İstanbul Başakşehir

Full name	İstanbul Başakşehir Futbol Kulübü
Nickname(s)	Boz Baykuşlar (The Grey Owls) Turuncu Lacivertliler (The Orange-Navy Blues)
Short name	İBFK
Founded	15 June 1990; 34 years ago (1990-06-15), as İstanbul Büyükşehir Belediyesi Spor Kulübü 4 June 2014; 10 years ago (2014-06-04), as İstanbul Başakşehir Futbol Kulübü
Ground	Başakşehir Fatih Terim Stadium
Capacity	17,319
President	Göksel Gümüşdağ
Head coach	Çağdaş Atan
League	Süper Lig
2023–24	Süper Lig, 4th of 20
Website	ibfk.com.tr
Home colours Away colours Third colours
Current season

İstanbul Başakşehir Futbol Kulübü (Turkish pronunciation: [isˈtanbuɫ baˈʃakʃehiɾ ˈfutboɫ kulyˈby]), commonly referred to as Başakşehir or, due to sponsorship reasons, Rams Başakşehir, is a professional football club based in the Başakşehir district of Istanbul, Turkey. Known for its vibrant orange and navy colors, the club was established in 1990 and competes in the top tier of Turkish football, the Süper Lig.

The team plays its home matches at the state-of-the-art Başakşehir Fatih Terim Stadium, which has been their base since 2014. As one of six Istanbul-based clubs in the Süper Lig this season, Başakşehir has carved out its identity as a competitive force domestically and on the European stage. The club achieved its first league championship in the 2019–20 season, marking a milestone in its relatively young history.

Başakşehir continues to participate in various domestic and international tournaments, including the Turkish Cup, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League and UEFA Conference League showcasing its ambition to become a consistent contender in Turkish and European football.

İstanbul Başakşehir Futbol Kulübü is a relatively new football club compared to many other professional Turkish teams, having been established in 1990. The club’s original name was İSKİ Spor Kulübü, and it was owned by the municipality’s water distribution company. ISKI Spor Kulübü began competing in the Regional Amateur Football League during the 1990–91 season, earning promotion to the TFF Second League. After this promotion, the club’s name was changed to İstanbul Büyükşehir Belediyespor.

The club competed in the TFF Second League until 1996. After a successful campaign in the 2006–07 season, they secured promotion to the Süper Lig. İstanbul BB finished 12th in the 2007–08 season, ensuring their stay in the top division. In the 2009–10 season, the club achieved a 6th-place finish. However, in the 2012–13 season, the team finished 16th and was relegated to the TFF First League. The club made an immediate comeback, finishing the 2013–14 season as champions and earning promotion back to the Süper Lig.

On 4 June 2014, the club was restructured into a joint-stock company with seven shareholders and renamed İstanbul Başakşehir Futbol Kulübü. Göksel Gümüşdağ was appointed as the founding chairman.^[1]

In its debut Süper Lig season as Başakşehir, the team finished 4th, qualifying for the UEFA Europa League qualifiers. In the 2015–16 season qualifiers, the team was eliminated by AZ Alkmaar but secured another 4th-place league finish. During the 2016–17 season, Başakşehir defeated Rijeka in the qualifiers but was eliminated by Shakhtar Donetsk before reaching the group stage.

In just their third season after rebranding, Başakşehir finished as runners-up in the 2016–17 Süper Lig. In the 2017–18 UEFA Champions League qualifiers, they defeated Club Brugge but were knocked out by Sevilla in the play-off round. They subsequently participated in the 2017–18 UEFA Europa League group stage, finishing 3rd in Group C. Domestically, Başakşehir finished the 2017–18 season in 3rd place. In the following season, Başakşehir was eliminated by Burnley in the 2018–19 UEFA Europa League qualifiers but secured a 2nd-place finish in the 2018–19 Süper Lig.

Ahead of the 2019–20 season, Başakşehir adopted the slogan “New Vision, Same Goal.” Although they were eliminated by Olympiacos in the 2019–20 UEFA Champions League play-off, they topped Group J in the 2019–20 UEFA Europa League, competing against Roma, Borussia Mönchengladbach, and Wolfsberger. They advanced to the Round of 32, defeating Sporting CP but were eliminated in the Round of 16 by Copenhagen.

