# Lusitans
**FC Lusitans**, also known as **Lusitanos**, is an Andorran football club from [Andorra la Vella](https://www.edgepedia.org/andorra-la-vella) founded in 1999 by Portuguese immigrants, which won consecutive Andorran Primera Divisió titles in 2011–12 and 2012–13 and represented the principality in [UEFA Champions League](https://www.edgepedia.org/uefa-champions-league) and [UEFA Europa League](https://www.edgepedia.org/uefa-europa-league) qualifying rounds.
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1999, by Portuguese immigrants in Andorra la Vella, after a bet over a restaurant meal[1](https://www.uefa.com/news-media/news/01ee-0f861b8cca74-f9ae12a9c8af-1000--from-a-restaurant-to-europe-for-lusitans/) |
| Identity | Name means "Portuguese"; colors and crest (a cross inside a football) resemble those of the Portugal national team and the Portuguese Football Federation[1](https://www.uefa.com/news-media/news/01ee-0f861b8cca74-f9ae12a9c8af-1000--from-a-restaurant-to-europe-for-lusitans/) • [2](https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11945/9892755/football) |
| League titles | Primera Divisió champion in 2011–12 and 2012–13, the second won with two games to spare[3](https://www.uefa.com/news-media/news/01fc-0f8805b4e659-e7bb70f8934e-1000--lusitans-clinch-maiden-title-in-andorra/) • [4](https://www.uefa.com/news/025e-0f90b1bf5465-05c91eeb8081-1000--lusitans-retain-andorran-league-crown/) |
| Supercopa | Won the Andorran Super Cup in 2012 and 2013, the latter 1–0 against UE Santa Coloma[5](https://www.zerozero.pt/equipa/lusitanos/1747/historia) • [6](https://es.uefa.com/news-media/news/020d-0f88862a4464-620f2bf5f50f-1000--el-lusitans-supercampeon-de-andorra/) |
| European record | 2 Champions League qualifying campaigns (4 games, 0 wins, 3–16 on aggregate) and 4 Europa League qualifying campaigns (8 games, 0 wins, 3–26)[7](https://www.zerozero.pt/equipa/lusitanos/1747/historico-competicoes) |
| Domestic totals | 13 top-flight seasons recorded, 269 league games, 128 wins, 549 goals scored and 349 conceded[7](https://www.zerozero.pt/equipa/lusitanos/1747/historico-competicoes) |
## Origins
The club began with a friendly match rather than a formal plan. President António da Silva told UEFA.com that a group of acquaintances organized a game between immigrants from the mainly Portuguese areas of Amarante and [Viana do Castelo](https://www.edgepedia.org/viana-do-castelo), with a bet that the losing team would buy the winners a meal. In the restaurant, someone asked why they did not form a team, and the club grew from that idea[1](https://www.uefa.com/news-media/news/01ee-0f861b8cca74-f9ae12a9c8af-1000--from-a-restaurant-to-europe-for-lusitans/).
In their first full season, Lusitans, a name meaning "Portuguese", won promotion to the Andorran top tier, where the club remained for years afterward[1](https://www.uefa.com/news-media/news/01ee-0f861b8cca74-f9ae12a9c8af-1000--from-a-restaurant-to-europe-for-lusitans/). The Portuguese identity stayed central: until about 2007 the squad was entirely Portuguese, and the club later opened its doors to other nationalities after da Silva joined the board in 2005[1](https://www.uefa.com/news-media/news/01ee-0f861b8cca74-f9ae12a9c8af-1000--from-a-restaurant-to-europe-for-lusitans/). The crest, a cross inside an image of a football, closely resembles the one adopted by the [Portuguese Football Federation](https://www.edgepedia.org/portuguese-football-federation), and the club's notoriety in Portugal grew to the point of television quizzes and special reports in Portuguese media[1](https://www.uefa.com/news-media/news/01ee-0f861b8cca74-f9ae12a9c8af-1000--from-a-restaurant-to-europe-for-lusitans/).
## The title years, 2012 and 2013
**First championship.** Lusitans entered the final round of the 2011–12 championship play-off as the only one of four contenders with the title in their own hands. A 2–1 win over UE Sant Julià, with goals from Sebastià Bertran and Luis Miguel Dos Reis, sealed the first [Primera Divisió](https://www.edgepedia.org/primera-divisio) title in the club's 13-year history and a place in UEFA Champions League qualifying. Coach Vicenç Marqués described the club as humble with a great following, long in the shadow of other top-flight sides[3](https://www.uefa.com/news-media/news/01fc-0f8805b4e659-e7bb70f8934e-1000--lusitans-clinch-maiden-title-in-andorra/).
