The club takes its name from thePeñarol neighborhood, located in the northwest of the city. Currently, it plays in theUruguayan Primera División.
Its origin dates back to September 28, 1891, with the creation of theCentral Uruguay Railway Cricket Club (known by its acronym CURCC). There was a first attempt to change the name toCURCC Peñarol, but the CURCC board rejected the proposal by 25 votes to 12. On December 13, 1913, it became known asPeñarol, adopting the definitive nameClub Atlético Peñarol on March 12, 1914. Some researchers, however, argue that although Peñarol inherited CURCC's tradition and there is a sociological continuity between the two, legally they are different institutions, since CURCC continued to exist until 1915 (although only as a recreational branch for railway company employees). CURCC then sold its assets and donated the money obtained to the British Hospital of Montevideo, and therefore the founding date of the club would be December 13, 1913. This is the origin of the debate over the Decanato (who is the oldest club in Uruguay).
Although CURCC's colors were originally black and orange, Peñarol throughout its history has always identified with yellow and black, taken from theStephenson's Rocket locomotive and representative of the railway guild in general. Throughout its history it has engaged in various sports, standing out inbasketball andcycling. Nevertheless, its dedication has been almost exclusively tofootball, the sport through which it has gained wide recognition.
The club plays its home matches at theEstadio Campeón del Siglo, inaugurated at the end of March 2016 with a capacity for 40,005 spectators. It is located on Route 102 between Camino Mangangá and Camino de los Siete Cerros, in thedepartment of Montevideo. Previously, Peñarol played for several decades at theEstadio Centenario, which is municipally owned. The club also has a basketball arena (Palacio Contador Gastón Guelfi) and a training ground (Complejo Deportivo Washington Cataldi).
Its classic rival in Uruguayan football isClub Nacional de Football. This is one of the oldest and most celebrated rivalries in football (8 Libertadores and 6 Intercontinental Cups between them), with Peñarol holding the historical advantage.
TheCentral Uruguay Railway Cricket Club (CURCC) was founded on September 28, 1891, driven by employees and workers of the Central Uruguay Railway Company of Montevideo, Limited (CUR), an English-owned company that had been operating inUruguay since 1878. Of the 118 founding members of the club, 72 were of English nationality, 45 were Uruguayan, and one was German. Because the institution's name,Central Uruguay Railway Cricket Club, was too complicated for the time, the club was commonly known as CURCC or Peñarol, the latter in reference to thePeñarol (neighborhood), located 10 kilometers fromMontevideo. The neighborhood name itself derives fromPinerolo, a locality in thePiedmont region of Italy, where CURCC's facilities were located in those years. The first president of the new institution was Frank Henderson, who remained in the position until 1899.
In 1892, CURCC incorporatedfootball into its sporting practices, relegatingrugby andcricket, which had been the main sports at the club until then. The first football match played by the club was against a team of students from English High School of Montevideo, ending in a 2–0 victory for CURCC. In 1895, the club elected Julio Negrón as captain, making him the first Uruguayan footballer at the club to hold that distinction, as until then only English players had led the team.
In 1900, CURCC was one of the four founding entities of theUruguay Association Football League, making its official debut on June 10 againstAlbion Football Club, with a 2–1 victory. That season CURCC won theUruguayan Championship for the first time, a title it repeated in1901,1905, and1907. However, in 1906 Charles W. Bayne assumed administration of the CUR and refused to preside over the company's football section due to ongoing economic and labor problems. This became the starting point of a series of conflicts between the company and CURCC that culminated in the split of 1913.
The 1905 CURCC team
On September 19, 1908, the club withdrew from the Uruguayan League, angered by the decision not to replay a match against F.C. Dublín, which CURCC had lost 3–2 away. According to the club, the defeat was caused by refereeing errors influenced by local crowd pressure. After returning to the competition in 1909, tensions between CUR and the club intensified when a group of Peñarol supporters burned one of the wagons used to transport rival players.They would win another title in1911, and then in 1913 formally change its name to Club Atlético Peñarol. In its first years as Peñarol, the club did not achieve major results, the most important event of the period being the inauguration ofEstadio Las Acacias on April 19, 1916. The club's first championships under its current name came in1918 and1920. In 1921, Peñarol, having won the previous Uruguayan Championship, sought to play theCopa Aldao againstRacing Club (champion of the Asociación Amateurs de Football) instead ofHuracán (champion of theArgentine Football Association), but article 7 of the AFA statutes forbade its members from playing against clubs from the breakaway Amateur Association.
In 1918, the club won its first domestic title under the name "Club Atlético Peñarol"
In September 1922, shortly before traveling to Brazil for theCopa América, Peñarol demanded that theUruguayan Football Association (AUF) not faceArgentina, whose team was composed of AFA players affiliated withFIFA. Peñarol threatened to withhold its players if the AUF maintained its stance. The AUF stood firm and played the Copa América without Peñarol players. In October that year, with the political divide deepening, Peñarol andCentral requested permission to play friendlies against Racing andIndependiente. The AUF denied the request, and when the clubs ignored the decision and played the matches anyway, they were expelled, giving rise to the Uruguayan football schism.
This led to Peñarol and Central founding theUruguayan Football Federation (FUF), which organized its own championships in parallel to the AUF, and of which Peñarol was champion in 1924. The FUF included several new clubs, some created in honour of Peñarol, such as “Peñarol del Plata,” “Roland Moor,” and “Roberto Chery Montevideo.”
