Stade Brestois 29 traces its roots to 1903, when Armoricaine de Brest was founded in the port city of Brest, in the Brittany region of northwestern France. The modern club was formally established in 1950 through the merger of five Catholic patronage clubs, with Armoricaine at its core. The early decades saw the club climb steadily through the regional and amateur divisions of French football, eventually reaching the second division in 1970 and the first division for the first time in 1979.
The club's golden era came under president François Yvinec in the 1980s, when Brest — briefly rebranded as FC Brest Armorique — competed consistently in Division 1 and attracted notable talent, reaching a historic 8th-place finish in 1987. A generation of players who would go on to distinguish themselves elsewhere, including David Ginola and Stéphane Guivarc'h, wore Brest colours during this period. Financial difficulties ultimately brought the club to its knees: demoted administratively in 1991, it filed for bankruptcy and spent over a decade in amateur football before rebuilding from scratch.
The revival began in earnest in 2004, when a young Franck Ribéry helped secure promotion to Ligue 2. Brest returned to Ligue 1 in 2010, suffered relegation, came back again in 2019, and has remained in the top flight since. The club's defining breakthrough came in the 2023–24 season, when they finished third in Ligue 1 and qualified for the UEFA Champions League — the first European competition in the club's history. Brest's identity is rooted in Breton pride and a reputation as determined underdogs who have repeatedly rebuilt and risen, most dramatically in that landmark 2024 campaign.
The club holds one major honour: the Ligue 2 title in 1980–81.