On 19 July 2020, Başakşehir were crowned champions of the Turkish Süper Lig for the first time in the club’s history.^[2][3][4] They also became only the sixth club in the competition’s history to win the league title and the fourth club from Istanbul to do so.

On 18 February 2024, it was reported that City Football Group, the ownership group behind Manchester City, reached a partnership agreement with the club in order to improve their football strategy, recruitment, scouting and coaching methodology. This development marked a significant milestone for the club, aligning it with one of the most successful football group structures in the world. The deal is expected to enhance Başakşehir’s international presence and bolster its financial and operational capabilities.^[5][6]

İstanbul Başakşehir’s crest features a shield with a bold “B” at the center, symbolizing the club’s identity. The backdrop of stars represents ambition and success. The crest includes the club’s name, “İstanbul Başakşehir,” and the year “2014,” marking its rebranding. The official colors, orange and navy blue, symbolize energy, ambition, professionalism, and focus, distinguishing the club in the Süper Lig.^[7]

Before the name change, İstanbul Başakşehir played their home games at the Atatürk Olympic Stadium. However, starting from the 2014–15 season, they began playing at the Başakşehir Fatih Terim Stadium, which officially opened to the public on 26 July 2014. The stadium has a capacity of 17,800 spectators and serves as the new home of İstanbul Başakşehir in the Süper Lig.

The supporter group of İstanbul Başakşehir is 1453 Başakşehir. The previous supporter group, Boz Baykuşlar, which existed before the club’s restructuring, has voluntarily chosen not to be present in the stands of İstanbul Başakşehir anymore.

• Süper Lig
  • Winners (1): 2019–20
  • Runners-up (2): 2016–17, 2018–19
• 1. Lig
  • Winners (1): 2013–14
• 2. Lig
  • Winners (2): 1992–93, 1996–97

• Turkish Cup
  • Runners-up (3): 2010–11, 2016–17, 2022–23

• Süper Lig: 2007–13, 2014–
• TFF First League: 1993–95, 1997–07, 2013–14
• TFF Second League: 1992–93, 1995–97

Accurate as of 12 December 2024

Source: UEFA.com
Pld = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; GD = Goal Difference.

Season	Competition	Round	Club	Home	Away	Aggregate
2015–16	UEFA Europa League	3QR	AZ	1–2	0–2	1–4
2016–17	UEFA Europa League	3QR	Rijeka	0–0	2–2	2–2 (a)
		PO	Shakhtar Donetsk	1–2	0–2	1–4
2017–18	UEFA Champions League	3QR	Club Brugge	2–0	3–3	5–3
		PO	Sevilla	1–2	2–2	3–4
	UEFA Europa League	Group C	Braga	2–1	1–2	3rd
			Ludogorets Razgrad	0–0	2–1
			1899 Hoffenheim	1–1	1–3
2018–19	UEFA Europa League	3QR	Burnley	0–0	0–1	0–1
2019–20	UEFA Champions League	3QR	Olympiacos	0–1	0–2	0–3
	UEFA Europa League	Group J	Roma	0–3	0–4	1st
			Borussia Mönchengladbach	1–1	2–1
			Wolfsberger AC	1–0	3–0
		R32	Sporting CP	4–1 (a.e.t.)	1–3	5–4
		R16	Copenhagen	1–0	0–3	1–3
2020–21	UEFA Champions League	Group H	Paris Saint-Germain	0–2	1–5	4th
			RB Leipzig	3–4	0–2
			Manchester United	2–1	1–4
2022–23	UEFA Europa Conference League	2QR	Maccabi Netanya	1–1	1–0	2–1
		3QR	Breiðablik	3–0	3–1	6–1
		PO	Antwerp	1–1	3–1	4–2
		Group A	Fiorentina	3–0	1–2	1st
			Heart of Midlothian	3–1	4–0
			RFS	3–0	0–0
		R16	Gent	1–4	1–1	2–5
2024–25	UEFA Europa Conference League	2QR	La Fiorita	6–1	4–0	10–1
		3QR	Iberia 1999	2–0	1–0	3–0
		PO	St Patrick's Athletic	2–0	0–0	2–0
		League Phase	Rapid Wien	1–2	—	26th
			Celje	—	1–5
			Copenhagen	—	2–2
			Petrocub Hîncești	1–1	—
			1. FC Heidenheim	3–1	—
			Cercle Brugge	—	1–1