After three years of division and failed reunification attempts, Montevideo's press requested the mediation of PresidentJosé Serrato. His ruling, in October 1925, established a Provisional Council of Uruguayan Football, which organized theCopa del Consejo Provisorio in 1926 to reunify Uruguayan football, won by Peñarol.
In 1927, Peñarol touredEurope for the first time. The club went on to win the Uruguayan Championship in1928 and1929. In the latter year, Julio María Sosa was declared the club's first honorary president. The following year, Peñarol played its first official match at theEstadio Centenario in Montevideo, defeating Olimpia 1–0.
Peñarol documents
1914 letter from the Uruguayan League, approving the club's name change
Uruguayan document acknowledging Peñarol as successor of the CURCC
In 1927, Peñarol made its first tour to Europe, playing a total of 19 matches against teams from Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Spain, Czechoslovakia and France. The tour extended from April to June. The first match of the tour was vs. the Vienna combined, which Peñarol lost by 3–1. The Uruguayan team then playedBayern Munich (1–2),SpVgg (1–2),Hertha BSC (Berlin) (0–1). The first win was v.Eintracht Frankfurt (3–1). The lineup for that match was Luis Biscardi, Demis D’Agosto, José Benincasa, Pascual Ruotta, Gildeón Silva, Antonio Aguerre, Ladislao Pérez, Antonio Sacco, Pablo Terevinto, Peregrín Anselmo, Antonio Campolo. Goals were scored by Suffiotti (2) and Ruotta. The tour continued in Switzerland, v.Young Fellows (1–0),Rapid Vienna (0–5), then facingSparta Prague (losing by 1–0).
Players of Barcelona and Peñarol entering the pitch before their first test, 5 June 1927
On 5 June, Peñarol played its first game in Spain v.FC Barcelona, losing by 1–5. The second test was played one day later, finishing in a tie (1–1). Other notable games of the tour were the two tests v.Atlético Madrid (5–2 and 4–3).
Peñarol played a total of 19 matches in 80 days (6 in Spain, 5 in Germany, 4 in Switzerland and 1 in Czechoslovakia and France), totalizing 7 wins, 4 draws and 8 losses. The team scored 32 goals and received 33, with Antonio Sacco being the topscorer with 9 goals.[2]
After its first European tour in 1927, Peñarol won the Uruguayan championship in1928 and1929; the following year, the club defeatedOlimpia 1–0 in its first game at theCentenario Stadium in Montevideo.
In1932, theUruguayan Football League officially established professionalism, with Peñarol debuting againstRiver Plate. That same year it won its first professional championship after accumulating 40 points, five more than its closest pursuer,Rampla Juniors. After finishing second in the1933 and1934 seasons, Peñarol won the first of four consecutive championships between1935 and1938, as well as theTorneo Competencia in 1936.
The 1940s began with Peñarol once again finishing second, a position it held until1943. The following year in1944, it won theUruguayan Championship again after defeatingNacional in a two-leg final, 0-0 and 3-2 . In 1945 the club repeated the title, this time withNicolás Falero andRaúl Schiaffino as the tournament's top scorers with 21 goals, and it would win the title again in1949, finishing four points ahead of Nacional, withÓscar Míguez as top scorer .
After finishing second in1950, Peñarol was once again champion of Uruguay in1951 , the same year it tendered the works for the construction of thePalacio Peñarol, which was finally inaugurated in 1955 . The 1950s continued with national championships in1953 ,1954 ,1958 , and1959 , with figures such asJuan Hohberg, Juan Romay, andJulio César Abbadie.
Peñarol, champion of the Copa Libertadores de América in 1966.
In 1960, Peñarol qualified for the newly createdCopa Libertadores, then known as the Copa de Campeones de América. In this competition, they were crowned champion in its first two editions after defeatingOlimpia of Paraguay in1960 andPalmeiras of Brazil in1961 . Later that year, Peñarol won theIntercontinental Cup for the first time in its history, in the tournament's second edition, by defeatingBenfica of Portugal 2–1 in the decisive match to claim their first club world title. During this period, the club also won the Uruguayan Championship in1960,1961, and 1962, completing the first five-in-a-row in its history, known in Uruguay as theQuinquenio de Oro (1958–1962).
After a season without titles, Peñarol won the Uruguayan Championship in1964 and1965, as well as a third Copa Libertadores in1966, defeatingRiver Plate 4–2 . That year it also won itssecond Intercontinental Cup by beatingReal Madrid 2–0, both in Montevideo'sEstadio Centenario and at theSantiago Bernabéu. In the following years, the club continued adding national and international titles, including national championships in1967 and1968, and theSupercopa de Campeones Intercontinentales in 1969. Additionally, in this interval, los Manyas achieved the longest unbeaten run in the history of the Uruguayan Championship, stretching to 56 matches between September 3, 1966, and September 14, 1968 . Among the players of the time stood out EcuadorianAlberto Spencer (Peñarol's top scorer in international matches), PeruvianJuan Joya Cordero, andPedro Rocha.
In 1970, Peñarol again reached theCopa Libertadores final, losing toEstudiantes de La Plata. In that tournament, the club achieved the biggest win in the competition's history, defeatingValencia of Venezuela 11–2. Later, withFernando Morena as the main star, the club won the Uruguayan Championship in1973, a feat it repeated in the next two years. After finishing second in1976 and1977, Peñarol won its 35th Uruguayan Championship in1978, a season in which Morena set two records: most goals in a season (36) and most goals in a single match, when he scored 7 againstHuracán Buceo on July 16, 1978 . The decade ended well with another national championship. During this period, Morena was also the top scorer of the Uruguayan Championship in six consecutive seasons, as well as top scorer in the Copa Libertadores in1974 and1975.
