Genoa Cricket and Football Club was founded on 7 September 1893 in Genoa, Liguria, making it the oldest surviving football club in Italy. Originally established as a British sporting club — initially barring Italian membership — it gradually opened its doors to local players and shifted its focus toward association football under the influence of James Richardson Spensley.
Genoa dominated Italian football in its earliest decades, winning nine national championships between 1898 and 1924. Their first title came in 1898, at the very first Italian Football Championship ever held, making them the original champions of Italian football. Three consecutive titles followed between 1898 and 1900, and further championships in 1902, 1903, 1904, 1914–15 (awarded 1919), 1922–23, and 1923–24 cemented their reputation as the pre-eminent force of the sport's formative era in Italy. The club also holds one Coppa Italia title, won in 1936–37. Overall, Genoa rank fourth among all Italian clubs by number of championships won.
The club has played home matches at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris in the Marassi district since 1911, a ground they share with local rivals Sampdoria. The derby between the two clubs, known as the Derby della Lanterna — named after the famous Genoa lighthouse — has been contested since 1946 and remains one of the most passionately fought fixtures in Italian football.
After their golden era in the early twentieth century, Genoa experienced long stretches in Serie B and mid-table finishes in Serie A. They returned to the top flight in the 2023–24 season and currently compete in Serie A.