Fiorentina

Lore & Background

Fiorentina has won two Italian league titles, in 1955–56 and again in 1968–69, as well as six Coppa Italia trophies and one Supercoppa Italiana. On the European stage, Fiorentina won the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup in 1960–61. They also lost five finals, finishing runners-up in the 1956–57 European Cup (the first Italian team to reach the final in the top continental competition), the 1961–62 Cup Winners' Cup, the 1989–90 UEFA Cup, and in the 2022–23 and 2023–24 editions of the UEFA Conference League, being the first club to record two consecutive final appearances and two consecutive defeats in the competition's history. Fiorentina is one of fifteen European teams that have played in the finals of all three major continental competitions (the European Cup/Champions League, the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup and the UEFA Cup/Europa League) and in 2023, by reaching the Europa Conference League final, Fiorentina became the first team to reach all four major European club competition finals (excluding the one-off match of the UEFA Super Cup). Since 1931, the club have played at the Stadio Artemio Franchi, which currently has a capacity of 43,147. The stadium has used several names over the years and has undergone several renovations. Fiorentina are known widely by the nickname Viola, a reference to their distinctive purple colours.

In Their Own Story

The air inside the Stadio Artemio Franchi was thick, heavy with the scent of smoke and the roar of fifty thousand voices. The sea of purple shirts seemed to swallow the pitch, but on the sideline, a single blue scarf stood out defiantly. As the referee blew the whistle, the tension snapped like a dry twig. It wasn't just a game; it was a war for dignity. A long ball arced over the midfield, finding the feet of the Napoli striker who turned, eyes locked on the goal, while the Fiorentina defense surged forward like a tidal wave. In that single moment, history held its breath.

Reader's Guide

The club was founded in 1926 by Luigi Ridolfi Vay da Verrazzano, who merged CS Firenze and PG Libertas. After early struggles, Fiorentina reached Serie A in 1931 and won their first Coppa Italia in 1941. Their first scudetto came in 1955–56, and they became the first Italian team to reach a European Cup final in 1957. They won the Cup Winners' Cup in 1961 and a second scudetto in 1968–69. The 1970s brought an Anglo-Italian League Cup in 1974 and a Coppa Italia in 1975. Under Flavio Pontello in the 1980s, the club challenged for the title but finished runners-up in 1982. In 1990, they reached the UEFA Cup final but lost to Juventus. After relegation in 1993, they returned to Serie A in 1994 under Claudio Ranieri. The club later faced bankruptcy and was refounded in 2002.

Did You Know?

• Fiorentina's first scudetto in 1955–56 was won by 12 points ahead of second-place Milan.
• The club's stadium, Stadio Artemio Franchi, opened in 1931 and was originally named after a fascist.
• Fiorentina is the first club to reach all four major European club competition finals.
• The club's nickname Viola comes from their distinctive purple colours.