 | |||
| Full name | Kuala Lumpur City Football Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname | The City Boys[1][2] | ||
| Short name | KL City FC, KLCFC | ||
| Founded | 1974; 51 years ago (1974) (asFederal Territory)[3] | ||
| Ground | Kuala Lumpur Stadium | ||
| Capacity | 18,000 | ||
| Owner | Kuala Lumpur Football Association[4] | ||
| Head coach | Risto Vidaković | ||
| League | Malaysia Super League | ||
| 2024–25 | Malaysia Super League, 6th of 13 | ||
| Website | kualalumpurfootball | ||
 Current season | |||
Kuala Lumpur City Football Club, known simply asKL City FC, is a Malaysian professionalfootball club based inKuala Lumpur. The club competes in theMalaysia Super League, the top level ofMalaysian football, and was founded in 1974 as Federal Territory by theKuala Lumpur Football Association (KLFA). It was later renamed Kuala Lumpur FA and Kuala Lumpur United, before renaming to its current name in 2021.
Kuala Lumpur City have won two Malaysian league titles, fourMalaysia Cups, threeMalaysia FA Cups, and threeMalaysian Charity Shields. It also played in the group stages of theAsian Club Championship on two occasions. In1987, the club narrowly missed out on reaching the final due to goal difference in the semi-finals group stage.[5]
Following its founding, a fierce rivalry developed between Kuala Lumpur andSelangor mainly due to their geographical location. The battle between these two teams is often referred to as theKlang Valley Derby, which was renewed in the 2010 season after Kuala Lumpur ended a seven-year spell in the second-tier with promotion to the Malaysia Super League. Kuala Lumpur were relegated to the second-tierMalaysia Premier League in 2012, and the following year, in 2013, they were relegated to the third-tierMalaysia FAM League for the first time.
Kuala Lumpur had its most successful period in the late 1980s when they won the national league twice, in 1986 and 1988.[6] They also won theMalaysia Cup for three consecutive years (1987, 1988 and 1989).[7] The team enjoyed considerable success in cup competitions in the 1990s, winning theMalaysian FA Cup in 1993, 1994 and 1999.[7] Kuala Lumpur won theMalaysian Charity Shield on three occasions, in 1988, 1995 and 2000.[7]
The club endured a difficult campaign during the2002 Liga Perdana 1 season, finishing 13th and suffering relegation for the first time in its history.[8] Kuala Lumpur later ended a seven-year absence from the top flight when the club promoted to the2010 Malaysia Super League to keep the team number balanced afterKuala Muda Naza andUPB-MyTeam withdrew.[9] However, after two seasons, the club were relegated to theMalaysia Premier League in 2012 and the following year, in 2013, they were relegated once more to theMalaysia FAM League, marking their first appearance in the third tier.[10][11] After spending three seasons in the lower division, Kuala Lumpur won the2017 Malaysia Premier League title and earned promotion back to the top flight.[12]
In the2019 Malaysia Super League, Kuala Lumpur finished dead last and suffered relegation once again.[13] However, the club bounced back in2020, finishing third in the Malaysia Premier League and earning promotion back to the top flight, asTerengganu II, who finished second, were a reserve team and therefore ineligible for promotion, despite the season being shortened due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.[14]
In September 2020, the club was privatized in accordance to the privatization process by theFootball Association of Malaysia and was renamed as Kuala Lumpur United.[15][16] In December 2020,Stanley Bernard was named the new CEO of the club.[17]
In March 2021, prior to the2021 Malaysia Super League season, the team changed its name to Kuala Lumpur City.[18] During the same season, Kuala Lumpur City defeatedJohor Darul Ta'zim 2–0 in the final of the2021 Malaysia Cup, winning the cup for the first time in 32 years.[19]
