İstanbul Başakşehir Futbol Kulübü (), commonly referred to as Başakşehir or, due to sponsorship reasons, Rams Başakşehir, is a professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

club based in the Başakşehir district of

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

. Known for its vibrant orange and navy colors, the club was established in 1990 and competes in the top tier of Turkish football, the

Süper Lig The Süper Lig (, ''Super League''), also known as Trendyol Süper Lig for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Turkey and the highest level of the Turkish football league system. In the 2023–2024 season, twen ...

. The team plays its home matches at the state-of-the-art Başakşehir Fatih Terim Stadium, which has been their base since 2014. As one club of six

-based clubs in the

this season, Başakşehir has carved out its identity as a competitive force domestically and on the European stage. The club achieved its first league championship in the 2019–20 season, marking a milestone in its relatively young history. Başakşehir continues to participate in various domestic and international tournaments, including the

Turkish Cup The Turkish Cup () is a football cup competition in Turkish football, run by the Turkish Football Federation since 1962. During a brief sponsorship period with Fortis, its sponsored name was ''Fortis Türkiye Kupası''. Now Ziraat Bankası is ...

UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (UCL) is an annual club association football competition organised by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) that is contested by List of top-division football clubs in UEFA countries, top-divisio ...

UEFA Europa League The UEFA Europa League (UEL), usually known simply as the Europa League, is an annual association football, football club competition organised since 1971 by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European footb ...

and

UEFA Conference League The UEFA Conference League (UECL), usually known simply as the Conference League, is an annual football competition organised since 2021 by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs. It is the thir ...

showcasing its ambition to become a consistent contender in Turkish and European football.

History

Early years

İstanbul Başakşehir Futbol Kulübü is a relatively new football club compared to many other professional Turkish teams, having been established in 1990. The club’s original name was İSKİ Spor Kulübü, and it was owned by the municipality’s water distribution company. ISKI Spor Kulübü began competing in the Regional Amateur Football League during the 1990–91 season, earning promotion to the

TFF Second League The TFF 2. Lig (), currently referred to as Nesine 2. Lig for sponsorship reasons, is the third level in the Turkish football league system. It was founded in the 2001–02 season with the name of ''Turkish Second League Category B'' as a continu ...

. After this promotion, the club’s name was changed to

İstanbul Büyükşehir Belediyespor İstanbul Büyükşehir Belediyesi S.K., shortly Istanbul BB SK or IBBSK, is a multi-sports club of the Istanbul Province, metropolitan municipality of Istanbul in Turkey. Branches *İstanbul Büyükşehir Belediyesi (volleyball team), Volley ...

. The club competed in the

until 1996. After a successful campaign in the 2006–07 season, they secured promotion to the

. İstanbul BB finished 12th in the 2007–08 season, ensuring their stay in the top division. In the 2009–10 season, the club achieved a 6th-place finish. However, in the 2012–13 season, the team finished 16th and was relegated to the

TFF First League The TFF 1. Lig (), currently referred to as Trendyol 1. Lig for sponsorship reasons, is the second level of the Turkish football league system. The league was founded in 2001 as the ''Turkish Second League Category A'' after the reorganization ...

. The club made an immediate comeback, finishing the 2013–14 season as champions and earning promotion back to the Süper Lig. On 4 June 2014, the club was restructured into a joint-stock company with seven shareholders and renamed İstanbul Başakşehir Futbol Kulübü. Göksel Gümüşdağ was appointed as the founding chairman.

Rise to Prominence

In its debut Süper Lig season as Başakşehir, the team finished 4th, qualifying for the

qualifiers. In the 2015–16 season qualifiers, the team was eliminated by

AZ Alkmaar Alkmaar Zaanstreek (), better known internationally as AZ Alkmaar, or simply and most commonly as AZ () in the Netherlands, is a Dutch professional Association football, football club from Alkmaar and the Zaan#The Zaan district, Zaan district. ...

but secured another 4th-place league finish. During the 2016–17 season, Başakşehir defeated

Rijeka Rijeka (; Fiume ( �fjuːme in Italian and in Fiuman dialect, Fiuman Venetian) is the principal seaport and the List of cities and towns in Croatia, third-largest city in Croatia. It is located in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County on Kvarner Ba ...

in the qualifiers but was eliminated by Shakhtar Donetsk before reaching the group stage. In just their third season after rebranding, Başakşehir finished as runners-up in the

2016–17 Süper Lig The 2016–17 Süper Lig (known as the ''Spor Toto Süper Lig'' for sponsorship reasons) was the 59th season of the Süper Lig, the highest tier football league of Turkey. The season was named after Turgay Şeren, a legendary goalkeeper of th ...

. In the 2017–18 UEFA Champions League qualifiers, they defeated Club Brugge but were knocked out by

Sevilla Seville ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the River Guadalquivir, in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula. Seville ...

in the play-off round. They subsequently participated in the 2017–18 UEFA Europa League group stage, finishing 3rd in

Group C Group C was a category of sports car racing introduced by the FIA in 1982 and continuing until 1993, with ''Group A'' for Touring car racing, touring cars and ''Group B'' for Grand tourer, GTs. It was designed to replace both Group 5 (motorspor ...

