União TorreenseSC União Torreense spent more than a century as a modest, local symbol of the town of Torres Vedras in Portugal's Oeste region — until 24 May 2026, when it wrote itself into the history of Portuguese football as a whole. On that day, the Liga Portugal 2 side defeated defending champions Sporting CP 2-1 after extra time in the final of the Taça de Portugal, becoming the first non-top-flight club ever to win the competition. Torreense took the lead as early as the 4th minute through Kévin Zohi — the fastest goal in a Taça de Portugal final since 2012. Although Sporting equalised, it was the Torres Vedras side that struck the winner in extra time, securing qualification for the Europa League league phase as the first non-top-flight club to do so under the competition's revised format.
The club was founded on 1 May 1917 under the original name Sport União Torreense, emerging from local passion and community spirit. From its earliest days, the distinctive blue and red kit became a symbol of a team deeply rooted in its town's working-class traditions. The epicentre of football in Torres Vedras is the venue originally opened in 1926 as Campo das Covas, later named Estádio Manuel Marques in honour of a dedicated club figure. For decades, this ground has served as the club's historic home.
Before its historic 2026 triumph, the club had already written one memorable chapter in the national cup — in 1956, in its debut season in the top-flight Primeira Divisão, Torreense reached the final of the Taça de Portugal, where it fell 0-2 to FC Porto at the Estádio Nacional, with Hernâni scoring both goals for the opposition. That same 1955-56 season and the following one, 1956-57, brought the club its best-ever league finishes — consecutive 7th-place placings. In total, the club has spent just six seasons in Portugal's top division, most recently in 1991-92, otherwise competing steadily in the second and third tiers. Over the decades, the blue and red shirt was worn by former Portuguese international Carlos Manuel, as well as skilled performers such as the aforementioned Hernâni and goalkeeper Félix.
Today, SC União Torreense, having historically won the first major trophy of its more than century-long history, enters a new chapter — as a Liga Portugal 2 club that has etched its name into the annals of European football, proving that even a lower-division side can topple a domestic giant on the biggest stage. Grounded in its strong connection to the Oeste region and its nearly hundred-year tradition, the club from Torres Vedras has become one of the most recognisable symbols of sporting romance in modern football.
