Its football team currently plays in the Campeonato de Portugal, the fourth national level, having gained promotion by winning the Aveiro FA First Division 2018/19 championship season.

All three players have regularly been chosen for the Portugal national team and have played for the biggest clubs in the country—the former two with Benfica and the latter with both Porto and Sporting CP.

In 1988 Beira-Mar returned to the "Primeira Divisão" managing to remain there most of the following years and achieving a best ever sixth place overall finish in the 1990/91 top league season and also reaching the Cup final.

On 23 February 2002, Beira-Mar achieved a 3–2 away win against FC Porto, which was managed by a young José Mourinho; it would be his last home defeat in the following decade.

[1] In 2006, former European Golden Shoe winner Mário Jardel returned to Portugal to play for Beira-Mar, signing a one-year contract.

The Brazilian scored in his official debut, a 2–2 home draw against Desportivo das Aves, but gradually lost his importance in the team and later transferred to a club in Cyprus.

In 2007 Beira-Mar was relegated in a campaign that included the sacking of manager Carlos Carvalhal, who was replaced by Spaniard Francisco Soler after the team signed a deal with Inverfutbol, a Spanish-based sporting company.

By qualifying to play in the 1999 edition of UEFA Cup, Beira-Mar became the second team from a second division to appear in the competition, after Bray Wanderers from the Republic of Ireland in 1990.