Foundation and first tournaments (1912–1927) Monza Foot-Ball Club was founded on 1 September 1912 in the Cappello Vecchio , following the merger of the
Monza-based clubs Pro Italia and Pro Monza. The new club established their first headquarters in the Roma
coffeehouse located on the similarly named town square in Monza; to form Associazione Calcio Monza. Monza first participated in the (third level) in the ; they played their first match on 4 January 1914, losing 3–1 at home against
Fanfulla. The , Monza took part in the
Promozione (second level), finishing fourth in their group of six. Despite the outbreak of
World War I, when
conscription forced teams to send their adult players to war, Monza were able to continue their sporting activity with young players. Between 1915 and 1918, the war interrupted official tournaments. Upon the resumption of football in 1919, Having finished first in their group, Monza played the promotion finals against , losing 2–1. The
Italian Football Federation, however, decided to promote Monza via
repechage, and the team were allocated to the , the top tier of
Italian football. In 1919, Monza hosted the
Czechoslovakia military national team for a
friendly game at Grazie Vecchie field that ended in a 1–1 draw. Monza were grouped with
Milan,
Cremonese and
Pro Patria in their qualifying group for the Prima Categoria. Their first game was played on 24 October 1920, a 4–1 home defeat to Milan; Francesco Mandelli scored Monza's lone goal. They finished the
1920–21 season with no points and in last place in their group. The
following season, Monza finished second in their group, missing out on the final stage by one position. Due to a restructuring of the league system, Monza were moved to the
Seconda Divisione (second level) for the
1922–23 season; they avoided relegation by beating
Chiasso and
Canottieri Lecco in the play-offs. In
1926–27, after beating
Ponziana 3–2 in the final, Monza were declared champions of the Seconda Divisione Lega Nord (third level) and were promoted to the
Prima Divisione (second level).
and Serie B promotion (1932–1953) , Monza wore red-and-white kits. During the 1930s and 1940s Monza played in the Prima Divisione (third level), which became the
Serie C in 1935. In September 1932, ahead of the
1932–33 season, Monza changed their shirt colours to red and white, which they have worn ever since. They became nicknamed "" (the white and reds) following the colour change. They became the first Serie C team to reach the quarter-finals of the competition. Between 1942 and 1945,
World War II interrupted football in Italy. Following the war, Monza were placed in the Serie C (third level), finishing eighth in the
1945–46 season. They came close to promotion the
following season, finishing third in the promotion play-offs. In 1947, Peppino Borghi became president of Monza. Monza, who were coached by
Annibale Frossi, headed into the
1950–51 Serie C with a strong transfer campaign. On 4 June 1951, Monza played away to in the season's second-to-last match; Carlo Colombetti of Monza scored the match's only goal with a
penalty kick, giving Monza their first promotion into the Serie B. Monza debuted in the
Serie B on 9 September 1951, drawing to
Siracusa 1–1 away from home. The team only avoided relegation on the last matchday with a 2–1 home win against
Piombino. Against most experts' pre-season expectations, Monza finished the
1952–53 Serie B in fourth position, three points behind automatic promotion in second place.
Simmenthal merger and aftermath (1955–1967) In July 1955, ahead of the
1955–56 season, Monza merged with Prima Divisione (sixth level) side GS Simmenthal, the football club of the food company. AC Monza was renamed AC Simmenthal-Monza, and was headed by Simmenthal owner Claudio Sada. The merger helped fund subsequent transfer campaigns. The match between Monza and
Verona on 8 October 1955 was the first
free-to-air televised match in Italy. Monza's first season under the new management was positive, finishing the season in third place. In the following years, until the end of their merger in 1964, Monza alternated positive seasons (fourth and fifth place in
1958 and
1961, respectively) with negative ones (16th and 15th in
1960 and
1964). On 14 July 1964, Simmenthal ceased to sponsor Monza and the club reverted to its former name. Despite Monza's stable financial situation, no one was interested in purchasing the club; Sada decided to remain president for the following season. While Monza barely avoided relegation in the
1964–65 season, the same could not be said about the
next season: following 15 years of second-tier football, Monza were relegated to the Serie C in the last matchday of the season, drawing 0–0 away to
Mantova on 19 June 1966. After winning the
1966–67 play-off game against
Como 1–0, thanks to a lone goal by in the 32nd minute, Monza were promoted back to the Serie B after one year.
