Deportes Copiapó

History

Deportes Copiapó was founded on 9 March 1999 following the disappearance of Regional Atacama, which had represented the city of Copiapó before financial difficulties led to its dissolution. The new club was established as Club de Deportes Copiapó S.A. and became the first sports corporation of its kind in Chile, with Ítalo González serving as its first president. The club entered the Tercera División in its inaugural season and quickly became a regular promotion contender.

Copiapó reached three consecutive finals between 2000 and 2002, losing the first two to Unión La Calera and Lota Schwager before defeating Malleco Unido 7–1 in the decisive match of the 2002 tournament. The victory gave the club its first official title and promotion to the Primera B. Copiapó made its professional debut in 2003 with a 5–0 away victory over Deportes La Serena at the Estadio La Portada, a result that became one of the most notable debuts by a club promoted from Chilean amateur football.

The club established itself in Primera B and came close to reaching the top flight in 2007. Under manager Nelson Cossio, Copiapó finished fourth in the regular season and qualified for the promotion play-offs, where it competed against Santiago Morning and Puerto Montt. Although Copiapó defeated Puerto Montt 4–3 in the final match, Santiago Morning ultimately secured promotion. After several seasons in Primera B, Copiapó competed in the newly established Segunda División Profesional in 2012.

The club initially missed qualification for the promotion play-offs, but entered the competition after Deportes Temuco was excluded by the ANFP for financial irregularities. Copiapó then eliminated Trasandino and defeated Deportes Linares in both legs of the promotion final, winning the return match 2–1 at the Estadio Luis Valenzuela Hermosilla and returning immediately to Primera B. Following its return to Primera B, Deportes Copiapó gradually became a consistent promotion contender.

The club finished runner-up in the 2017 Transición tournament and again challenged for promotion in subsequent seasons. In 2019, under Héctor Almandoz, Copiapó reached the final of the promotion play-offs, losing 3–2 to Deportes Temuco at the Estadio Nacional. Another opportunity came in 2021, when Copiapó finished second in Primera B under Erwin Durán and earned the right to contest the promotion play-off against Huachipato. The series was ultimately decided in favour of Huachipato, leaving Copiapó in the second tier for another season.

The breakthrough finally came in 2022. After finishing third in Primera B with 52 points, Copiapó entered the promotion play-offs and eliminated Universidad de Concepción and Deportes Puerto Montt to reach the final against Cobreloa. The first leg ended 0–0 in Copiapó, but in the return match on 27 November the León de Atacama produced a historic 5–0 victory at the Estadio Zorros del Desierto in Calama. Maximiliano Quinteros scored a hat-trick, while Jorge Luna and Eduardo Puchetta added the remaining goals, securing the club's first promotion to the Primera División.

Copiapó made its Primera División debut in 2023, beginning the first top-flight campaign in the club's history. The team managed to preserve its status during its inaugural season and remained in the division for 2024. The second campaign proved more difficult. Copiapó spent much of the 2024 season near the bottom of the table and was in last place from the twentieth round onward.

Relegation was confirmed on 20 October after a 5–3 home defeat to Everton left the club bottom of the standings with 23 points, ending its two-season stay in Primera División. Back in Primera B in 2025, Copiapó immediately challenged for promotion again. The club finished second in the regular-season standings with 52 points, three behind champions Universidad de Concepción, and qualified directly for the semi-finals of the promotion play-offs. Copiapó was eliminated by Deportes Concepción after losing the first leg 1–0 and drawing the return match 1–1, remaining in the second tier for the 2026 season.

Managers

Since its founding in 1999, Deportes Copiapó has had a long list of managers. The club’s first managers were Wilson Piñones and Rubén Sánchez in 1999. Jorge Rodríguez took over in 2000, followed by Hernán Castro from 2000 to 2001. Gerardo Silva managed from 2002 to 2003, delivering the club’s first major success: the 2002 Tercera División title and promotion to Primera B. Rubén Sánchez returned for 2004, and Manuel Soto managed from 2004 to 2005.

Nelson Cossio had multiple stints: 2006 to 2008, 2009 to 2010, and again in 2010. He guided the club to the promotion play-offs in 2007. Víctor Palma managed in 2008, and Orlando Mondaca in 2010. Cristián Castañeda and Hernán Ibarra each managed in 2011.

Gerardo Silva returned from 2012 to 2013. Rubén Sánchez became a recurring figure, managing in 2013, from 2013 to 2016, in 2016, and from 2016 to 2017. Francisco Michea managed in 2016. Erwin Durán managed from 2017 to 2018 and returned in 2021.

Héctor Almandoz managed from 2018 to 2020, reaching the 2019 promotion play-off final. Emiliano Astorga managed from 2020 to 2021. Rubén Sánchez had another spell in 2021. Almandoz returned from 2022 to 2023 and achieved the club’s greatest feat: a 5–0 win over Cobreloa in the 2022 promotion final secured its first-ever promotion to the Primera División.

Ivo Basay managed from 2023 to 2024. Hernán Caputto managed from 2024 to 2025. Héctor Almandoz returned again in 2026, and Erwin Durán took over later in 2026.