As the reigning Malaysia Cup champions, Kuala Lumpur City participated in theAFC Cup for the first time in their history.[20] The club enjoyed a historic run in the competition, winning the ASEAN Zone after defeatingPSM Makassar 5–2 in the final.[21] They subsequently advanced to the inter-zone knockout stage and reached the2022 AFC Cup final, where they were defeated 3–0 byAl-Seeb of Oman at theBukit Jalil National Stadium.[22] It was the first time Kuala Lumpur City had reached a continental final, and they became only the second Malaysian club to do so.[23]
In February 2023, Rinani Group Berhad acquired a majority stake in the club.[24]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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|
| Position | Staff[25] |
|---|---|
| Team manager |  Hazrul Fahmi Ahmad |
| Head coach |  Risto Vidaković |
| Assistant head coach |  Edin Prljača |
| Assistant coaches |  Srđan Lopičić |
| Wan Mustaffa Wan Ismail | |
| Fitness coach | Mashidee Sulaiman |
| Physiotherapists | Cheryl Lynn Pereira |
| Renesh Prabaharan | |
| Masseurs | Hamzah Zakaria |
| Iqbal Afiq Azmi | |
| Kitman | Ahmad Firdaus Zakaria |
| Jasrulnizam Abdul Aziz |
| Years | Nat. | Name | Achievement |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1979–1981 | | Yunus Tasman | |
| 1982–1984 | | S. Subramaniam | |
| 1985–1986 |  | Jozef Vengloš | 1986 League Championship |
| 1987–1989 | | Chow Kwai Lam | 1987 Malaysia Cup 1988 Malaysia Cup 1989 Malaysia Cup 1988 League Championship 1988 Charity Shield Cup 1989 ASEAN Club Championship |
| 1990 | | Jozef Jankech | |
| 1991 | | Milouš Kvaček | |
| 1992 | | Chow Kwai Lam | |
| 1993 | | S. Subramaniam | 1993 Malaysia FA Cup |
| 1994 |  | Ken Shellito | 1994 Malaysia FA Cup |
| 1995 – May 1998 | | Chow Kwai Lam | 1995 Charity Shield Cup |
| May 1998 – June 2000 | | Mat Zan Mat Aris | 1999 Malaysia FA Cup 2000 Charity Shield Cup |
| June 2000 – December 2000 | | Lim Kim Lian | |
| 2001–2002 |  | Wathiq Naji | |
| 2001–2002 | | Lim Kim Lian | |
| 2003 |  | Igor Novak | |
| 2004–2007 | | Mat Zan Mat Aris | |
| January 2008 |  | Hans Jurgen Gede | |
| April 2008 – 2012 | | Razip Ismail | |
| 2013 | | Stanislav Leiskovsky | |
| 2014 | | Tang Siew Seng | |
| January 2015 |  | Ricardo Formosinho | |
| April 2015 | | Tang Siew Seng | |
| December 2015 – November 2016 | | Ismail Zakaria | |
| December 2016 – March 2017 |  | Wanderley Junior | |
| March 2017 – September 2018 | | Fábio Magrão | 2017 Malaysia Premier League |
| December 2018 – March 2019 | | Yusri Che Lah | |
| March 2019 – June 2019 | | Chong Yee Fatt | |
| July 2019 – November 2019 | | Rosle Md Derus | |
| January 2020 – November 2020 | | Nidzam Adzha | |
| January 2021 – July 2023 |  | Bojan Hodak | 2021 Malaysia Cup |
| July 2023 – March 2024 | | Nenad Baćina | |
| March 2024 – 30 June 2025 | | Miroslav Kuljanac | |
| 1 July 2025 – present | | Risto Vidaković |
League
Cup
| Season | Division | Position | Malaysia Cup | Malaysian FA Cup | Malaysian Charity Shield | Continental | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| As Federal Territory | |||||||
| 1979 | Preliminary | 16th of 17 | Did not qualify | — | — | — | |
| 1980 | Preliminary | 17th of 17 | Did not qualify | — | — | — | |
| 1981 | Preliminary | 14th of 17 | Did not qualify | — | — | — | |
| 1982 | League Cup | 2nd of 16 | Quarter-finals | — | — | — | |
| 1983 | League Cup | 8th of 16 | Quarter-finals | — | — | — | |
| 1984 | League Cup | 4th of 16 | Quarter-finals | — | — | — | |
| 1985 | League Cup | 5th of 16 | Runners-up | — | — | — | |
| 1986 | League Cup | 1st of 16 | Quarter-finals | — | — | — | |
| As Kuala Lumpur | |||||||
| 1987 | League Cup | 2nd of 17 | Winners | — | Runners-up | ACC – Group stage (2nd) | |
| 1988 | League Cup | 1st of 17 | Winners | — | Winners | — | |
| 1989 | Division 1 | 2nd of 9 | Winners | — | Runners-up | ACC – Group stage (2nd) | |
| 1990 | Division 1 | 4th of 10 | QF Group A (3rd of 4) | First round | Runners-up | — | |
| 1991 | Division 1 | 4th of 10 | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | — | — | |
| 1992 | Division 1 | 5th of 10 | Semi-finals | Runners-up | — | — | |
| 1993 | Division 1 | 9th of 10 | Did not qualify | Winners | — | — | |
| 1994 | Liga Perdana | 11th of 16 | Did not qualify | Winners | Runners-up | ACWC – Quarter-finals | |