**Second championship.** The club retained the title in 2013. Under Carlos Sánchez, who had arrived during the mid-winter break in place of Salvador Estruch, Lusitans beat third-placed UE Sant Julià 4–2 in the four-team championship play-off, a Luis Dos Reis hat-trick and a Bruninho goal securing the crown with two games to spare[4](https://www.uefa.com/news/025e-0f90b1bf5465-05c91eeb8081-1000--lusitans-retain-andorran-league-crown/) • [8](https://www.uefa.com/news-media/news/025e-0f90b1d4acd9-72c66fe71bc9-1000--sanchez-says-team-spirit-key-to-lusitans-success/). Sánchez attributed the success to a combination of strength, fighting spirit, and commitment from the players[8](https://www.uefa.com/news-media/news/025e-0f90b1d4acd9-72c66fe71bc9-1000--sanchez-says-team-spirit-key-to-lusitans-success/).
**Super Cup.** The 2012–13 season opened with the 2012 Supercopa, and the club defended it in September 2013, beating Copa Constitució holders UE Santa Coloma 1–0 at a full Estadi Comunal through a 12th-minute goal from Cristian Martínez[6](https://es.uefa.com/news-media/news/020d-0f88862a4464-620f2bf5f50f-1000--el-lusitans-supercampeon-de-andorra/). Across its recorded history the club has won both of its Super Cup appearances[7](https://www.zerozero.pt/equipa/lusitanos/1747/historico-competicoes).
## European campaigns
Lusitans' European record reflects the gap between Andorran football and the rest of the continent. In four Europa League qualifying campaigns the club played 8 games without a win, scoring 3 and conceding 26; in two Champions League qualifying campaigns it played 4 games, drawing once and losing three, with 3 scored and 16 conceded[7](https://www.zerozero.pt/equipa/lusitanos/1747/historico-competicoes).
In the 2013–14 Champions League first qualifying round, the club came closest to progress: leading EB/Streymur of the [Faroe Islands](https://www.edgepedia.org/faroe-islands) 2–0 at home, Lusitans saw the ten-man Faroese champions recover for a 2–2 first-leg draw[9](https://es.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/news/020b-0e85317ee4db-3d60cfe18e83-1000--drama-para-el-lusitans/).
## Later years
After the back-to-back championships, Lusitans remained a fixture of Andorran football but did not add a third league title. Its recorded top-flight totals stand at 13 seasons, 269 games, 128 wins, and a 549–349 goal record, alongside 14 Copa Constitució editions with one title and 3 second-division seasons with 2 titles[7](https://www.zerozero.pt/equipa/lusitanos/1747/historico-competicoes). In the 2026/27 season the club is not playing in either the UEFA Champions League or the UEFA Europa League[10](https://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/clubs/75986--lusitans/).
## References
1. [From a restaurant to Europe for Lusitans, UEFA.com (2 February 2011)](https://www.uefa.com/news-media/news/01ee-0f861b8cca74-f9ae12a9c8af-1000--from-a-restaurant-to-europe-for-lusitans/)
2. [10 facts about Stjarnan and FC Lusitans, Sky Sports](https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11945/9892755/football)
3. [Lusitans clinch maiden title in Andorra, UEFA.com (22 April 2012)](https://www.uefa.com/news-media/news/01fc-0f8805b4e659-e7bb70f8934e-1000--lusitans-clinch-maiden-title-in-andorra/)
4. [Lusitans retain Andorran league crown, UEFA.com (7 April 2013)](https://www.uefa.com/news/025e-0f90b1bf5465-05c91eeb8081-1000--lusitans-retain-andorran-league-crown/)
5. [Lusitanos :: Timeline, zerozero.pt](https://www.zerozero.pt/equipa/lusitanos/1747/historia)
6. [El Lusitans, supercampeón de Andorra, UEFA.com (September 2013)](https://es.uefa.com/news-media/news/020d-0f88862a4464-620f2bf5f50f-1000--el-lusitans-supercampeon-de-andorra/)
7. [Lusitanos – Histórico nas Competições Nacionais e Internacionais, zerozero.pt](https://www.zerozero.pt/equipa/lusitanos/1747/historico-competicoes)
8. [Sánchez says team spirit key to Lusitans' success, UEFA.com (8 April 2013)](https://www.uefa.com/news-media/news/025e-0f90b1d4acd9-72c66fe71bc9-1000--sanchez-says-team-spirit-key-to-lusitans-success/)
9. [Drama para el Lusitans, UEFA Champions League 2013/14, UEFA.com](https://es.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/news/020b-0e85317ee4db-3d60cfe18e83-1000--drama-para-el-lusitans/)
10. [FC Lusitans UEFA Champions League 2026/27, UEFA.com](https://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/clubs/75986--lusitans/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Association football › Football people and teams › Teams and sporting organizations › Football clubs of continental Europe and Israel › Spanish and Portuguese football clubs*
*Initially written Oct 20, 2026 · Edited: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license