In1980, Peñarol placed third, but in1981 they became Uruguayan champion again, finishing three points ahead of Nacional. Key players included Morena andRubén Paz, the latter being the tournament's top scorer with 17 goals. The following season in1982, Peñarol won the Copa Libertadores again, defeatingCobreloa of Chile away 1–0 with a late goal by Morena, who was the tournament's top scorer with 7 goals. In the second half of the year, Peñarol repeated the Uruguayan Championship and won its thirdIntercontinental Cup by defeatingAston Villa of England 2–0 to become football's first three-time club world champions.
Despite the financial problems the institution began suffering from the mid-1980s, the club won national titles in1985 and1986, and the Copa Libertadores in1987, beatingAmérica de Cali 1–0 with a last-minute extra-time goal byDiego Aguirre, when a draw would have crowned the Colombians champions. Curiously, this was the third Copa Libertadores title the club won at theEstadio Nacional de Chile, after those in1966 and1982.
In the midst of a severe sporting and institutional crisis, Peñarol commemorated its 100th anniversary on 28 September 1991, despite the controversy that had arisen a year earlier whenClub Nacional de Football openly rejected the centenary celebration, thus reigniting the debate over Peñarol's founding date and its connection with theCURCC.
On the international stage, the club reached the finals of theCopa CONMEBOL in1993 and1994. In1999, Peñarol once again won the Uruguayan championship, this time withJulio Ribas as coach, after defeating Nacional 2–1 on 13 November.
The first decade of the 21st century began with Peñarol finishing as runner-up in theUruguayan Championship, after losing in the tournament final toNacional, while players from both clubs remained in prison following a fight in theUruguayan Clásico during the Clausura. In the following two seasons, despite good performances, Peñarol failed to reach the final of the championship, finishing second in the2001 Apertura,2002 Apertura, and 2002 Clausura tournaments.
At the administrative level, this period saw the official inauguration of the Peñarol Museum on 28 September 2001. In 2003, under the coaching ofDiego Aguirre and with a squad featuring strikerCarlos Bueno and Paraguayan goalkeeperJosé Luis Chilavert, Peñarol once again won the Uruguayan Championship after defeating Nacional 1–0 on 4 December 2003 at theEstadio Centenario.
Friendly against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu on August 24, 2010.
In 2010, Peñarol facedReal Madrid in a commemorative friendly celebrating the recognition by theIFFHS that both clubs had been chosen as the “Club of the Century” for their respective continents, Peñarol in South America and Real Madrid in Europe. The match served as a symbolic encounter between two institutions honoured as continental giants of the 20th century.
After inconsistent campaigns, the club was crowned champion of the Primera División in the2009-10 season, winning the Clausura Tournament undefeated, with 14 wins in 15 matches, 12 of them consecutive. In the championship final, Peñarol defeated Nacional, winners of the Apertura Tournament, by an aggregate score of 2–1, with goals fromAntonio Pacheco andMatías Aguirregaray, and by winning the tournament also qualified directly for the group stage of the2011 Copa Libertadores, where they reached thefinal, losing 2–1 in Brazil againstSantos FC after a 0–0 draw in Montevideo.
Peñarol would be crowned champion again in the2012-13 season, after winning the 2012 Apertura, with players such asMarcelo Zalayeta andJuan Manuel Olivera standing out. Falling just one point short ofDefensor Sporting in the Clausura, they played a final for the Uruguayan Championship, holding an advantage after topping the annual table, which allowed them to claim the title by defeating the violet side 3–1 in a single match, with all three goals scored by Antonio Pacheco.
The2015-16 season proved important for the club. In 2015,Diego Forlán joined Peñarol, and that same year the club won the Apertura Tournament. In the following year's Clausura Tournament, the club inaugurated its new stadium, theCampeón del Siglo. They topped the annual table but did not win the Clausura, which forced a single-match final againstPlaza Colonia. Peñarol won 3–1 in extra time, claiming the Uruguayan title for that season.
In the2017 and2018 seasons, Peñarol were crowned back-to-back Uruguayan champions, with notable players such asCristian Rodríguez (on his return to the club),Walter Gargano, and ArgentineMaximiliano Rodríguez. In 2018, the club also won the inaugural edition of theSupercopa Uruguaya, defeating their classic rivals Nacional 3–1.
In the 2021 season, Peñarol competed in the2021 Copa Sudamericana, where they once again faced their eternal rivals,Nacional, in the round of 16, defeating them and advancing to the semifinals of the international tournament. The2021 season ended with another Uruguayan league title, after winning the Clausura Tournament and later defeating Plaza Colonia once again in a final match. In 2024, Peñarol achieved a dominant domestic performance by winning both the Torneo Apertura and Torneo Clausura, thereby securing the2024 Uruguayan Primera División title outright and earning their 52nd league crown without the need for playoffs. Internationally, they delivered a dramatic statement in the2024 Copa Libertadores, eliminatingFlamengo in a thrilling quarter-final by winning the first leg 1–0 in Brazil and holding them to a 0–0 draw at home, which propelled Peñarol into the semi-finals again. The club has continued to grow financially and have returned as a mainstay in the most prestigious international competitions.
