In the request for consent made to the Assembly of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa indicates that the trip to Saint-Étienne on October 1st and 2nd will have the objective of “watching a game of the Portuguese rugby team in the world championship”.

In the same letter, the head of state states that he also plans to travel to Belgium between the 16th and 20th of next month for a state visit, at the invitation of King Philip.

For this visit, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa requests that the deputies from each parliamentary group who will accompany him be indicated.

The consent of the Assembly of the Republic to the head of State's travels abroad is a formality imposed by the Constitution, which establishes that the President of the Republic cannot be absent from national territory without authorization from parliament.

The France2023 Rugby World Cup started on September 8th and will run until October 28th.

Last week, in Toronto, the President of the Republic announced that he will watch the Portuguese rugby team play against Australia, on October 1st.