Serie A promotion attempts (1969–1979) won by Monza Three years after their Serie B promotion, Monza came close to reaching the Serie A for the first time in the
1969–70 Serie B under coach
Luigi Radice; they needed an away win against first-placed
Varese to keep their promotion chances alive on the second-to-last matchday. On 7 June 1970, after just two minutes of play, Monza took the lead through ; in the sixth minute, failed to double the lead, wasting a clear chance in front of the goal. Varese won 2–1, preventing Monza from gaining promotion. In his first year in charge, Monza were relegated to the Serie C after losing the last match of the
1972–73 season away to
Bari 3–1. Despite their relegation, Monza saw success in the
Coppa Italia Semiprofessionisti, reaching the finals in 1974, 1975 and 1976, winning the first two over
Lecce and
Sorrento, and losing the third in a repeat of the first final. Five matches before the end of the
1975–76 season, Monza were promoted back to the Serie B; they also won an
Anglo-Italian Cup on 19 June 1976, beating
Wimbledon 1–0 in the final through a goal. During the late 1970s, Monza came close to gaining promotion to the Serie A on multiple occasions. The first time was as a newly promoted team in the
1976–77 season, when they lost the season's final match 2–1 against
Modena through an 81st-minute
own goal. The
following season went in a similar fashion for Monza, losing out to direct promotion in the second-to-last matchday against
Pistoiese. In the
1978–79 Serie B season Monza again missed out on promotion in the final matches, being defeated by already-relegated Lecce in the second-to-last match. Monza tied with
Pescara on points for third place and the two sides played a promotion tie-breaker, which Monza lost 2–0. In Cappelletti's last season as president, in
1979–80, Monza failed to gain promotion to the top flight for the fourth consecutive year. Four games from the end of the season, Monza were in third place in a spot for direct promotion; decisive defeats against
Cesena and
Brescia meant that Monza finished in fifth place, three points from Serie A promotion.
Valentino Giambelli presidency (1980–1999) (2022) has hosted Monza's home games since 1988.
Valentino Giambelli became the club president in 1980, succeeding Cappelletti, and the club was renamed Calcio Monza. In the
1980–81 Serie B, Monza played in a championship with historical sides Milan and
Lazio; both of whom had been relegated from the Serie A following the
1980 Totonero scandal. Monza finished in last place and were relegated to the Serie C1 (third level), but were promoted back . They remained in the Serie B for a further four seasons before being relegated in 1986. In the , players such as
Alessandro Costacurta,
Francesco Antonioli and
Pierluigi Casiraghi, who later became established names in Italian football, made their professional debuts with Monza. and also won their third Coppa Italia Serie C, beating
Palermo 2–1 at home following a goalless draw away. The second leg, which was played on 11 June 1988, was Monza's last game in the
Stadio Gino Alfonso Sada, after which the team moved to the newly constructed
Stadio Brianteo. The first match was played at the new stadium on 28 August 1988, when over 10,000 spectators attended Monza's Coppa Italia game against Serie A club
Roma; against expectations, Monza won 2–1 with goals by Casiraghi and
Carmelo Mancuso. After having closely avoided relegation in
1988–89 on
goal difference, Monza lost the
1989–90 Serie B relegation play-off against
Messina on 7 June 1990, and were relegated to the Serie C1. On 13 June 1991, Monza won a record fourth Coppa Italia Serie C, beating Palermo in the final. They gained promotion to the Serie B in the but two years later, Monza finished the
1993–94 season in last place and returned to the third tier. In March 1997, Giambelli signed a collaboration agreement with Milan and Monza became a
satellite team of the , the first of its kind in Italy. In June 1997, Monza returned to the Serie B after defeating
Carpi 3–2 in the promotion play-off final; they were coached by Luigi Radice, who had also helped them to promotion 30 years prior. The
following season, newly promoted Monza changed most of their roster, introducing young players, many of whom came from Milan's
youth sector. The team closed the season having been on the verge of relegation.
