İstanbul Başakşehir F.K.
Istanbul club that won its first Süper Lig title in 2020.
İstanbul Başakşehir Futbol Kulübü, commonly known as Başakşehir or Rams Başakşehir, is a professional football club based in the Başakşehir district of Istanbul, Turkey. Founded in 1990 as İstanbul Büyükşehir Belediyespor, the club separated its football activities from the municipality in 2014 and competes in the Süper Lig. It won its first league championship in the 2019–20 season.
Quick Facts
- Club
- İstanbul Başakşehir
- Full name
- İstanbul Başakşehir Futbol Kulübü
- Short name
- İBFK
- Nickname
- Boz Baykuşlar (The Grey Owls); Turuncu Lacivertliler (The Orange-Navy Blues)
- Founded
- 15 June 1990, as İstanbul Büyükşehir Belediyesi Spor Kulübü; 4 June 2014, as İstanbul Başakşehir Futbol Kulübü
- Ground
- Başakşehir Fatih Terim Stadium
- Capacity
- 17,319
- Chairman
- Göksel Gümüşdağ
Facts from the source article.
History
The club originated from the multi-sport organisation İstanbul Büyükşehir Belediyespor, created in 1990 under mayor Nurettin Sözen by merging the amateur sides of İETT, İtfaiyespor and İSKİ. The football team worked its way up from the lower divisions and earned promotion to the top flight for the first time at the end of the 2006–07 season. In its debut Süper Lig campaign it finished 12th, and two seasons later recorded a 6th-place finish in 2009–10. Under head coach Abdullah Avcı in 2010–11, the team matched its strongest league form and reached the Turkish Cup final for the first time, losing to Beşiktaş on penalties after a 2–2 draw. Relegation followed in 2012–13, but the club made an immediate return as champions of the second tier in 2013–14. On 4 June 2014, the professional football branch was spun off as a joint-stock company named İstanbul Başakşehir Futbol Kulübü, with Göksel Gümüşdağ as chairman. In its debut season under the new name, the team finished 4th and qualified for the UEFA Europa League qualifiers. In just its third season after rebranding, Başakşehir finished as runners-up in the 2016–17 Süper Lig. The club finished 3rd in 2017–18 and 2nd in 2018–19.
Stadium
Before the club was renamed, it played most home matches at the Atatürk Olympic Stadium, Turkey's largest stadium with a capacity over 75,000, chosen for availability and proximity but often resulting in low attendances. Construction of a new stadium in the Başakşehir district began, and the Başakşehir Fatih Terim Stadium officially opened on 26 July 2014, hosting home matches from the 2014–15 Süper Lig season. Named after coach Fatih Terim, the stadium seats 17,800 spectators and includes VIP suites, press areas, player facilities, and hospitality lounges. It has hosted Turkey national youth team matches and UEFA competition fixtures due to its UEFA Category 4 certification. In the 2020–21 Champions League group stage, Başakşehir's home match against Paris Saint-Germain on 28 October 2020 had an official attendance of 350, as did the 2–1 win over Manchester United on 4 November 2020. Season-by-season Süper Lig home averages at the stadium have been modest, with recent aggregates of 2,476 (2024–25), 2,598 (2023–24), and 2,584 (2022–23); the 2020–21 season recorded 0 due to restrictions. The lowest recorded home attendance for a Süper Lig match at the stadium is 672, against Kasımpaşa on 11 December 2021.
Club identity and supporters
Başakşehir are linked closely to the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Originally founded in the 1990s as İstanbul Büyükşehir Belediyespor by the Istanbul municipality during Erdoğan's tenure as mayor, the club was rebranded in 2014. The rebranding coincided with the rise of the Başakşehir district, a newly developed area aligned with Erdoğan's vision for a conservative, pious urban middle class. Former president Göksel Gümüşdağ is both a member of the AKP and related to Erdoğan by marriage. Erdoğan personally opened the club's new stadium in 2014, playing in a ceremonial match and having the number 12 retired in his honour. The club has received sponsorship from companies linked to the government, such as Medipol, whose founder Fahrettin Koca later served as health minister. Critics have labelled Başakşehir a 'regime club' or 'FC Erdoğan', and its rapid rise has been perceived as politically driven. The supporter group 1453 Başakşehir has been categorised as heavily nationalist and pro-Erdoğan; they opened a giant 'Commander-in-Chief Erdoğan' banner during a Champions League qualifier against Club Brugge. The previous group, Boz Baykuşlar, voluntarily chose not to be present in the stands anymore.
European record
Başakşehir made its European debut in the 2015–16 Europa League, eliminated in the third qualifying round by AZ Alkmaar (1–4 aggregate). In 2016–17 it beat HNK Rijeka on away goals before losing the play-off to Shakhtar Donetsk (1–4 agg.). In 2017–18 it overcame Club Brugge (5–3 agg.) but lost the play-off to Sevilla (3–4 agg.), dropping into the Europa League where it finished third in Group C. In 2018–19 it went out in the third qualifying round to Burnley after extra time. The club's best European run came in 2019–20: it won Group J ahead of Roma and Mönchengladbach, beat Sporting CP in the round of 32 (5–4 agg.), and was eliminated by Copenhagen in the round of 16 (1–3 agg.). As Turkish champions it entered the 2020–21 Champions League group stage, finishing fourth; the highlight was a 2–1 home win over Manchester United. In 2022–23 it advanced through qualifying, topped Group A ahead of Fiorentina and Hearts, and went out to Gent in the round of 16 (2–5 agg.). In 2024–25 it cleared qualifying and finished 26th in the new league-phase format. The 2025–26 campaign opened with a second qualifying round tie against Cherno More; Başakşehir won the first leg 1–0 before the return in Istanbul on 31 July 2025.
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