On 21 August 1931 six friends in Vila Nova de Famalicão decided to create a team for their town. Famalicão turn 96 on 21 August 2027. It is a story of green shirts that turned blue, a plunge into the amateur leagues and a remarkable comeback.

Six friends in an industrial town

Vila Nova de Famalicão is an industrial town in the Braga district of northern Portugal. There, in 1931, six friends founded Futebol Clube de Famalicão, although their names are not widely remembered.

In its early years the team played in regional competitions and the lower divisions. In 1932 it played at Campo da Berberia, and in 1946 it moved to Campo do Freião.

From green to blue

For its first eight years Famalicão wore green and white. In 1938-39 it switched to blue and white, in an attempt to become an affiliate of FC Porto.

The link with Porto never happened, according to Bola na Rede, but the new colours stayed for good. They also gave the club its nicknames "Azuis e Brancos" (the blue and whites) and "Fama".

In 2024 the club released a special shirt inspired by the 1930s. It was ivory, with a laced blue V-neck, the club's original crest and the founding date printed inside the collar.

The 22 de Junho and the first dreams

Since 1952 its home has been the Estádio Municipal 22 de Junho, a small ground with about 5,200 seats. The attendance record, 5,226, was set on 28 April 2019, the day of the big promotion. The town council has drawn up plans to expand it to hold around 10,000 fans.

In 1946 the team reached the Taça de Portugal semi-finals, where it lost 11-0 to Sporting. After brief spells in the top division, its brightest period came in 1990-94, with four straight seasons in the top flight.

Fall and rebirth

Relegation in 1994 opened a difficult era. In 2008-09, with serious financial problems, Famalicão had dropped as far as the fifth tier.

In 2015 it returned to the Segunda Liga. In 2016-17 it finished 15th, just one point above the relegation zone, yet it had the second-highest attendances in the whole division.

In 2018 Idan Ofer's Quantum Pacific group bought 85% of the club's company. On 28 April 2019 the team sealed promotion to the Primeira Liga, 25 years after its last appearance there, with Carlos Pinto on the bench.

The new "Fama"

The first season back at the top was magical: sixth place and a cup semi-final, the first since 1946. Pedro Gonçalves, captain from January 2020, was named the league's best young player and made the team of the season. Spanish striker Toni Martínez scored 12 goals, and both later moved on to bigger clubs.

In 2024-25 it finished seventh, and in 2025-26, under coach Carlos Carvalhal, fifth with 56 points, the best finish in its history. Today Famalicão continues in the Primeira Liga.

Celebrate with us

From six friends in 1931 and green that turned blue to the best season in its history, Famalicão show that patience pays off. Happy 96th birthday to Fama!

See our collectible jerseys at sportarena.gr.

Photo: the Estádio Municipal 22 de Junho seen from the opposite stand – Bohemio09, Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.