Purpose Coaches' motivation is central to their coaching, however, few studies have examined coaches' motivation in different cultures. The aim of this study was to provide initial validation of the Portuguese version of the Coach Motivation Questionnaire. Method The participants were 369 coaches from various sports (males = 288) aged between 18 and 67 years old (M = 32.4, SD = 11.04). Confirmatory factor analysis, discriminant and nomological validity, and invariance across gender, team/individual sports and coaching experience were analysed. Results The hypothesised six-factor structure obtained acceptable values with the following robust adjustment indices: RTLI = .902; RCFI = .921; RGFI = .904 and RRMSEA (90% CI) = .066 (.058–.074). The amended model also showed high factor weights (λ ≥ .500) and appropriate individual reliabilities (λ² ≥ .25). The instrument's internal consistency was assessed by Cronbach's alpha (.646–.898) and composite reliability (.662–.900). Regarding discriminant validity, correlations among the factors were in general according to the hypothesised patterns, where closer factors were positively related and not close factors were less strongly related. Regarding nomological validity, results supported for the hypothesised relationships through the associations with measures of motivation at work, need satisfaction and need frustration. Lastly, the measurement model met configural and metric invariance across gender and coaching experience and also met configural invariance across team/individual sports. Conclusions The evidence from this study suggests that the Portuguese Coach Motivation Questionnaire is a promising and parsimonious questionnaire to assess coaches' motivation, albeit its development remains a work in progress.