53 years later, Sunderland’s long wait for a European away fixture is about to come to an end as we make the trip to Portugal to watch the Lads take on SCU Torreense on Thursday.
The weather forecast is promising warm weather of upwards of 25 degrees on matchday, which will make it feel like a late summer holiday of sorts for the travelling fans. (It certainly beats Accrington Stanley in the rain. No offence.)
Since Torreense play in Portugal’s second division, you can be forgiven for not knowing much (or anything) about our opponents, so I have attempted to provide a bit of background before we hit the road.
In Profile: SCU Torreense and Torres Vedras
SCU Torreense is based in the city of Torres Vedras (importantly, not where our Europa League match will take place).
It is situated around 31 miles north of Lisbon, and due to its location on the Atlantic Ocean, the wider municipality of Torres Vedras is a popular beach holiday destination.
It is also home to the Carnival of Torres Vedras, which dates back to the 16th century and attracts around half a million visitors every year.
Despite a history dating back over a thousand years, the city is most famous for the Lines of Torres Vedras.
These are lines of military defences that were ordered to be built by Arthur Wellesley, the First Duke of Wellington, between 1809 and 1810 to defend Lisbon.
They were classified as Portuguese National Heritage in 2019, and a national day celebrating them takes place on 20 October every year, just five days after our Europa League encounter.
SCU Torreense were founded in 1917 and have spent most of their history in the second and third tiers of Portuguese football.
They have spent six seasons playing top-flight football, most recently in 1992. In their first season in the top flight, in the 1955-56 season, Torreense recorded a club-record seventh-placed finish and reached the final of the Portuguese Cup, but ultimately lost 2-0 against Porto.
The 24th of May 2026 became the most important day in Torreense’s history when they triumphed against all odds in the Portuguese Cup final against giants Sporting Club.
Torreense forward Kevin Sohi opened the scoring after just four minutes following a corner. They managed to hold on to their lead until half-time, despite 16 Sporting shots in the first half alone.
An equaliser eventually came in the 54th minute through Colombian international Luis Suarez, and the game was forced into extra time.
Torreense had a goal ruled out for offside early in extra time, but they kept pushing, before a foul from Uruguayan international Maxi Araujo gifted the second-division side a penalty and a golden chance to take the lead again.
In the 113th minute, veteran captain Stopira converted the penalty for Torreense, and the result saw Torreense become the first-ever team to win the Portuguese Cup while playing outside the top flight.
Stopira also represented Cape Verde at this year’s World Cup.
Winning the cup meant that Torreense qualified for European football for the first time in their history. They Winning the cup meant that Torreense qualified for European football for the first time in their history. They went straight into the Europa League’s league phase without having to play qualification matches, and they opened their European campaign with an impressive 2-1 away win against Norwegian side Lillestrom in September.
The Europa League draw provided Torreense with a number of exciting fixtures, including home ties against Olympiacos and Celtic, and away trips to Real Sociedad and Lech Poznan.
Torreense finished third in the league last season and only missed out on automatic promotion on goal difference. This placed them into a one-off promotion play-off match against Casa Pia AC, who finished third-bottom in the first division. Torreense were unable to replicate their cup heroics and lost 2-0, which consigned them to a rare season of competing in Europe while playing their domestic football outside the top flight.
An appearance in the Portuguese Super Cup against league winners Porto also followed in August, which Porto won 1-0.
Torreense Women are also participating in European competitions this season and face a round-of-16 knockout tie against Sparta Prague in the Europa Cup at the end of this month.
Where Will Our Game Take Place?
SCU Torreense usually play their matches at the Estadio Manuel Marques in Torres Vedras, which has been their home since 1926.
However, our Europa League encounter will take place in Leiria. This is because the Estadio Manuel Marques does not meet UEFA’s stadium regulations due to its capacity of under 2,500.
Leiria is an hour’s drive from Torres Vedras. The Estadio Municipal de Leiria, also known as Estádio Dr. Magalhães Pessoa, has a capacity of just under 25,000.
This stadium was built in preparation for Euro 2004 and hosted two games at the tournament. It has hosted the Portuguese national team on ten occasions, most recently in a friendly against Nigeria in June 2026.
With a population of around 40,000 people, Leiria is overlooked by a 12th-century castle and will provide a scenic backdrop to our first European away trip of the season. It is also designated as a UNESCO Creative City of Music.
In Sunderland’s Away Fan Guide, which was recently emailed to supporters who have tickets for the game, Leiria’s historic centre is mentioned as the recommended base for visiting supporters.
There are a number of bars and restaurants in this area, and the stadium is approximately a 25-minute walk from the city centre.
There are a number of towns and cities close to Leiria that visiting Sunderland fans will be able to visit if they are spending a few days in central Portugal before or after the match.
For example, the town of Batalha is a 15-minute drive from Leiria. Its monastery dates back 700 years and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Fatima is another nearby city, and it is a major Catholic pilgrimage site that attracts over six million pilgrims every year. A slightly different pilgrimage to the one Sunderland fans will be making this October!
The coastal city of Nazare is also not far from Leiria, and it is famous for its waves, which reach heights of 100 feet during the winter.
A Historic Occasion
Thursday’s match will be a truly historic occasion, and one that will mean so much to fans of both clubs.
We have the opportunity to make Sunderland proud on a continental scale, like we did against AZ Alkmaar at the Stadium of Light last month.
To everyone going to Portugal: safe travels, and bring home the three points!
