Palestino

The club was founded on 8 August 1920, when they participated in a colonial competition in Osorno. It was founded by a group of Palestinians; the name of the club reflects the origin in Chile's Palestinian community.

According to American historian Brenda Elsey,

"Leaders of the Arab immigrant community who hoped to find a niche within popular culture for their organizations decided to participate in football once again in 1940s".

In 1952, the Football Federation of Chile set up the first professional leagues.

Palestino was accepted into the Second Division, which they won to attain promotion to the Primera División.

In 1955, the club won their first national championship under the coaching of Argentine captain Roberto Coll.

In that era, the club became known by the nickname millonario (Millionaire) because of their ability to attract top class footballers.

In 1978, the club won their second league title; this time the team was led by Chilean captain Elías Figueroa.

In this campaign, they set a new record in the domestic tournament for the number of games unbeaten and soon won the Copa Chile to claim the league and cup double.

In 2004, the club became a registered company, but the change of status did not bring the expected improvement in results.

In the early 2000s, Chilean-Palestinian coach Nicola Hadwa recruited diaspora players for the Palestine national team. One notable player, Roberto Kettlun, born and raised in Chile, chose to represent Palestine and eventually moved to the West Bank to play for clubs such as Hilal Al-Quds and Ahli Al-Khaleel. He later returned to Palestino as sporting director, aiding in player recruitment and club development.

In 2006, they finished in 18th place out of 20 teams, forcing them to face a play-off against Fernandez Vial to keep their place in the top flight. Ultimately, the club would triumph, thus preserving its spot within the Chilean first division.

The club made a surprising run to the final of the Clausura 2008 tournament, where they lost to champions Colo-Colo. Following this success, the club intends to float on the Chilean and Palestinian stock exchanges.

Palestino ended a 40-year trophy drought in 2018 by winning the Copa Chile, defeating Audax Italiano in the finals. Former Inter Milan and West Ham player Luis Jiménez, a Palestino academy graduate, returned late in his career to captain the team to victory.

Following their domestic success, Palestino competed in the 2019 Copa Libertadores, facing top clubs such as Club Atlético River Plate and SC Internacional. While they did not progress far, the campaign elevated the club’s profile. In the 2020s, renewed conflict in Gaza has led the club to increase awareness and fundraising efforts related to Palestine.