European and world futsal champions Portugal suffered a surprising 4-2 defeat to Slovenia in a preparatory friendly, raising questions about their form ahead of the 2026 European Championship.
The loss, described as a “bad rehearsal” for the upcoming tournament, saw Slovenia take an early lead and maintain control, eventually reaching a 4-0 advantage. Portugal, the reigning two-time European champions and a world title holder, managed only two late goals in the match held at a multi-purpose pavilion in Braga, Portugal.
Coach Jorge Braz had made extensive changes to the starting lineup from a previous 3-1 victory against Slovenia just days earlier, retaining only Afonso Jesus.
Slovenia capitalized quickly, with Luka Cop scoring just 27 seconds into the game. Jeremy Bukovec doubled Slovenia’s lead in the 13th minute, following a Portuguese turnover by Kutchy.
Despite Portugal’s attempts, including shots hitting the post from Erick and Tiago Brito, they went into halftime trailing 2-0.
Slovenia continued their dominance into the second half. Zan Janez extended their lead to 3-0 just 26 seconds after the restart. An unfortunate own goal by Carlos Monteiro in the 25th minute put Slovenia firmly ahead 4-0.
Portugal eventually found the net through Kutchy in the 28th minute and Tomás Paçó in the 33rd minute, bringing the score to 4-2. Coach Braz introduced a 5×4 power play tactic in the final three minutes but failed to further reduce the deficit.
The European Futsal Championship is scheduled from January 21 to February 7, 2026, across Lithuania, Latvia, and Slovenia. Portugal will compete in Group D alongside Italy, Poland, and Hungary. This marks their 11th appearance in the tournament finals.
Approximately 600 spectators attended the friendly match.