FC Porto lift historic Women’s Supercup trophy in Santo Tirso

Portugal’s reigning national champions FC Porto opened their 2026/2027 campaign on a high note by capturing their first-ever solo Women's Supercup title, defeating SC Braga 3-1 (25-18, 23-25, 25-17, 25-19) in a thrilling, high-tempo clash in front of a packed crowd at the Pavilhao Desportivo Municipal de Santo Tirso. 

Powered by strong offensive displays from American outside hitter Caylen Alexander, who scored a match-high 21 points, and Montenegrin middle blocker Saska Durovic with 17 points, FC Porto set the pace early with aggressive serving and commanding net play. Despite a spirited second-set comeback led by SC Braga’s Gabriela Coelho, who topped her team’s scoring with 15 points, the Dragões maintained composure in key transitional moments to secure the victory in four sets.

FC Porto took early control of the opening set behind solid blocks from Canadian middle blocker Kelsey Veltman. While SC Braga attempted to close the gap late in the set behind the serving of Emily Elliot, a clutch serve from Alexander sealed the opener at 25-18. The Minho Warriors side responded fiercely in the second set, riding the momentum built by opposite hitter Nilda Matuca and decisive attacks from Gabriela Coelho to build a quick advantage. Despite a late surge from Porto that levelled the score at 18-18, a delicate tip shot by Anastasiia Maievska handed SC Braga the second set at 25-23.

The third set saw FC Porto regain full momentum, with setter Milana Bozic orchestrating effective plays for Alexander and Polish hitter Natalia Paszkowska to comfortably claim the set 25-17. In the fourth and final stretch, despite rising heat on the court and in the stands, FC Porto held their ground in offensive transitions, closing out the set 25-19 with points from Natasa Cikiriz and Alexander to seal their landmark triumph.

Reflecting on the victory after the final whistle, FC Porto head coach Miguel Coelho praised his team’s performance: “It was a hard-fought match, and perhaps we could have even won 3-0, with all due respect to Braga. We had a few momentary errors in the second set, but the tactical work developed during the week paid off. We were effective on serve and attack and better in all phases of the game. The atmosphere in the stands was incredible, and I want to thank the supporters for making us feel like we were playing at Dragão Arena. Titles take a lot of hard work to win, so we have to celebrate this one and then focus on the league and the Cup.”

On the other side, SC Braga head coach João Santos lamented the constraints affecting his team’s preparation: *Honestly, I think this match was conditioned since last week, since the Lamego tournament, where a lack of responsibility from an opposing player took away one of our key pieces for this game. The training week was atypical as we searched for alternatives with a shorter squad than our opponent’s. Nevertheless, I think we fought with the weapons we had, we played a good game, and we still managed to take a set. I am very proud of what we did here. Looking ahead, I expect the best league ever, once again, with every team strengthening their squads, and I anticipate a competition fought right to the very end.”

FC Porto are also due to represent Portugal in this year’s elite CEV Champions League Volley where their journey will start from Round 2 with home and away matches against the reigning Spanish national champions, Fundación Cajasol ANDALUCÍA.