Cagliari Calcio was founded in 1920 in Cagliari, the capital of Sardinia, Italy's largest island. The club spent its early decades moving between the lower divisions before achieving promotion to Serie A for the first time in 1964, launching what would become the most celebrated chapter in its history.
The late 1960s brought Cagliari to national prominence. Driven by forward Gigi Riva — Italy's all-time leading international scorer — the club claimed its one and only Serie A title in the 1969–70 season. That championship was a landmark moment for Italian football: Cagliari became the first club from south of Rome to win the Scudetto, doing so with just two defeats and a miserly eleven goals conceded across the campaign. Riva's shirt number 11 has since been retired in his honour.
A second era of note arrived in the early 1990s. After Claudio Ranieri guided the club back to Serie A in 1990, Cagliari reached the semi-finals of the 1993–94 UEFA Cup, eliminating Juventus along the way before falling to eventual winners Internazionale. The run remains the club's finest performance in European competition.
The decades that followed were marked by repeated promotion and relegation cycles. Cagliari currently play in Serie A, back in the top flight after winning the 2022–23 Serie B play-offs under Ranieri, who had been reappointed for a second stint.
As an island club, Cagliari's identity is inseparable from Sardinia. Their colours — red and blue, mirroring the city's own heraldry — and their badge, which incorporates the four Moors' heads of the Sardinian flag, reflect that regional pride. The club's main rivalry is the Sardinia Derby against Torres.