As of 8 November 2024^[8]

Position Club Coefficient 77 Legia Warsaw 21.500 78 İstanbul Başakşehir 20.500 79 Royal Antwerp 20.500

UEFA Club Coefficient Ranking History

Season	Rank	Points	Ref.
2016	194	7.920	[9]
2017	158	10.340	[10]
2018	140	8.500	[11]
2019	118	10.500	[12]
2020	71	21.500	[13]
2021	60	26.500	[14]
2022	63	25.000	[15]
2023	56	31.000	[16]
2024	62	29.000	[17]

As of 27 September 2024^[18]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 1 GK  TUR Volkan Babacan 2 MF  TUR Berat Özdemir (on loan from Al-Ettifaq) 3 DF  GHA Jerome Opoku 4 MF  TUR Onur Ergün 5 DF  BRA Léo Duarte 6 DF  BRA Lucas Lima 7 FW  TUR Serdar Gürler 8 MF  CMR Olivier Kemen 9 FW  POL Krzysztof Piątek 10 MF  TUR Berkay Özcan 11 FW  SEN Philippe Kény 13 MF  POR Miguel Crespo 14 MF  GRE Dimitrios Pelkas 15 DF  TUR Hamza Güreler 16 GK  TUR Muhammed Şengezer

No. Pos. Nation Player 17 MF  TUR Ömer Faruk Beyaz 18 MF  POL Patryk Szysz 22 MF  POR Matchoi Djaló 23 MF  TUR Deniz Türüç 25 FW  BRA João Figueiredo 27 DF  SEN Ousseynou Ba (on loan from Olympiacos) 28 MF  TUR Emre Karaal 36 DF  IRL Festy Ebosele 42 MF  TUR Ömer Ali Şahiner 70 DF  TUR Burak Sefa Kavraz 75 DF  TUR Emre Kaplan 78 DF  TUR Yusuf Yılmaz 91 FW  BRA Davidson 98 GK  TUR Deniz Dilmen — DF  TUR Eren Karaağaç

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player — DF  TUR Muhammet Arslantaş (at Elazığspor until 30 June 2025) — DF  TUR Cemali Sertel (at Hatayspor until 30 June 2025) — MF  GUI Sékou Tidiany Bangoura (at Kiryat Shmona until 30 June 2025) — MF  ISR Eden Karzev (at Shenzhen Peng City until 30 June 2025) — FW  TUR Efecan Barlık (at Kırklarelispor until 30 June 2025) — FW  TUR Batuhan Çelik (at Ümraniyespor until 30 June 2025)

No. Pos. Nation Player — FW  TUR Efe Arda Koyuncu (at Şanlıurfaspor until 30 June 2025) — DF  CGO Francis Nzaba (at Esenler Erokspor until 30 June 2025) — DF  ALG Ahmed Touba (at Mechelen until 30 June 2025) — MF  TUR Eray Sürül (at Karaköprü Belediye Spor until 30 June 2025) — DF  TUR Yağız Dilek (at Bandırmaspor until 30 June 2025) — DF  TUR Bedirhan Özyurt (at Kırklarelispor until 30 June 2025)

Position	Name
President	Göksel Gümüşdağ
General Manager	Tamer Güngör
Administrative Director	Murat Yaman
Administrative Manager	Barbaros Göznelı
Stadium & Facilities Manager	Ali Fuat Şen
Financial Affairs Manager	Özay Aymak
Deputy Accounting Manager	Haci İbrahim Aslan
Administrative Officer	Tayfun Yağız Semiz
Administrative Officer	Metiner Keşaplı
Media & Communications	Gökhan Yılmaz
Photographer	Okan Karadağ
Commercial & Sustainability	Aslı Elif Koç Tiryaki
Licensing & Accreditation	Tugay Kurtgöz
IT Officer	Berat Turan
Ticketing Officer	Tolgay Karagöz
Store Manager	Erhan Saydam
Accounting Specialist	Sertaç Dağlı
Transportation	Hayrettin Yılmaz