| 1995 | Liga Perdana | 11th of 15 | Did not qualify | R1 Group E (3rd of 4) | Winners | — | |
| 1996 | Liga Perdana | 14th of 15 | Did not qualify | First round | — | — | |
| 1997 | Liga Perdana | 9th of 15 | QF Group A (4th of 5) | Quarter-finals | — | — | |
| 1998 | Perdana 1 | 8th of 12 | QF Group A (4th of 5) | Semi-finals | — | — | |
| 1999 | Perdana 1 | 5th of 10 | QF Group B (5th of 6) | Winners | — | — | |
| 2000 | Perdana 1 | 8th of 12 | QF Group B (3rd of 4) | Semi-finals | Winners | — | |
| 2001 Details | Perdana 1 | 10th of 12 | QF Group A (4th of 4) | Second round | — | — | |
| 2002 | Perdana 1 | 13th of 14 | Did not qualify | Second round | — | — | |
| 2003 | Perdana 2 | 5th of 12 | Did not qualify | First round | — | — | |
| 2004 | Liga Premier Group B | 3rd of 13 | R1 Group C (4th of 4) | Second round | — | — | |
| 2005 | Liga Premier Group A | 4th of 8 | R1 Group C (4th of 4) | Semi-finals | — | — | |
| 2006 | Liga Premier Group B | 5th of 8 | Did not qualify | First round | — | — | |
| 2007 | Liga Premier | 7th of 11 | R1 Group A (3rd of 6) | First round | — | — | |
| 2008 | Liga Premier | 12th of 13 | R1 Group B (4th of 6) | Second round | — | — | |
| 2009 | Liga Premier | 4th of 13 | R1 Group C (3rd of 4) | Second round | — | — | |
| 2010 Details | Super League | 9th of 14 | R1 Group B (4th of 4) | Second round | — | — | |
| 2011 Details | Super League | 12th of 14 | R1 Group D (3rd of 4) | Quarter-finals | — | — | |
| 2012 Details | Super League | 14th of 14 | Did not qualify | Second round | — | — | |
| 2013 | Premier League | 11th of 12 | Did not qualify | First round | — | — | |
| 2014 | FAM League | 2nd of 12 | Did not qualify | First round | — | — | |
| 2015 | Premier League | 11th of 12 | Did not qualify | Third round | — | — | |
| 2016 | Premier League | 5th of 12 | R1 Group B (4th of 4) | Quarter-finals | — | — | |
| 2017 Details | Premier League | 1st of 12 | Group Stage | Second round | — | — | |
| 2018 Details | Super League | 10th of 12 | Group Stage | Quarter-finals | — | — | |
| 2019 Details | Super League | 12th of 12 | Did not qualify | Quarter-finals | — | — | |
| 2020 Details | Premier League | 3rd of 12 | Cancelled[a] | — | — | ||
| As Kuala Lumpur City | |||||||
| 2021 Details | Super League | 6th of 12 | Winners | Not held | — | — | |
| 2022 Details | Super League | 6th of 12 | Quarter-finals | Second round | Runners-up | AFC – Runners-up | |
| 2023 Details | Super League | 7th of 14 | Semi-finals | Runners-up | — | — | |
| 2024–25 Details | Super League | 6th of 13 | Quarter-finals | Round of 16 | — | ASEAN – Group stage | |
All results list Kuala Lumpur's goal tally first.
| Season | Competition | Round | Club | Home | Away | Aggregate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Asian Club Championship | Qualifying round (Group 6) |  Tiong Bahru | 0–0 | 1st out of 4 | |
 Kota Ranger | 8–1 | |||||
 Krama Yudha Tiga Berlian | 2–0 | |||||
| Semi-finals (Group B) |  August 1 | 1–1 | 2nd out of 4 | |||
 Yomiuri FC | 1–0 | |||||
 Kazma SC | 1–1 | |||||
| 1989–90 | Asian Club Championship | Qualifying round (Group 5) |  Philippine Air Force | 6–0 | 1st out of 5 | |
| Muara Stars | 7–1 | |||||
| Pelita Jaya | 2–1 | |||||
| Geylang International | 4–2 | |||||
| Semi-finals (Group A) | Nissan Yokohama | 1–2 | 2nd out of 3 | |||
 Fanja | 2–0 | |||||
| 1994–95 | Asian Cup Winners' Cup | First round | ABDB | 5–1 | 2–0 | 7–1 |
| Second round | Gelora Dewata | 2–1 | 0–2 | w/o[a] | ||
| Quarter-finals |  Telephone Org. Thailand | 2–3 (a.e.t.) | 1–2 | 3–5 | ||
| 2022 | AFC Cup | Group H | PSM Makassar | 0–0 | 2nd out of 3 | |
| Tampines Rovers | 2–1 | |||||
| ASEAN Zonal semi-finals |  Viettel | 0–0 (a.e.t.) (6–5p) | ||||
| ASEAN Zonal final | PSM Makassar | 5–2 | ||||
| Inter-zone play-off semi-finals |  ATK Mohun Bagan | 3–1 | ||||
| Inter-zone play-off final |  Sogdiana Jizzakh | 0–0 (a.e.t.) (5–3p) | ||||
| Final |  Al-Seeb | 0–3 | ||||
| 2024–25 | ASEAN Club Championship | Group B |  Kaya–Iloilo | 1–0 | — | 3rd out of 6 |
| Borneo Samarinda | 1–0 | — | ||||
| Lion City Sailors | — | 0–2 | ||||
| Công An Hà Nội | 2–3 | — | ||||
| Buriram United | — | 0–1 | ||||
