Bem-vindo a Portugal! 🇵🇹

The Portugal Experience

Calgary Blizzard takes players to Cascais, Portugal – one of Europe's most stunning coastal destinations – to compete in the IberCup Cascais, one of the most prestigious international youth soccer tournaments in the world. Against elite clubs from across Europe, South America, and beyond, on Portuguese soil, in one of the game's most celebrated environments.

The IberCup is not a local invitational. It's a world-class international youth tournament where teams face elite academies from five continents – and the Cascais edition is its flagship. Past and confirmed participants include some of the most recognised clubs on the planet: Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Juventus, Manchester United, Benfica, AC Milan, Sporting CP, AS Roma, Inter Milan, FC Porto, Club Brugge, and Olympique Lyon, among many others.

Competing here means standing toe-to-toe with players who have grown up inside world-class academy systems. For a young player from Calgary, there is no bigger stage.

Our teams compete in 3–5 competitive matches played 11-a-side with regular substitutions, across grass and turf venues in the Cascais region. This isn't exhibition football. It's real competition, measured against a global standard.

The Professional Experience

Players also get an inside look at the professional game – attending 1–2 live professional matches, typically featuring Benfica and FC Porto, two of Portugal's most celebrated clubs and among the most storied in European football history.

A visit to the iconic Estádio do Sport Lisboa e Benfica gives players a firsthand sense of what the professional game looks and feels like at its highest level. These aren't just sightseeing stops – they're moments that show young players exactly what's possible.

Beyond the Pitch

Portugal is one of Europe's great destinations, and the Portugal Experience makes the most of every moment off the field. All activities are organized, accompanied, and built into the tour – so players and families can enjoy everything without the logistics.

  • Culture & Sightseeing

    • Mercado da Vila – Cascais' vibrant local market

    • Centro Histórico

    • National Palace of Pena (Sintra — UNESCO World Heritage Site)

    • Estádio do Sport Lisboa e Benfica stadium tour

  • Fun & Social

    • Beach Futevólei (soccer volleyball on the sands of Cascais)

    • Beach hangouts

    • Shopping in Cascais town centre

Please note: activity listings are subject to confirmation closer to departure.

What's Included

The Portugal Experience is a fully all-inclusive package. Every participant travels, trains, and experiences Portugal together as a group.

  • Accommodation for all nights

  • Transport to and from the airport

  • Transport to all games, professional matches, and social activities

  • Match tickets to all professional games

  • 2 meals per day (breakfast and one additional meal)

  • All included activities

When & Who

The Portugal Experience typically takes place in March or April each year, travelling with youth teams from across the Blizzard program.

A historic building with a clock tower and small balconies, surrounded by shops and cafes, on a cobblestone street with a few pedestrians, under a cloudy sky.
Historic yellow castle with dark accents on a foggy hillside, featuring turrets and battlements, with visitors on the walkway.
Interior courtyard with stone columns and arches, featuring colorful geometric tile patterns on the walls and floor, potted plants in ornate containers, and a central decorative fountain with lush green plants.
Produce section with red and green peppers at a market or grocery store, with shoppers in the background inside a large building with high glass ceilings.
Fresh fish displayed on ice at a seafood market, with a focus on a large, dark eel-like fish with sharp teeth, surrounded by other fish and seafood.
A person in a cartoon mascot costume running on a soccer field, with young players in uniforms standing in the background during a sports event.
Photograph of a white wall with a crest featuring a crown, a red castle, a green and white banner, and blue waves, along with the text "Dramático e Sportivo de Cascais" and the words "Arte, Sport, Bem" beneath.
Group of four boys celebrating outdoors, cheering and smiling with fists raised, under cloudy sky.
A sign on a yellow textured wall displaying the logo and name of Academia Mem Martins, featuring a shield emblem with a cross and the year 1957.
Two kids playing soccer outdoors on a paved area. One kid, wearing a white hoodie and red pants, faces away. The other kid, wearing a yellow jacket, brown pants, and white sneakers, is positioned to kick the soccer ball.
Two young boys playing soccer on a field, competing for the ball.
Religious tile mural depicting children praying before a statue of the Virgin Mary, with the sign 'N.S. Fatima' below the image, mounted on a weathered concrete wall near a window with blue frame and black bars.
A group of young athletes in orange sportswear posing in front of a stadium, holding a Canadian flag.
A soccer stadium with empty seats and a group of young soccer players in orange uniforms standing in front of the field.
A group of young women wearing orange team jackets and medals standing in front of a soccer field inside a large stadium with red seats and a partially covered roof.
A group of young athletes wearing orange and black sportswear, standing in front of a large sculpture of a white eagle with outstretched wings inside a modern building.
Empty soccer stadium with green field and red seats, with large, partially covered roof and cloudy sky.
A bald eagle perched on a stand with a Benfica logo, inside a football stadium with empty red and white seats and some people in the background.
Street sign with decorative border titled 'Rua da Torre' in Portuguese, mounted on a pedestal against a background of a hedge and trees.
Coastal cliffs with vegetation on top, rocky shoreline below, and ocean waves under a partly cloudy sky.
Two boys sitting on a beach, the boy in the foreground has curly hair and wears an orange hoodie, looking at the camera with a slight smile, while the other boy also in an orange hoodie faces away, overlooking the sand and water. In the background, p