. Domestically, Başakşehir finished the 2017–18 season in 3rd place. In the following season, Başakşehir was eliminated by

Burnley Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2021 population of 78,266. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River B ...

in the 2018–19 UEFA Europa League qualifiers but secured a 2nd-place finish in the 2018–19 Süper Lig. Ahead of the 2019–20 season, Başakşehir adopted the slogan “New Vision, Same Goal.” Although they were eliminated by

Olympiacos Olympiacós Sýndesmos Filáthlon Peiraiós (, Olympic Association of Fans of Piraeus) is a major multi-sport club based in Piraeus, Greece. Olympiacos is parent to a number of different competitive departments which participate in football, ...

in the 2019–20 UEFA Champions League play-off, they topped Group J in the 2019–20 UEFA Europa League, competing against Roma,

Borussia Mönchengladbach Borussia Verein für Leibesübungen 1900 e.V. Mönchengladbach, better known as Borussia Mönchengladbach () and colloquially known as just Gladbach, is a professional Association football, football club based in Mönchengladbach, North Rhine-W ...

, and Wolfsberger AC. They advanced to the Round of 32, defeating

Sporting CP Sporting Clube de Portugal (), otherwise referred to as Sporting CP or simply Sporting (particularly within Portugal), or as Sporting Lisbon in other countries,

but were eliminated in the Round of 16 by

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...

. On 19 July 2020, Başakşehir were crowned champions of the Turkish Süper Lig for the first time in the club’s history. They also became only the sixth club in the competition’s history to win the league title and the fourth club from Istanbul to do so. On 18 February 2024, it was reported that

City Football Group City Football Group Limited (CFG) is a British-based holding company that administers association football clubs. The group is owned by three organisations, of which 81% is majority-owned by Abu Dhabi United Group, 18% by the American firm Silve ...

, the ownership group behind

Manchester City Manchester City Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in Manchester, England, that competes in the Premier League, the English football league system, top flight of Football in England, English footbal ...

, reached a partnership agreement with the club in order to improve their football strategy, recruitment, scouting and coaching methodology. This development marked a significant milestone for the club, aligning it with one of the most successful football group structures in the world. The deal is expected to enhance Başakşehir’s international presence and bolster its financial and operational capabilities.

Crest and Colors

İstanbul Başakşehir’s crest features a shield with a bold “B” at the center, symbolizing the club’s identity. The backdrop of stars represents ambition and success. The crest includes the club’s name, “İstanbul Başakşehir,” and the year “2014,” marking its rebranding. The official colors, orange and navy blue, symbolize energy, ambition, professionalism, and focus, distinguishing the club in the

Stadium

Before the name change, İstanbul Başakşehir played their home games at the Atatürk Olympic Stadium. However, starting from the 2014–15 season, they began playing at the Başakşehir Fatih Terim Stadium, which officially opened to the public on 26 July 2014. The stadium has a capacity of 17,800 spectators and serves as the new home of İstanbul Başakşehir in the

Supporters

The supporter group of İstanbul Başakşehir is 1453 Başakşehir. The previous supporter group, Boz Baykuşlar, which existed before the club’s restructuring, has voluntarily chosen not to be present in the stands of İstanbul Başakşehir anymore.

Honours

Leagues

** Winners (1): 2019–20 ** ''Runners-up (2):'' 2016–17, 2018–19 * 1. Lig ** Winners (1): 2013–14 * 2. Lig ** Winners (2): 1992–93, 1996–97

Cups

** ''Runners-up (3):'' 2010–11, 2016–17, 2022–23

Past seasons

Results of League and Cup Competitions by Season

League affiliation

: 2007–13, 2014– *

: 1993–95, 1997–07, 2013–14 *

: 1992–93, 1995–97

European record

Competitive record

:''Accurate as of 12 December 2024'' Source
UEFA.com
br />Pld = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; GD = Goal Difference.

Results

UEFA Club Coefficient Ranking

Players

Current squad

Out on loan

Non-playing staff

Administrative Staff

Source:

Technical Staff

Source:

Medical and Support Staff

Source:

Managers

Presidents

Player records

Most appearances

''Competitive, professional matches only.'' ''Up to date as of May 5th 2025''

Top goalscorers

''Competitive, professional matches only.'' ''Up to date as of May 5th 2025''

Kit suppliers and shirt sponsors

Club records

*Biggest win: İstanbul Başakşehir 7–0 Turgutluspor ( 2020–21) *Biggest defeat: İstanbul Başakşehir 0–7 Galatasaray ( 2022–23)

References

External links

*
İstanbul Başakşehir
on TFF.org {{DEFAULTSORT:Basaksehir, Istanbul F.K. İstanbul Başakşehir FK 1990 establishments in Turkey Association football clubs established in 1990 Football clubs in Turkey Sport in Istanbul Süper Lig clubs Sports clubs and teams in Istanbul