MC Oran

Did You Know?

• In 1975, MC Oran won its first Algerian Cup, beating MO Constantine in the final in front of 70,000 spectators at the Stade du 5 Juillet.
• The club won the Arab Cup Winners' Cup twice, in 1997 and 1998.
• Relegation in 2008 sparked three days of riots in Oran, with damage estimated at 7.5 billion centimes of DA.

History

The club was founded and declared on 1 January 1917 in Medina Jedida, with the declaration approved by French authorities on 4 December 1919 after a change of home place. The name Mouloudia refers to Mawlid, the birthday of Muhammad. In 1924, the club merged with Hamidia Club Musulman Oranais, founded in 1921, and in 1931 became Mouloudia Club Oranais. Activities stopped during World War II from 1939 until 1945.

On 14 May 1946, former player and member Ali Bentouti reformed the club as Mouloudia Club Oranais. Nationalist activists formed the team in the district of El Hamri to compete with European clubs while Algeria was a French district. Founding members included Mohamed Bessol, who served as player, coach, and general secretary until 1967, along with Ali Bentouti, Omar Abouna, Redouane Serik Boutaleb, Mohamed Serradj, Ali Tounsi, Belaid Bachir, Bensenouci Mahi, Bloufa Benhadad, Mahmoud Benahmed, Miloud Bendraou, Miloud Cherigui, Ali Aroumia, and Kada Fali.

The founding ceremony was assisted by Cheïkh Saïd Zamouchi, delegated by Sheikh Si Tayeb Al Mahaji. The club began its first competition in the 1946–47 season in the third division of the regional championship of the League of Oran. The course from 1946 to 1956 is unknown, and from 1956 to 1962 MC Oran blocked all sports activities by order of the FLN due to the Algerian War.

Crests and kits

MC Oran has had several crests. The first was adopted in the 1970s. A second crest was used from 1977 to 1988 when the club, taken over by Naftal company, was called MP Oran. After the national companies withdrew in 1988, the club returned to the name MC Oran, and various crests have been used since, though one is more famous and credible. At home, MC Oran plays in white kits with a little red; away kits are red with a little white.

Supports

MC Oran is one of the most popular clubs in the country. Its fans are called Hamraoua, in reference to the historical neighborhood El Hamri where the club was founded. Fan associations include Ultras Red Castle, Ultras Leones Rey, and Ultras Red King. The most famous local rivalry is the Oran derby, also called the Mouloudia & Jamîiya derby, played between MC Oran and ASM Oran since independence in 1962. The Mouloudia clasico is the rivalry between MC Oran and MC Alger, the greatest club of Algiers and the greatest club of Oran.

Women

In 2023, MC Oran created its first women's section with U-13 categories, coached by Sihem Bouchiche, as part of future training and creation of a senior women's team. On 30 October 2024, the club launched a call for recruitment for U13s and for three new categories: U12s, U15s, and U16s. The senior section was planned for the 2025–26 season. On 18 November 2025, MC Oran announced the creation of its senior women's football team, which will compete in the W-D1 National Championship (second division), replacing CSA Zouhour Oran Centre, and will participate in the preliminary round of the Algerian W-Cup against AS Intissar Oran.