Portuguesa F.C.

Portuguesa Fútbol Club, usually known simply as Portuguesa, is a Venezuelan professional football club based in Acarigua. It currently competes in the Primera División.

The club was founded on 10 April 1972, in Acarigua in the northern part of the state of Portuguesa. In 1973 the club won the Primera División for the first time and four more titles followed until 1978.The club has played a total 9 times in the Copa Libertadores.

The encounter between Portuguesa and Estudiantes de Mérida is one of the most classic and oldest of Venezuelan football, they are two of the most traditional clubs in the country. The first match played between both teams was on 28 May 1972, in the Copa Venezuela. The match ended with a 1–1 draw, with goals from Chiazzaro at the 73rd minute and Cholo Mendoza at the 79th minute, and so beginning the oldest ongoing classic in the country.

Portuguesa played the so-called Clásico portugueseño against Llaneros de Guanare, these are the two most important clubs in the state of Portuguesa, both having a good number of fans. The first meeting between the two took place on September 28, 1986 (with a scoreless draw) and continued, for now, until 2022 when Llaneros was dissolved.

The José Antonio Páez Stadium is a sports infrastructure built for the practice of football, located in the city of Acarigua in the state of Portuguesa of the western plains of Venezuela. Despite not being the capital of the region, the building was built in that place by the booming development of the place; owes its name to the recognized hero of Venezuelan independence and the first president of Venezuela, José Antonio Páez.

It is the headquarters of Portuguesa Fútbol Club, currently playing in the First Division of Venezuela. Its facilities have the capacity to hold approximately 14,000 spectators; in 2007 it underwent considerable improvements to be used in the National Sports Games of 2007.

It has a good fan base, having been a successful club in the past in Venezuelan football, with organised groups such as the Lanceros Rojinegros who are usually located in the south stand of the stadium.

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.