Peñarol celebrating the1966 Copa Libertadores, the third for the club after beating Argentine clubRiver Plate by 4–2Peñarol players posing for photographers before2013 Copa Libertadores preliminary game againstVélez SarsfieldBanner awarded by FIFA for the club's 120th anniversary, September 2011
Peñarol played a total of 26 seasons in theUruguay Association Football League from its beginning in1900 until the end of the amateur era of Uruguayan football in1931, with its only absence being between 1923 and 1926, years in which it was disaffiliated from the AUF.
During this period, the club was crowned champion of the Uruguayan Championship on nine occasions, with its best campaigns in1900 and1905 , seasons in which it won the title without losing a single match. Additionally, the club also finished unbeaten in1901 ,1903 and1907 . On the other hand, its worst campaign was in1908, when it withdrew from the Uruguayan League after playing only 10 matches, with the remaining 8 awarded to its rivals . Another milestone of this era was the club's biggest recorded win, in 1903, when it defeated Triunfo 12-0 .
In the tournaments organized by theFUF, Peñarol finished runner-up in 1923, a season in which it reached 100 goals scored, and was champion in 1924, its best result being a 10–0 win over Roberto Cherry in the suspendedUruguayan Championship of 1925.
Peñarol was the first club in the world to be crowned three-time club world champion of theIntercontinental Cup.
Since the start of the professional era in 1932, Peñarol andNacional have been the only two clubs to participate in every season of the Uruguayan Championship . Additionally, Peñarol is the Uruguayan team with the most Primera División titles, with 40 between 1932 and 2018, and the one most often crowned as unbeaten champion during professionalism (1949,1954,1964,1967,1968,1975, and1978) . Its best campaigns were in 1949 and 1964, seasons in which it achieved a 94.44% win rate, while its worst was in 2005–06, finishing 16th with 32.32% of points . However, the club was penalized 12 points by the AUF due to incidents caused by fans after a match againstCerro .
Domestically, Peñarol's biggest win was a 9–0 triumph againstRampla Juniors in 1962, while its worst defeat came on December 14, 1941, in a 0–6 loss to Nacional. Internationally, its best result was an 11–2 victory overValencia F.C. (Venezuela) on March 15, 1970, while its worst was a 0–6 defeat toOlimpia (Paraguay) on December 10, 1990, in theSupercopa Sudamericana.
Peñarol also holds various records in Uruguayan and international football, many of which still stand. Domestically, Peñarol achieved the longest unbeaten streak in Uruguayan Championship history: 56 matches from September 3, 1966, to September 14, 1968, when it lost 0–2 toLiverpool (Montevideo) . This is also the longest unbeaten run for any South American club in a professional top-flight league, and second overall including amateur records, behindBoca Juniors.
Internationally, Peñarol was the first club to win theCopa Libertadores, doing so unbeaten in1960 . In this tournament, it holds several records: tied with Nacional for most appearances (44), with 15 consecutive; the most semifinals (20); tied with Boca Juniors for most finals played (10) ; the biggest historical win (11-2 vs. Valencia of Venezuela) ; and the greatest goal difference in a tie, beatingEverest (Ecuador) 14–1 on aggregate (5-0 and 9–1).
The club's flag was designed by architectConstante Facello, inspired by theFlag of Uruguay. It features nine stripes, four yellow and five black, and a canton with eleven yellow stars on a black background.
Although in the early years the club used a crest with a single star, over the decades this design was also applied to the institutional shields, which began to include eleven stars. The crest was also designed by architect Constante Facello and currently features four horizontal yellow stripes on a black background in the lower section, and eleven yellow stars on a black background in the upper section, with the stars representing the eleven players who take the field. At present, the crest does not include the word “Peñarol”, although it did for many years.
In 2009, the exact color tones were defined by the club's marketing department, establishing that the shade of yellow to be used would be RGB 255–194–14, equivalent to hexadecimal code #FFC20E, in an effort to unify the institutional image. Nevertheless, the shade of yellow has continued to vary over the years.
In 2020, and due to the pandemic, Peñarol temporarily changed its crest for a few weeks, creating a recreation of its first emblem with a single star. The purpose of the change was to reaffirm the distancing necessary to combat the spread of COVID-19.
Since its beginnings, the colors that have identified the club are yellow and black, taken from theStephenson's Rocket locomotive and representative of the railway workers’ guild in general.
The first jersey used byCURCC in 1891 consisted of four square sections alternating between orange and black. From that same year, and for a longer period, a jersey was used consisting of two vertical halves, black on the right and orange-and-black stripes on the left, with black shorts and socks of the same color. The current Peñarol jersey, yellow-and-black striped, dates back to 1910 and has since been used almost uninterruptedly with very few variations, which include the color of the socks (alternating between yellow and black), the color of the shorts (yellow in 2001), as well as some changes in the direction of the stripes on the shirt. The Peñarol kit has historically varied both in the number of black stripes on its jersey and in the color of the shorts of its primary uniform. For certain matches, Peñarol continues to wear yellow shorts.
Regarding the alternative uniform, it is believed that the first one used was a checkered jersey in 1891, similar to the primary kit worn two years later, with black and orange checks. Since then, different models have been used, including a horizontally striped jersey in 1984, a yellow shirt with black shorts in 1987, as well as all-black, gray, or all-yellow kits worn in recent decades. Additionally, jerseys of different colours have been used for international matches, especially during the 1960s and 1970s. In 2010, a golden shirt with a black collar began to be used as an alternative. As a third uniform, the jersey first worn in 1891, split vertically, black on the right and black-and-yellow stripes on the left, was also used.
