarve due to a scheduling conflict.

The game is now set for July 12 at the Estádio Nacional do Jamor. The president of the Federação Portuguesa de Rugby, Carlos Amado da Silva, stated: “The game will be hosted in Lisbon, in the Estádio Nacional’s Campo de Honra. We hope Portuguese and Irish fans can comprehend the situation and still show up to their teams. We had to make this adjustment due to the Estádio do Algarve being occupied on the agreed weekend.”

Although the Algarve was initially chosen due to its status as a major tourism hub, fans will now have to travel to Lisbon.

Upcoming Fixtures

• This match is part of the Rugby Europe Championship.
• Portugal has secured its third appearance at the Men’s Rugby World Cup after defeating Belgium and Germany in the early rounds.
• In 2024, the Lobos will also have the chance to compete against the Springboks and Scotland.

The match against Ireland will be their most significant home game since hosting Italy in the summer of 2022. Tickets are expected to go on sale in the coming months.

Ireland's Tour

With the British and Irish Lions touring Australia this summer, Ireland has chosen to visit emerging rugby nations including Georgia, Portugal, and Romania. The tour will kick off in Georgia before heading to Lisbon and concluding in Bucharest. This will mark Ireland's first matches in Tbilisi and Lisbon, although they have previously played in Romania back in 2001.