Kasimpasa

Kasımpaşa was founded in 1921 as Kasımpaşa Gençlik Kulübü after the merger of Altıntuğ and Kasımpaşa Terbiye-i Bedeniye Kulübü the club’s first competitive matches came in the 1923–24 season. They competed in the İstanbul First League in 1939–45 and 1946–59, then joined the national Türkiye Ligi in 1959 and stayed five seasons, recording a best finish of 5th in 1961–62.

After decades outside the top flight, Kasımpaşa earned successive promotions from the TFF 3. Lig to the Süper Lig across 2004–05 to 2006–07. Promotion was clinched on 30 May 2007 by defeating Altay on penalties (4–3) after a draw in the play-off final. The club were relegated after the 2007–08 season, but returned on 17 May 2009 by beating Karşıyaka 2–1 (a.e.t.) in Ankara to win the First League play-off final.

In the 2009–10 campaign Kasımpaşa finished 11th and recorded notable results: a 3–1 away league win at Fenerbahçe, a 3–1 away win at Beşiktaş in the Turkish Cup group phase, and a 3–1 home win over Trabzonspor.

Kasımpaşa were relegated from the Süper Lig at the end of the 2010–11 season under coach Yılmaz Vural. On 12 October 2011, businessman Turgay Ciner’s group acquired a controlling stake in the club, marking a new ownership period focused on squad rebuilding and facilities investment. The club won promotion immediately in 2011–12 through the play-offs: a 2–0 away and 4–0 home semi-final over Konyaspor preceded a 3–2 victory against Adanaspor in the Istanbul final on 27 May 2012.

Back in the top flight, Kasımpaşa posted consecutive 6th-place finishes in 2012–13 and 2013–14, narrowly missing European qualification. The squad was strengthened with high-profile arrivals, notably Sweden captain Andreas Isaksson (from PSV) in 2012, Ryan Babel in 2013, and later Egypt international Trézéguet, who was eventually sold to Aston Villa in 2019. The club began 2018–19 at the top end of the table on the back of a prolific first half by Mbaye Diagne (20 league goals by January); Diagne then transferred to Galatasaray for a reported €10 million — a club-record fee received — and Kasımpaşa slipped to 14th by season’s end.

In 2021–22 the team mounted a dramatic mid-season recovery, rising from the relegation places to finish 11th; on-loan forward Umut Bozok won the league golden boot with 20 goals. They finished 10th in 2022–23 despite multiple coaching changes, and climbed to 5th in 2023–24 — equalling the best league placing in club history in the modern era.

Alongside transfer-market recruitment, Kasımpaşa’s academy has supplied the first team and the market; recent graduates include left-back Eren Elmalı (sold to Trabzonspor in 2022) and teenage defender Yasin Özcan. The club plays at the Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Stadium in Kasımpaşa, with an all-seater capacity of 14,234 following renovations, as listed by the Turkish Football Federation.

The club had cycled rapidly through coaches during the 2024–25 season: they parted company with Sami Uğurlu on 7 November 2024, appointed Hakan Keleş on 14 November 2024, then ended his spell on 28 January 2025, before hiring Burak Yılmaz on 30 January 2025; Yılmaz announced his departure in late June 2025. The churn fit a longer pattern: under Ciner Group ownership (since 2011) Kasımpaşa went through 23 head-coach changes in 13 years, according to Turkish press tallies.

In June 2025 Kasımpaşa re-appointed former coach Shota Arveladze to lead the senior team.