Financial instability (1999–2018) against racism in football (2013) In April 1999, With Giambelli's departure, Monza ceased to be Milan's satellite team. and then, for the first time, to the Serie C2 (fourth level) in 2002. Amid Monza's financial troubles, on 31 December 2003 the of Monza cut the supply of water and gas of Stadio Brianteo after the club was unable to pay the bills; Monza was forced to play home games at
Stadio Breda in neighbouring
Sesto San Giovanni. On 3 June the same year, the club was acquired by
Atalanta vice-president Gian Battista Begnini, who renamed it AC Monza Brianza 1912. Monza took part in the ; despite being eliminated in the promotion play-off semi-finals, they were admitted into the Serie C1 via repechage. Monza twice came close to promotion to the Serie B, losing two consecutive play-off finals. In the
2005–06 season, after having lost at home 2–0, Monza won the away leg to Genoa 1–0, having missed many chances to score further goals. The
2006–07 season was even more dramatic: in the first leg at home, Monza beat
Pisa thanks to a 74th-minute penalty. In the second leg, a first-half goal by Pisa forced the game into
extra time, and Pisa scored again to secure promotion at Monza's expense. On 13 July 2009, Begnini sold the club to the PaSport
holding company, headed by former Milan player
Clarence Seedorf. The new ownership did not last long: in 2012 the club was relegated to the Serie C2 and, on 12 May 2013, was sold to
Anthony Armstrong Emery. Following broken promises regarding an increase in finances in the club, Monza was sold again, on 12 December 2014, to Dennis Bingham for €1. The new president was contested straight away by fans for not paying the players' salaries. Following the club's sale to Piero Montaquila in March 2015, Monza won the
2014–15 Lega Pro relegation play-offs against
Pordenone, and were due to remain in the third level the following season. However, Monza were declared bankrupt on 27 May. The club was acquired by
Nicola Colombo on 2 July that year and was renamed SSD Monza 1912. Monza registered to the
Serie D (fourth level) on 31 July In May 2016, the club changed its name to SS Monza 1912 and achieved promotion back to the Serie C under coach
Marco Zaffaroni in 2017. Having won Group B of the Serie D, the team took part in the competition's
poule scudetto (a post-season competition to determine the best non-professional Italian team); they won the Scudetto Serie D trophy after defeating
Ravenna 2–1 in the final.
Berlusconi presidency (2018–2025) On 28 September 2018, the holding company
Fininvest, which was headed by former Milan president
Silvio Berlusconi, announced its acquisition of Monza for approximately €3 milion; Monza-born
Adriano Galliani, formerly CEO of Milan, also became part of the board of directors. The Berlusconi–Galliani duo had been one of the most successful leaderships in football history, having won 29 trophies with Milan between 1986 and 2016. According to
Forbess
2021 ranking, Berlusconi was the richest owner of a football club in Italy, and ninth worldwide, with his fortune being valued at $7.6 billion. In the first season under the new leadership, Monza finished the
2018–19 Serie C in fifth place with
Cristian Brocchi as coach, and lost to
Viterbese in the final minute of the Coppa Italia Serie C final. On 1 July 2019, the club returned to its historical name AC Monza. Aiming for direct promotion to the Serie B, Monza reinforced their squad with players with Serie A experience to prepare for the
2019–20 season. In March 2020, Monza held first position with a 16 point-lead over second-placed
Carrarese. The same month, the
Lega Pro committee announced the suspension of the league due to the
COVID-19 pandemic. On 8 June, the Italian Football Federation formally declared Monza champions and the team were promoted to the Serie B after a 19-year absence from the competition. Monza headed into the
2020–21 Serie B as the club most likely to finish in first place, according to most
bookmakers. Having finished the first half of the season in second place, in a spot for direct promotion, Monza dropped one position at the end of the season and took part in the promotion play-offs; they lost to
Cittadella 3–2 on aggregate in the semi-finals. Brocchi was dismissed at the end of the season, and was replaced by
Giovanni Stroppa as head coach. In the
2021–22 season, Monza lost to
Perugia and missed out on direct Serie A promotion in the last matchday. Having finished in fourth place, Monza played the play-off semi-finals where they defeated Brescia and reached the final against Pisa. Monza won the first leg at home 2–1, while Pisa won the second leg 3–2. