A total of 63.1 per cent of those surveyed said the Portuguese national team does not have what it takes to win the tournament, the Aximage poll carried out for daily newspaper Correio da Manha found.

Only one in four were confident of victory while the rest were undecided.

As hosts, Portugal automatically qualify for the football finals, which will take place from June 12 to July 4.

The poll found the Portuguese public is divided on the performance of national coach Scolari, who was supposed to usher in a new era after the country's embarrassing first-round exit from the World Cup last year.

Only 41.7 per cent of respondents said they though the 54-year-old Brazilian has done a good job since he became Portugal's national coach in January, while 44 per cent felt his performance was either bad or "so-so".

The Portuguese squad has had a mixed performance in friendlies which has failed to convince fans and led to growing media questioning of Scolari's strategy for the team.

After Portugal suffered a 3-0 drubbing against Spain earlier this month, disappointed fans whistled and waved white handkerchiefs to show their displeasure with Scolari and the national squad.

The loss to Spain led sports daily A Bola to declare "Scolari's honeymoon period is over".

Overall Portugal has a 5-2-2 record under Scolari, who led his native Brazil to their fifth World Cup title last year.

The telephone poll of 600 men and women was carried out September 16-17.