Sivasspor

Sivasspor Kulübü is a Turkish professional sports club based in Sivas, a city in central Anatolia, with men's football as its flagship department. The club was founded on May 9, 1967, through the merger of three local amateur sides, Sivas Gençlik, Yolspor, and Kızılırmak, a consolidation required to meet professional league standards. The team colors, red and white, mirror the Turkish flag, and the supporters are known as "Yiğidolar" (The Braves), a nickname that reflects the club's fighting spirit. The official motto is #GösterGücünü (Show Your Strength).

Sivasspor currently competes in the Trendyol 1. Lig, the second tier of Turkish football, following relegation from the Süper Lig at the end of the 2024–25 season. The club has a history of bouncing between the top flight and the second tier, with its most recent top-flight stint lasting over a decade. Home matches are played at the New Sivas 4 Eylül Stadium, a modern venue opened in 2016 with a capacity of 27,532, which replaced the older Sivas 4 Eylül Stadium.

The club's most successful period came in the late 2000s. They finished fourth in the 2007–08 Süper Lig and then achieved their highest-ever league placement, runners-up, in 2008–09. Remarkably, they are one of only three clubs never to have won the title (alongside Altay and Kocaelispor) yet still topped the Süper Lig standings at the halfway mark, doing so in 2007–08, 2008–09, and 2019–20. Their first major trophy arrived in the 2021–22 Turkish Cup, a 3–2 final victory over Kayserispor, which earned them a spot in the 2022–23 UEFA Europa Conference League. There, they reached the Round of 16 before falling to Fiorentina. [edit]

The club was founded on May 9, 1967, when three local amateur clubs, Sivas Gençlik, Yolspor, and Kızılırmak, merged to form a professional team. The consolidation was driven by the need to meet the standards of the Turkish football leagues. Sivasspor quickly established itself in the lower divisions, first reaching the Süper Lig in the 2004–05 season. The late 2000s brought unprecedented success: a fourth-place finish in 2007–08 and a runners-up spot in 2008–09, narrowly missing the title. The club's first major trophy came in the 2021–22 Turkish Cup, a dramatic 3–2 win over Kayserispor, which also secured a spot in the UEFA Europa Conference League. The 2024–25 season ended in relegation, a setback that has prompted a rebuild in the 1. Lig.

Off the pitch, Sivasspor has faced administrative challenges. FIFA has imposed a three-window transfer ban on the club, recurring in recent years, which restricts squad strengthening. In 2025, Brazilian forward Luan Campos fled the club's facilities after joining from América Mineiro, leading to legal action. These issues have compounded the difficulty of competing in the second tier. [edit]