Source: ^[19]

Position	Name
Head Coach	Çağdaş Atan
Assistant Coach	Mustafa Keçeli
Assistant Coach	Hasan Fırat
Assistant Coach	Murat Özkütükçü
Assistant Coach	Cemal Atan
Performance Coach	Emre Demirci
Performance Coach	Ersin Akilveren
Goalkeeping Coach	Murat Aslan
Goalkeeping Coach	Mesut Keke
Match Analyst	Serhan Erturhan
Match Analyst	Murat Özdemir

Source: ^[20]

Position	Name
Chief Medical Advisor	Dr. Anıl Işık
Club Doctor	Dr. Armağan Aslan
Physiotherapist	Dr. Rıdvan Seyhan
Physio Specialist	Erdem Eray Aydın
Physio Specialist	Furkan Heyik
Masseur	Mehmet Ali Polat
Masseur	Emrah Albay
Masseur	Hasan Karahan
Specialist Dietitian	İsmail Cerrah
Performance Psych	Dr. Ertan Görgü
Translator	Salih Gürel Güreli
Translator	Feyyaz Ayhan Sezen
Equipment Manager	Nurdoğan Dursun
Equipment Manager	Kani Kurtgöz
Equipment Manager	Enes Yalçınkaya

Source: ^[21]

Manager	Tenure
Recai Çaloğlu	1994–1995
Cihat Erbil	1995
Turhan Özyazanlar	1995–1996
Fahrettin Genç	1996–2000
Ali Osman Renklibay	2000–2002
Kadir Özcan	2002
Ekrem Al	2002–2003
Ali Osman Renklibay	2003–2004
Uğur Tütüneker	2004–2005
Hüsnü Özkara	2005–2006
Abdullah Avcı	2006–2011
Arif Erdem	2011–2012
Carlos Carvalhal	2012
Bülent Korkmaz	2012–2013
Cihat Arslan	2013–2014
Transition to İstanbul Başakşehir F.K.
Abdullah Avcı	2014–2019
Okan Buruk	2019–2021
Aykut Kocaman	2021
Emre Belözoğlu	2021–2023
Çağdaş Atan	2023–Present

Competitive, professional matches only. Up to date as of December 28th 2024

Rank	Player	Years	League	Cup	Europe	Other	Total
1	Mahmut Tekdemir	2006–2024	426	38	36	0	500
2	Edin Višća	2011–2022	344	21	33	0	398
3	Volkan Babacan	2014–present	231	20	19	0	270
4	Alexandru Epureanu	2014–2023	214	22	26	0	262
5	Berkay Özcan	2019–present	166	17	34	0	217
6	Júnior Caiçara	2017–2023	158	9	33	0	200
7	Doka Madureira	2011–2017	161	19	5	6	191
8	Deniz Türüç	2020-Present	143	13	31	0	187
9	Ekrem Eksioglu	2006–2013	159	22	0	5	186
10	Danijel Aleksić	2019–2024	138	18	26	0	182

Competitive, professional matches only. Up to date as of December 28th 2024

Rank	Player	Years	League	Cup	Europe	Matches	Total
1	Edin Višća	2011–2022	94	1	14	397	109
2	Doka Madureira	2011–2017	37	2	1	191	45
3	Mehmet Batdal	2013–2018	31	8	0	126	39
4	Krzysztof Piątek	2023–Present	21	0	4	63	38
5	Danijel Aleksić	2019–2024	27	4	6	182	37
6	Emmanuel Adebayor	2017–2019	24	3	1	76	28
7	Ibrahim Akin	2008–2011	24	3	0	104	27
8	Samuel Holmén	2010–2013 2016–2017	22	4	0	139	27
9	Demba Ba	2018–2019	20	4	1	83	26
10	Deniz Türüç	2020–Present	20	2	4	187	26

• Biggest win: İstanbul Başakşehir 7–0 Turgutluspor (2020–21)
• Biggest defeat: İstanbul Başakşehir 0–7 Galatasaray (2022–23)

Wikimedia Commons has media related to İstanbul Başakşehir FK.

• Official website
• İstanbul Başakşehir on TFF.org