Bursaspor U21

The club was founded on 1 June 1963 after the merger of five local clubs: Acar İdman Yurdu, Akınspor, İstiklal, Pınarspor, and Çelikspor. The new entity was named Bursaspor, with green and white chosen as its official colours. The club joined the 1. Lig for the 1963–64 season, and played its first official match on 21 September 1963 against İzmir Demirspor in İzmir. Bursaspor earned promotion to the Süper Lig after a dominant performance in the 1966–67 1. Lig, winning 19 out of 30 matches and finishing eight points ahead of second-placed Samsunspor. Although they were relegated in both the 1985–86 and 1986–87 seasons, their second relegation was overturned by a Turkish Council of State decision in 1987. Their next relegation came in 2004, but they bounced back to the Süper Lig after winning the 1. Lig on 16 May 2006.

In terms of domestic success, Bursaspor won their first major trophy in 1971, defeating Fenerbahçe 1–0 after extra time in the now-defunct Prime Minister’s Cup. As runners-up of the 1974 Turkish Cup, they qualified for the 1974–75 European Cup Winners’ Cup, where they defeated Finn Harps and Dundee United to reach the quarter-finals, before losing to Dynamo Kyiv. Their first and only Turkish Cup title came in 1986, with a 2–0 victory over Altay in the final. That win qualified them for the 1986–87 European Cup Winners’ Cup, where they were eliminated in the first round by Ajax, who went on to win the tournament.

Bursaspor began the 2009–10 season successfully and by the midpoint of the season, in December 2009, the club were sitting in the top spot of the Süper Lig table. The first half of the season saw a 1–0 home victory against Istanbul giants Galatasaray, and also a 2–3 win away at Beşiktaş. In late 2009, Bursaspor manager Sağlam was linked with the vacant Turkey managerial position after Fatih Terim's resignation, but Sağlam refused to comment on the speculations, with Guus Hiddink eventually taking up the position ahead of him.

The latter part of the season saw a 6–0 win over mid–table İstanbul Büyükşehir Belediyespor, the largest win in the league that season, and also a 2–3 away win against Fenerbahçe after winning from two goals down. Bursaspor again reached the quarter-finals of the Turkish Cup and again they lost on aggregate to Fenerbahçe, this time crashing out 4–3 due to an injury time winner from Fener. In April 2010, Bursaspor were sitting on top of the table after being in the top three for the previous few months. With eight games left to play, Bursaspor were five points clear at the top.

However, five weeks before the end of the season, Bursaspor fell to second place, but they managed to maintain pressure on leaders Fenerbahçe, who had overtaken them. Going into the final matchday of the season, Bursaspor were just one point behind and needed their championship rivals to draw or lose, which eventually happened, as Fenerbahçe were held to a 1–1 home draw by Trabzonspor. Meanwhile, Bursaspor defeated Beşiktaş 2–1, which meant they would be crowned champions, winning the league by a single point. This made them only the second club outside the “Istanbul Big Three” to win the Süper Lig title, after Trabzonspor. Before winning their first title in 2009–10, Bursaspor had never finished inside the top three. The club won its first and only league title to date in Ertuğrul Sağlam's first full season as manager. Pablo Batalla and Ozan İpek were the club's joint top scorers with eight goals each.

Following their historic triumph in the 2009–10 Süper Lig season the club enjoyed a brief period of domestic and European prominence. As league champions, they qualified directly for the 2010–11 UEFA Champions League group stage, marking the first time in their history to reach this level of European competition.

In the group stages, Bursaspor were drawn against Manchester United, Valencia, and Rangers. Although they failed to earn a win and finished bottom of the group, the campaign was seen as a milestone for the club. Notably, during their away match against Rangers in Glasgow, Bursaspor opted not to wear their green home kit to avoid provoking Rangers fans, as it closely resembled the colors of Rangers’ fierce rivals, Celtic.

In the following years, Bursaspor remained a competitive mid-table side in the Süper Lig, occasionally challenging for European spots. They reached the Turkish Cup final in 2012, but were defeated by Fenerbahçe. The club again made it to the final in 2015, this time facing Galatasaray, but once more finished as runners-up. Despite these cup runs and finishing mid-table or just outside European qualification places for several seasons, the club gradually began to decline due to mismanagement, frequent managerial changes, and growing financial instability.

By the late 2010s, Bursaspor was struggling significantly. Mounting debts and administrative turmoil led to a deterioration of on-field performance. In the 2018–19 Süper Lig season, the club was relegated on the final day, ending their 13-year stay in the top flight. This marked the first relegation since their return to the Süper Lig in 2006.

Bursaspor competed in the TFF First League (second division) for three consecutive seasons but failed to mount a serious promotion challenge. Continued financial issues and instability — including transfer bans and unpaid player wages — plagued the club. As a result, they were relegated again, this time to the TFF Second League (third tier), at the end of the 2021–22 season.

Off the pitch, the club was increasingly constrained by its debt burden and administrative sanctions. They were banned from signing new players due to unpaid debts and faced growing unrest among supporters and former players.

The situation worsened, and on April 7, 2024, Bursaspor suffered a 1–2 home defeat against 1461 Trabzon FK, mathematically confirming their relegation to the TFF Third League — the fourth tier of Turkish football — for the first time in the club’s history. The fall from national champions to the fourth division in just 14 years marked one of the steepest declines in Turkish football history. However, in the 2024–25 season, the club managed a strong campaign in the Third League, finishing first in their group with 21 wins out of 30 matches and earning promotion back to the TFF Second League for the 2025–26 season, giving hope to fans for a potential long-term recovery. Despite these challenges, Bursaspor maintains a passionate fanbase and continues to operate with hopes of revival, driven by youth development and the legacy of its former glories.