Portugal will play games against Cameroon, Greece, Mexico and the Repulic of Ireland as they limber up for the World Cup finals in Brazil in June.
The finals promise to be extra special given the strong links and common language shared with Brazil. In 1808, the Portuguese ruler, Prince Regent John VI, fled to Rio de Janeiro to escape the French invasion of Portugal. He took with him about 10,000 of the aristocracy, bureaucracy and some of the military. For 13 years Rio de Janeiro functioned as the capital of the Kingdom of Portugal.
In 1815, during the Congress of Vienna, John VI created the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves, elevating Brazil to the same rank as Portugal and increasing the administrative independence of Brazil.
So Paulo Bento’s men are expected to receive plenty of backing from the Brazilian public, not to mention the millions of Portuguese emigrants and Portuguese descendants living in Brazil. Portugal will play one friendly international, before the World Cup squad is announced, against Cameroon in Leiria on March 5.
A friendly match against Greece will give the home fans a chance to say farewell (at a venue yet to be announced) before leaving for the United States on June 2. The team will spend a week training at the prestigious Ivy League university of Princeton, in New Jersey and then play two further games against Mexico at the Gillette Stadium, Boston and the Republic of Ireland at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. The real action finally begins on June 16 when Portugal meet Germany in a repeat of their opening match of Euro 2012.
