Portugal's big three dominate, so fans of other clubs often adopt Benfica, FC Porto or Sporting CP as a second team. Paulo Sarreira, a 49-year-old hotel owner in Torres Vedras, supports hometown club Torreense. Last season, Torreense became the first cup winners from outside Portugal's top tier, beating Sporting in the Taça de Portugal final with an extra-time goal from 38-year-old Cape Verde full-back Stopira. That earned them a place in the UEFA Europa League.

"My memories of the final against Sporting are still very vivid," Sarreira tells ESPN. "All my friends from Torres Vedras that like Sporting wanted Torreense to win. They were crying. Everybody at the stadium knew that it was possible but for it to happen was completely crazy." The party went on until 3 or 4 in the morning.

However, Torreense missed out on promotion, losing a playoff to Casa Pia, leaving them in the second division for their maiden continental campaign. They debut Thursday in Norway against Lillestrøm, who also won their domestic cup as a second-tier side but gained promotion.

"Realistically, the home game against Ararat and the away game against Lillestrøm look like the most winnable," says Sarreira. They will also face Sunderland, Real Sociedad, Celtic, Olympiacos, Ferencváros and Lech Poznań.

Their home games will not be at Estádio Manuel Marques (2,500 capacity) due to UEFA criteria; they will play at Estádio Dr. Magalhães Pessoa in Leiria, 50 miles away. "It's always frustrating not being able to play at your own stadium," Sarreira says. "But I don't think this will affect the team. Everything that comes from these matches will be positive." He concedes fixture congestion could be a problem: "The real problem will be the national championship with three matches a week."