Portugal now has six schools ranked among the world’s best for executive education

For the first time, Portugal has six business schools ranked among the world’s best for executive education. In the 2026 edition of the Financial Times ranking, the Faculty of Economics at Universidade Nova de Lisboa (Nova SBE) has consolidated its position as the national leader in both open and customised programmes, but it is ISCTE Business School that has risen the most in both tables. Católica Porto Business School, meanwhile, makes its debut among the world’s best.

In programmes open to all, Nova SBE reached 20th place in this edition, climbing ten places compared to last year’s ranking. “This reflects the growing recognition of the quality and impact of our training programmes on the international market”, the school notes in a press release.

The second highest-ranked in Portugal is the Católica Lisbon School of Business and Economics, which comes in 26th place, climbing 11 places from 2025 and thus achieving its “best position ever”. “It is also the best school in Portugal in terms of faculty (17th worldwide), teaching methods and materials (24th worldwide) and the quality and design of programmes (29th worldwide), areas considered fundamental to the impact of executive education. These figures indicate that Católica-Lisbon has the strongest faculty and the best pedagogical structure among Portuguese business schools”, the institution emphasises in a statement.

Completing the national podium in the open category is the University of Porto (Faculty of Economics and Porto Business School), which ranks 35th – eight places higher than last year – marking its best ever ranking.

“Since 2020, the school has climbed 40 places in this category, consolidating a trajectory of consistent growth and increasing international recognition. This performance confirms PBS’s international standing and the recognition of its ability to prepare leaders for highly complex contexts, rapid transformation and strategic decision-making”, reads a press release.

The Financial Times ranking also features Iscte Business School, which occupies 51st place, representing a rise of 16 places. “The biggest rise recorded worldwide in this aspect of the ranking”, the school highlights. “In the open programmes category, the main highlight is the school’s strong international dimension”, notes the same source.

Meanwhile, the Lisbon School of Economics and Management (ISEG) appears in 70th place in this edition of the ranking, marking a drop of two places compared to 2025.

On the other hand, Católica Business School makes its debut in 85th place in the table. “This recognition represents a very significant achievement and confirms the path of growth and international recognition that the school has been building”, emphasises Dean João Pinto. “More than just a place in a ranking, this result acknowledges the consistency of the work we have been carrying out in training leaders, professionals and organisations, with an approach based on academic rigour, proximity to the business world and real impact”, he states.

In the open programmes, the world leader is once again London Business School, followed by HEC Paris and IESE Business School. The global podium therefore remains unchanged from 2025.

Nova SBE in the global top ten for customised programmes

Nova SBE is also the Portuguese business school that shines brightest in the global rankings for bespoke programmes designed for individual organisations. In this edition, the school led by Pedro Oliveira has climbed six places to ninth position, thereby making its debut in the global ‘top 10’.

“Nova SBE Executive Education has reached a historic milestone in executive education by entering the world’s top ten in the prestigious Financial Times Executive Education ranking for customised programmes. The school has risen from 15th to 9th place globally, placing itself alongside institutions such as London Business School, IMD and INSEAD”, the school highlights.

“This result, which confirms a consistent upward trajectory, also places Nova SBE Executive Education as the only Portuguese-speaking school – and indeed the only one in the Iberian region – to feature among the top ten in customised executive education”, it further emphasises.

Meanwhile, the national “silver” for customised programmes goes to Iscte Business School, which ranks 31st globally (up 13 places from 2025). It stood out particularly in indicators related to impact, student retention and international reach.

The national “bronze” goes to ISEG, which this time ranks 48th in the table, maintaining its position compared to the 2025 edition of the Financial Times ranking. “In the custom programmes ranking, ISEG stands out particularly for its performance in the partner schools indicator, where it achieved ninth place worldwide. This recognition highlights the school’s ability to develop solid and transformative collaborative relationships with companies and institutional partners, designing training solutions tailored to their strategic challenges”, the institution emphasises.

Further down the table, in 54th place, is the University of Porto, which this year drops 12 places in this category. “The highlight is eighth place in the partner schools indicator, one of the school’s best performances in any Financial Times indicator, demonstrating the strength of its international academic network”, the school notes.

Meanwhile, the Católica Lisbon School of Business and Economics has the 76th best customised executive education programme in the world, which represents a drop of 26 places compared to 2025. At the same time, the Católica Porto Business School makes its debut in 99th place.

In the customised programmes, Italy’s SDA Bocconi School of Management takes first place this year, climbing two places and “dethroning” IMD — the International Institute for Management Development, which now ranks third. London Business School takes “silver” among the customised executive education programmes.