Napoli celebrate their birthday on 1 August 1926, when Associazione Calcio Napoli was born. On 1 August 2027 the club turns 101. Behind it lie four Italian titles, a UEFA Cup and the most beloved footballer the city has ever seen.

A sailor, an industrialist and a merger

The roots go back to 1905 and Naples Foot-Ball & Cricket Club. It was founded by the English sailor William Poths and Hector Bayon. In 1911 the foreign players left and set up Internazionale Napoli.

In 1922 the two clubs joined forces as Internaples, because the finances did not add up. In the summer of 1926, under the young industrialist Giorgio Ascarelli, the team took the name of the city. The formal act is dated 25 August, but the club traditionally celebrates on 1 August.

Ascarelli's name also lives on through a stadium. The Stadio Giorgio Ascarelli was the team's home until 1942.

The blue of the gulf

Napoli's colour is azzurro, a sky blue that recalls the sea of the Gulf of Naples. The old Naples FBC wore two shades of blue. From the 1920s a single shade remained, and Internaples added the white shorts.

The classic look is unchanged to this day: sky-blue shirt, white shorts, sky-blue socks. The second shirt is usually white.

From horse to donkey

The first badge showed a rearing horse on a football, a symbol of Naples. After a poor first season in 1926-27, rivals started calling them "ciucci", donkeys. The fans turned the insult into pride, and the little donkey "'O Ciuccio" became the mascot.

Today's badge is a large white "N" inside a circle. The idea comes from the shirt of the old Internazionale Napoli.

The Diego years

In 1984 Diego Maradona arrived and everything changed. In 1987 Napoli won their first Scudetto together with the Coppa Italia. Then came the 1989 UEFA Cup, 5-4 on aggregate against Stuttgart, and a second title in 1990.

Alongside him shone the Brazilian Careca, Bruno Giordano and defender Ciro Ferrara. The front three of Maradona, Giordano and Careca became known as "MaGiCa", from the first syllables of their names.

The shirt of that era is a legend among collectors. It was made by the Italian brand Ennerre and carried Buitoni as sponsor from 1985 to 1988, before Mars took over. The woollen 1987-88 shirt had the Scudetto and the cup roundel sewn on, so the badge moved to the sleeve.

The San Paolo, home since 1959, was renamed Stadio Diego Armando Maradona after his death in 2020. A few days later Napoli faced Roma in a shirt with sky-blue and white stripes, like Argentina's.

New heroes, new titles

After the 2004 bankruptcy, Aurelio De Laurentiis rebuilt the club. Marek Hamšík became the record appearance maker with 520 games. Dries Mertens became the all-time top scorer with 148 goals.

In 2023, with Victor Osimhen leading the line, the third Scudetto arrived after 33 years. In 2025 Napoli added a fourth. In 2025-26 they finished second in Serie A and won the Supercoppa Italiana.

Celebrate with us

On 1 August 2026 the city marked the centenary with a procession from Piazza Carità to Piazza del Plebiscito and Naples lit up in blue. Next year it is 101.

Happy birthday, Napoli! May your fans sing at the Maradona forever.

See our Napoli jerseys at sportarena.gr.

Photo: Napoli's stadium during a Serie A match – Gaetano Capaldo, Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY 4.0.