On February 4, 2013, new models were presented, featuring a black kit and a yellow kit as alternatives.
Peñarol inspired Romanian clubFC Brașov to change its official colors in December 1966 from white and blue to yellow and black. The change came following a tournament ofRomania's Olympic football team in Uruguay. After a match with Peñarol,Csaba Györffy, player at FC Brașov, received from Peñarol's captainAlberto Spencer the shirt with which he played. Györffy was fascinated by the combination of yellow and black stripes and decided at the return in the country to wear the shirt during his training sessions with the team. The decision to change the colors of the club was taken by coachSilviu Ploeşteanu, who considered that, in the new colors, the team will be seen better on the field. Since January 1967, the team fromBrașov has yellow-black as official colors, recalling Peñarol.[3]
Peñarol's first stadium was the José Pedro Damiani, also known asLas Acacias. It was bought in 1913 and inaugurated on 19 April 1916 with a 3–1 victory over Nacional.[4] The stadium's gate was that of the formerEstadio Pocitos, Peñarol's first stadium where the first goal in the history of theFIFA World Cup was scored in1930.[5]
The stadium is in the Marconi neighbourhood of Montevideo. Its pitch is of 37,949 square metres (408,480 sq ft), and it has a capacity of 12,000.[4] Because Peñarol was not allowed to play there due to security concerns,[6] the club home ground was the city owned Estadio Centenario. Opened on 18 July 1930, the Centenario stadium is inParque Batlle and can hold 65,235.[7]
Las Acacias has acted as the home ground for all Peñarol's Youth Teams.
On 28 September 2012, the club proposed a 40,000-capacity stadium in the outskirts of Montevideo, about 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) from theAeropuerto Internacional de Carrasco.[8] The name of their newest stadium isCampeón del Siglo (CDS), opening in March 2016 and which has been the home ground ever since.
ThePalacio Peñarol, in downtown Montevideo, is the club's headquarters and basketball stadium. It was opened on 21 June 1955;[9] and is located. The Palacio has 3,896 square metres (41,940 sq ft) in addition to basketball, it is home the club's museum and offices.[10] After the October 2010 collapse of theCilindro Municipal, the Palacio Peñarol became an important venue for Uruguayan basketball.[11]
The Complejo Deportivo Washington Cataldi, commonly known as Los Aromos, is a training ground for the main team.[12] In Villa Los Aromos of Barros Blancos, in theCanelones department, Los Aromos was bought in 1945; under the direction of architect José Donato, it was built in two years.[13]
For the club's 118th anniversary, the Centro de Alto Rendimiento was inaugurated. The new facility, which opened on 28 September 2009, includes five football pitches, a weight room and a gymnasium with artificial turf.[14]
The Frank Henderson School, named in honor of the club's first president, is a few kilometers away from the Centro de Alto Rendimiento. It was built to develop the club's young players, and houses those who come from other areas.[15]
In Uruguayan football, loyalty to Peñarol orNacional divides the country. The clubs are evenly matched, and have a large fan base. Many surveys of public opinion have been conducted, but none have been conclusive. In 1993 the Factum consulting firm reported that Peñarol was the favorite team of 41 percent of football fans, while 38 percent supported Nacional.[16] Factum conducted another survey in 2006, confirming its previous results: Peñarol with 45 percent and Nacional with 35 percent.[17]
MPC Consultants surveyed 9,000 Uruguayans; Peñarol had 45 percent of the supporters, and Nacional 38 percent. An online survey on the webpage Sportsvs.com showed Nacional with 50.35 percent and Peñarol with 49.45 percent.[18]
Since its formation, Peñarol'sbarra brava has been involved in violence against other clubs and the Uruguayan police. Incidents provoked by these fans have cost Peñarol 31 points since 1994; the penalties cost the team three tournaments (Apertura 1994,[19]Clausura 1997[20] andClausura 2002).[21]
In 2010 the club focused on increasing its membership base to achieve self-sustainability. For this reason, several measures were implemented. For example, starting with the 2010 Clausura, autographed balls by players and official jerseys were given away. That same year, the club's Peñas Commission was formed, with the goal of maintaining permanent contact with fan branches and the institution. As a complement, the club began traveling inland with the Rally 19 Capitales, engaging people from Uruguay's interior. Furthermore, in March 2013 the “adherent member” category was launched, which through a single payment equivalent to one peso per day (about twenty dollars annually) gave the member the right to a ticket for one match of their choice during the year, as well as early ticket purchase rights for home games. By March 2016, the institution had surpassed 85,000 members.
