It is the second game from EA Sports based on the quadrennial UEFA European Championship and features all 51 national teams from the respective qualifying round.

For the soundtrack, the developers specifically chose rock-based tracks due to the genre's big resurgence in Europe at the time.

[22][23][24] GameSpot favored its gameplay and options in comparison to FIFA 2004 and praised the Windows version in particular for the improved visuals and online multiplayer.

[10] IGN specially praised the sound design of the game, stating that "the commentary is spot-on and not often repetitive, as we've come to expect.

[11] UEFA Euro 2004: Portugal was a commercial success, selling over one million units during the first month after release.