1926–1929: The early years The club was formed as POEL (,
Podosferikos Omilos Ellinon Lefkosias, Football Club of Greeks of Nicosia) on 8 November 1926. The club's formation came about when a group of forty people, with a common vision, met and set the foundations for creating a football club that would represent the
Greek residents of the
capital and express their deep desire for Cyprus' incorporation (
enosis) into Greece. The meeting took place at a traditional confectionery, owned by Charalambos Hadjioannou, downtown in
Ledra Street and the first president of the club was Giorgos Poulias. A few days later, on 4 June 1948, they founded
AC Omonia, which until today is the archrival of APOEL and there has been a traditional animosity between the fans of the two teams.
The successful participation in pan-Hellenic Greek Championship Other triumphs followed in the early 1970s. In 1973 the domestic double was achieved with coach Panos Markovic. The following year APOEL became the only Cypriot team to avoid relegation from the
Alpha Ethniki. That was also the last season that the Cypriot champion played in the Greek Football League the following year due to the volatile situation in Cyprus during 1974.
The 1980s: European Cup 1986–87 withdrawal The 1980s were a relatively fruitless period for APOEL. They have only won two
championships (1980,1986), one
cup (1984) and two
super cups (1984, 1986). In 1986 APOEL was drawn against
Beşiktaş J.K. for the second round of the
European Cup. This was the first time that a Cypriot team faced a Turkish team in a European football competition. The Cypriot government prohibited APOEL from playing against the Turkish team, so APOEL was punished with two years disqualification from any
UEFA competition. This penalty was later reduced to one-year.
The 1990s: The unbeaten "double" in 1995–96 The 1990s were a successful decade for APOEL with 3
championships (1990, 1992, 1996), 5
cups (1993, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1999) and 4
super cups (1992, 1993, 1996, 1999). The most successful season in the 1990s was 1995–96 in which APOEL achieved a celebratory double while remaining undefeated in the league. The
basketball team won a double on the same season, making this the ideal season for a 70th anniversary celebration.
The formation of APOEL FC Company APOEL Football (Public) Ltd was established in May 1997, after the decision of APOEL committee. This had a significant effect on the club because it separated the activities of the football team from those of the
sports club. The formation of the company was necessitated by the financial difficulties the team faced at the time. The company began its operations with a capital of CY £600,000.
2000s–2010s: Domestic domination APOEL is the most successful football team in Cyprus since the 2000s. In seventeen years, the club won twelve
championships (2002, 2004, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019), four
cups (2006, 2008, 2014, 2015) and seven
super cups (2002, 2004, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2019). In the 2013–14 season, APOEL achieved a historical domestic
treble by winning all the Cypriot competitions trophies, the league, the cup, and the super cup. The next season (2014–15), the club won their second consecutive
double. In the 2016–17 season, APOEL managed to win their fifth consecutive
league title and equalled the club's record which was set 77 years before (1936–1940).
2020s The 2020–21 season marked the end of APOEL's dominance in Cyprus as they failed to make the championship playoffs for the first time in the club's history. The following season, APOEL finished third, missing out on
Champions League qualification in the last matchday, and instead qualifying for the
Europa Conference League. They missed out on the 2022–23 championship, finishing in second place, despite being first at the end of the regular season. APOEL returned to domestic glory in 2024, winning the championship for a record-extending 29th time. It has been revealed that APOEL has debts of 50+ million euros and so far they are trying to find investors in order to save the club from debts, unsuccessfully. ==European ambitions==