The Uruguayan Derby between Peñarol andNacional goes back to 1900, the oldest football rivalry outside theBritish Islands.[22] The first game ever played between Nacional and CURCC was on 15 July 1900 and ended 2–0 in favor of CURCC. CURCC was ahead at first, but Nacional caught up during the late 1910s. Nacional took the led by fourteen games in 1948, and would not surrender it until the late 1970s (except briefly in 1968). Since then, Peñarol has been the leader; its longest lead was 26 games in January 2004.[23] Including the amateur and professional eras, league and friendly games, the teams have met 511 times in the past with 182 victories to Peñarol, 166 to Nacional and 163 ties.[23]
A notable game for Peñarol fans is occurred on 9 October 1949 in the Uruguayan Cup first round, and is known as theClásico de la fuga (the "escape derby"). At the end of the first half Peñarol was leading 2–0, but at halftime Nacional decided not to return. While Peñarol fans believe that Nacional did not want to be defeated by a Peñarol team known as theMáquina del 49 ("Machine of 49"), Nacional supporters claim it was a protest against poor officiating.[24]
On 23 April 1987 for a friendly game, Peñarol and Nacional were tied 1–1 with 22 minutes remaining when three Peñarol players (José Perdomo,José Herrera andRicardo Viera) were ejected after a foul and subsequent protests. Peñarol then had to face a full Nacional team with only eight players on the pitch. With eight minutes remainingDiego Aguirre set upJorge Cabrera, who scored the winning goal. This win by theaurinegro was known as theClásico de los 8 contra 11 (the "8 against 11 derby").[25]
Peñarol and Nacional have faced each other in the final game of theUruguayan Championship thirteen times, with Peñarol winning eight. The most recent was in 2018, when Peñarol won the championship 2–1.[23]
In early October 2011Manyas: The Movie, a documentary about Peñarol's fans, was released in Uruguay. Produced by Kafka Films and Sacromonte and directed byAndrés Benvenuto, the film features interviews with fans, football journalists, psychologists and politicians.[26]Manyas: The Movie was deemed of cultural interest by the Culture and Education Ministry of Uruguay and of ministerial interest by Uruguay's Ministry of Tourism and Sport.[26] The film had the most-successful premiere of any Uruguayan film,[27] selling 13,000 tickets during its first weekend[28] and 30,000 over its first fifteen days.[29]
After raising $35,000 in raffles and donations, on 12 April 2011 Peñarol fans unveiled the largest flag ever unfurled in a stadium up to that moment.Nacional unfurled a bigger one years later that covered three stands of the stadium. The flag, 309 metres (1,014 ft) long and 46 metres (151 ft) wide for a surface area of 14,124 square metres (152,030 sq ft), covered one-and-a-half grandstands inCentenario Stadium.[30] In 2013, Club Nacional de Football displayed a flag which was 600 metres long by 50 metres wide. This is now the world's biggest football flag.
Giant flag displayed at the Centenario Stadium inMontevideo
Throughout its history, hundreds of footballers have played at least one match wearing Peñarol's first-team jersey. Among them,Néstor Gonçálves was the player who played the most official matches in the club's history, with 574 appearances between April 28, 1957, and November 28, 1970.
The players who have scored the most goals for the club inPrimera División matches areFernando Morena (198),Antonio Pacheco (131),Alberto Spencer (116), andÓscar Míguez (105). Fernando Morena, who is also the all-time top scorer of the Uruguayan Primera División with 228 goals, is likewise the player with the most total goals for Peñarol, with 440. He also holds the record for most goals scored in a single season with 36 in 1978, and is the club's second-highest scorer in international competitions with 37 goals, behind Alberto Spencer, who between 1960 and 1970 scored 58 times. Spencer and Morena are also the two all-time top scorers in the history of theCopa Libertadores with 48 and 37 goals respectively, playing for Peñarol.
On the other hand, the aurinegro club has greatly contributed to the formation of theUruguay national football team. In fact, the first footballers fromCURCC to be selected were Luis Carbone, Juan Pena, Ceferino Camacho, and Aniceto Camacho, who were part of the squad that played the third international match in the history of the national team, againstArgentina national football team on August 15, 1905, in the framework of theCopa Lipton. The first Peñarol footballers to be selected were Alfredo Granja,John Harley, andJosé Piendibene on August 30, 1914, for the “Premio de Honor” Cup in a match against Argentina.
Furthermore, the institution was the only one in Uruguay to have provided players for the national team in every FIFA World Cup it has contested, with the sole exception of the 2014 edition, although it had no representatives in the squad that won the gold medal at the1924 Summer Olympics.
While there is no hard information about managers in the amateur era of Uruguayan football, Peñarol has had a total of 62 coaches during its professional era. The first manager was Leonardo de Luca, who coached the team for two years and won the Uruguayan Championship (the first professional tournament in Uruguay) in 1932.
Hugo Bagnulo andGregorio Pérez have coached Peñarol the longest, leading the first team for eight seasons: Bagnulo for four stints and Pérez for five. Athuel Velásquez had the longest uninterrupted coaching period for Peñarol (five straight years, between 1935 and 1940). Bagnulo has the most Uruguayan championships (five); Pérez and Velásquez follow, with four each. In international competitionRoberto Scarone was the most successful manager, winning two Copa Libertadores and an Intercontinental Cup with Peñarol.[31][32]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
During a meeting presided over by Roland Moor on 28 September 1891, it was stipulated that responsibility for the Central Uruguay Railway Cricket Club would belong to the principal administrator of the Central Uruguay Railway Company of Montevideo. The first president of the club was Frank Henderson, who remained in that office until 1899.[35]
After Henderson CUR administrators remained as chairmen of the sports club until 1906, when Charles W. Bayne took over the CUR. Bayne refused to sponsor the CURCC because of vandalism by fans and absenteeism by workers. He was replaced by CUR employee Roland Moor.[36]
Conflicts remained between the company and the sports club, which resulted in the separation of CURCC's football section from the company and a name change to Club Atlético Peñarol.[36] Jorge Clulow, an Englishman with Uruguayan nationality, was chosen chairman of the club; he remained in office from 1914 to 1915.[31][37]
1900 CURCC teamIn 1982, Peñarol became the first club in the world to win the Intercontinental Cup for a third time (the previous had been in 1961 and 1966, displayed on the image)
Peñarol played 26 seasons of the Uruguay Association Football League, from its creation in 1900 until the end of the amateur era in 1931 (absent 1923–26, when the club was disaffiliated from the AUF).[38] During this period Peñarol won theUruguayan Championship nine times, with its best years in1900 and1905[39] (when the club won the championship without conceding any points). Peñarol was undefeated in1901,[40]1903[41] and1907.[note 3][42] Its worst year was 1908; the team left the league after ten games, forfeiting the other eight.[43] Peñarol's largest goal difference in a game during its amateur era was in 1903, when they defeated Triunfo 12–0.[44]
The club placed second in1923 (when they scored a record 100 goals), and won in1924; its most impressive victory was a 10–0 win over Roberto Cherry during the cancelled 1925 season.[44] Both tournaments were organised by dissident bodyUruguayan Football Federation (FUF).
