Palmeiras was founded on 26 August 1914 in São Paulo, by Italian immigrants and under the name Palestra Itália. On 26 August 2027 it turns 113. Today it is the club with the most Brazilian league titles, 12 in Série A.

Italian immigrants at the Salão Alhambra

In 1914 the tours of Brazil by the Italian clubs Torino and Pro Vercelli fired up São Paulo's Italian community. Journalist Vincenzo Ragognetti published an invitation in the newspaper Fanfulla to create a club for the community. A first meeting on 19 August fell through, because there was no agreement yet.

A week later 46 people gathered at the Salão Alhambra, near today's Praça da Sé. As well as Italians, there were Brazilians, two Portuguese and one Spaniard. Ezequiel Simone became the first president.

The word palestra has a Greek root: it is the ancient palaestra, a place for exercise. So the name simply meant "the gym of Italy".

First steps, first title

The first match was played on 24 January 1915, a friendly against Savoia won 2-0, with two penalties. In 1920 came the first Campeonato Paulista, with a 2-1 win in the decisive game against Paulistano. That same year the club bought its own ground.

Green, white and a lost red

The first kit was a green shirt with white shorts and green socks. One of the early shirts, however, was blue, a tribute to the Italian national team, and blue keeps coming back to this day. In 1915 the team wore the white initials P and I on the chest, while in 1916 an imported shirt carried the Savoy cross.

Until 1942 the club's colours also included red. Since then the official colours have been only green and white, which is why the team is called "Alviverde".

1942: a new name and the "Arrancada Heroica"

In the Second World War Brazil sided with the Allies, and Getúlio Vargas's government banned names linked to the Axis powers. The club first became Palestra São Paulo, but the pressure continued. In September 1942, shortly before the championship decider, the board chose the name Palmeiras and dropped red from the colours.

On 20 September 1942 the team beat São Paulo at the Pacaembu and took the title. The night went down in history as the "Arrancada Heroica", the heroic start. Since then the letter P has stood at the centre of the badge.

The traditional mascot is a green parakeet. Rival fans used to call them "pigs", but the club embraced the taunt and in 2016 even gave the pig an official name, Gobatto.

Legends and trophies

The greatest player in its history is Ademir da Guia, "the Divine", with 901 games and 153 goals. Goalkeeper Marcos is another idol, while Rivaldo, Roberto Carlos and Gabriel Jesus also wore the green shirt.

Palmeiras won the Copa Libertadores in 1999, 2020 and 2021. In 2025 it reached the final again, but lost 1-0 to Flamengo in Lima, while finishing second in Série A. Since 2014 it has played at the Allianz Parque, a modern stadium with more than 43,000 seats.

Celebrate with us

From a hall full of immigrants to the top of South America, Palmeiras has kept its Italian heart and its Brazilian passion. Happy 113th birthday!

See our Palmeiras jerseys at sportarena.gr.

Photo: Allianz Parque during Palmeiras v Flamengo (2025) – Leonef, Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.