Since the beginning of the professional era in1932, Peñarol andNacional are the only teams who have played every season for the Uruguayan championship.[note 4][45] Peñarol has the most Uruguayan League titles (winning 38 times between1932 and2013) and the greatest number of undefeated championships (1949,1954,1964,1967,1968,1975 and1978).[46] Its best performances were in1949 and1964, seasons when the team scored 94.44 percent of possible points; its worst season was2005–06, when it finished in 16th place after winning 32.32 percent of possible points.[47] A 12-point deduction given the team by the AUF because of unrest after a game withCerro relegated them to that position.[48]
Peñarol's best victory was a 9–0 win againstRampla Juniors in 1962; its worst defeat was 0–6 against Nacional. On the international scene, its best result was an 11–2 win overValencia ofVenezuela on 15 March 1970; its worst was againstOlimpia ofParaguay, a 0–6 loss on 10 December 1990 during theSupercopa Sudamericana.
Peñarol holds a number of national and international records. The club has the longest undefeated run in the Uruguayan league: 56 games, from 3 September 1966 to 14 September 1968.[49] This is also the longest undefeated run in South American professional football (second place if amateur leagues are counted).[50]
It was the first club to win theCopa Libertadores de América undefeated, in1960.[51] Peñarol has the greatest number of appearances in the Copa Libertadores (40),[52] and the second most appearances in the finals (10) after Boca Juniors.[52] The club holds the record for the biggest win (11–2 against Valencia),[51] and the biggest goal difference in a two-legged elimination (defeatingEverest fromEcuador 5–0 and 9–1).[51] Peñarol is one of the teams with five Intercontinental Cup appearances, the first to reach that number.
Peñarol is regarded as one of the most successful clubs in South American football history, both domestically and internationally. The club has won 52 championships organized by theUruguayan Football Association (AUF), making it one of Uruguay's dominant forces. On the continental stage, Peñarol has lifted theCopa Libertadores five times and is recognized as the first club to win theIntercontinental Cup three times, effectively being crowned world champion on three occasions. The club also captured the 1969Intercontinental Champions' Supercup, further cementing its place among football's elite.
In 2009, theInternational Federation of Football History & Statistics released a list of the best clubs of the 20th century on each continent. The organization awarded points for each victory in a quarterfinal or higher in international competition but only took into account games played after 1932 for the Professional era. Peñarol was the number-one team in South America, aboveIndependiente of Argentina and arch-rivals Nacional.[citation needed]
Peñarol's basketball records date back to the late 1920s, when Club Piratas was formed; in 1931, it became Peñarol.[62] Its first league game (in the fourth division of Uruguayan basketball) was played in 1940. By 1943 the team, playing in the first division for Ramón Esnal, finished third. The following year Peñarol won theFederal Championship, a tournament attracting the best basketball teams in Montevideo; in 2003, the league changed its name toLiga Uruguaya de Basketball.
In 1945, Peñarol jumped from theUruguayan Basketball Federation to play in a new league;[62] when the upstart league failed, the club rejoined the federation in 1947. In 1952 Peñarol again won the Federal Championship, winning the Winter Tournament in 1953 and 1955.[63] After a low period (with relegation in 1968), Peñarol won the Uruguayan Championship in 1973, 1978, and 1979;the latter was the first professional tournament in league history.[62] In 1982 the club enjoyed its most successful season, winning the Federal Championship and[62] the Winter Tournament[63] The club also won theCampeonato Sudamericano de Clubes in 1983. In 1985 the club was relegated, beginning a downward spiral which ended with its expulsion from the league in 1997. However, the club rejoined in 2018 the Federación Uruguaya de Basket Ball, in the third tier.[62]
Peñarol has participated in theVuelta Ciclista del Uruguay (Tour of Uruguay) since it began in 1939. Although the team rode well during its early years, it was not until the ninth edition (in 1952) that a Peñarol cyclist would win the race (Dante Sudatti, with an overall time of 48 hours, 38 minutes and 38 seconds). Peñarol cyclists also won the general classification 1953 and 1956; in the latter year, the club won the team championship.
After again winning the team championship in 1959, Peñarol would only win one individual championship in 1964. The team later improved, winning three individual titles in a row from 1989 to 1991 and the team victory in 1990 and 1991. 2002 was the fourth year that the club won both the individual and team classifications.[64] Peñarol has competed in other road races, including José María Orlando's 1990 victory in theRutas de América.[65]
Peñarol began playingfutsal in 1968. During its first two decades, the club won on the national and international levels (including a victory in the 1987 World Interclub Championship). In 1995 FIFA took over the sport, and Peñarol began competing in AUF tournaments. The team won the first three Uruguayan Championships (1995, 1996, and 1997), also finishing at the top in 1999 and 2004. It won another three consecutive tournaments in 2010, 2011 and 2012.[66]
In January 2013 Peñarol inaugurated itsbeach soccer section.[67] Diego Monserrat, goalkeeper of theUruguay national team for many years, was the institution's first coach in this sport, while also goalkeeper Felipe Fernández was the club's first captain.[67] In the second half of the same month, Peñarol won one of the three groups of five teams, that formed the qualification tournament to the "Super Liga", name given to the Uruguayan Championship of the discipline.[68] After victories on quarterfinals and semi-finals, Peñarol was declared champion of the tournament without the need of a final, after the other semi-final was suspended.[69]
Peñarol Rugby reached their first final in2021, losing to Argentine sideJaguares XV36–28. To date, Peñarol Rugby have wonSuper Rugby Americas three times, with their first title won in2022 against Chilean side,Selknam, with a final score of24–13. The2023 edition also ended in a victory, with Peñarol winning against Argentine teamDogos XV23–17. The2025 final saw a repeat of the 2023 edition, with Peñarol securing the title against theDogos XV with a final score of35–34.
Peñarol also has anesports division, with squads competing inLeague of Legends andFIFA leagues organized by the Uruguayan Virtual Football Association.[73][74]
^Controversy exists on the date of the founding of C.A. Peñarol. The club's official position assumes a change of name of CURCC (founded on 28 September 1891). On the other hand, some historians state that "C.A. Peñarol" was established on 13 December 1913.[1]
^Moreover, in1903 CURCC did not lose during the regular season, but lost the tiebreaker final against Nacional 2–3.
^In 1948 the tournament was cancelled because of a player strike.
^abTitles won by theCURCC. With FIFA[53] and CONMEBOL[54] recognising Peñarol as CURCC's continuity, the club included those championship in their list of honours. On the other side, some historians say that football became active in CURCC until its dissolution in 1913 so Peñarol was a different institution.[1]
^abcEstablished beforeCONMEBOL was created, this Cup was organized by theArgentine andUruguayan Associations, between teams that belonged to them.
^Fourth oldest club competition, organized by theIFA (W.B.) and played between local clubs ofWest Bengal and other invited ones.
^"Rescatando la gira europea de 1927"Archived 25 September 2017 at theWayback Machine, originally published on different newspapers such asEl Gráfico,Mundo Deportivo,ABC Madrid,La Vanguardia,La Esfera,Le Figaro,Le Petit Parisien,La Tribune de Lausanne
^Ian King (2001)."Uruguay 1994".Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation.Archived from the original on 27 September 2022. Retrieved17 July 2009.
^Javier Ferrando (1999)."Uruguay 1997".Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation.Archived from the original on 2 December 2022. Retrieved17 July 2009.
^Francisco Fernández (2003)."Uruguay 2002".Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation.Archived from the original on 1 December 2022. Retrieved17 July 2009.
^abAna Ribeiro; Raúl Cheda; Silvia Sosa; José Carlos Tuñas; Alejandra Carnejo; Malte Fernández; Leonardo Haberkom (2008)."Barrio Peñarol – Patrimonio industrial ferroviario"(PDF).Intendencia Municipal de Montevideo (in Spanish).Archived(PDF) from the original on 12 December 2013. Retrieved25 January 2010.
^Mantrana Garlín.Por la verdad (in Spanish). Montevideo. p. 11.
^Edgardo de Léon; Walter Zunino (2008)."Uruguay – 1905 season".IFFHS.Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved22 February 2010.
^Edgardo de Léon; Walter Zunino (2008)."Uruguay – 1901 season".IFFHS. Retrieved22 February 2010.
^Edgardo de Léon; Walter Zunino (2008)."Uruguay – 1903 season".IFFHS. Retrieved22 February 2010.
^Edgardo de Léon; Walter Zunino (2008)."Uruguay – 1907 season".IFFHS.Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved22 February 2010.
^Edgardo de Léon; Walter Zunino (2008)."Uruguay – 1908 season".IFFHS. Retrieved22 February 2010.
^abKarel Stokkermans (2008)."Double Digits Domestical".Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved22 February 2010.
^Karel Stokkermans (2007)."Unrelegated Teams".Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation.Archived from the original on 2 February 2023.
^Karel Stokkermans (2009)."Unbeaten during a League Season".Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation.Archived from the original on 16 December 2015. Retrieved18 July 2009.
^Francisco Fernández (2007)."Uruguay 2005/06".Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation.Archived from the original on 9 February 2023.
^Karel Stokkermans (2009)."Unbeaten in the Domestic League".Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation.Archived from the original on 16 December 2015. Retrieved18 July 2009.
^abcJosé Luis Pierrend (2004)."Copa Libertadores Trivia".Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation.Archived from the original on 8 August 2022. Retrieved18 July 2009.
^Loris Magnani; Karel Stokkermans (2005)."Intercontinental Club Cup".Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation.Archived from the original on 12 August 2022. Retrieved18 January 2010.
^Karel Stokkermans (2010)."Copa Libertadores de América".Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation.Archived from the original on 24 May 2015. Retrieved18 January 2010.
^Osvaldo José Gorgazzi; José Luis Pierrend; Martín Tabeira (1999)."Supercopa 1969".Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation.Archived from the original on 23 September 2011. Retrieved19 August 2011.
^Osvaldo José Gorgazzi (1999)."Honor Cup".Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation.Archived from the original on 17 October 2012. Retrieved18 January 2010.
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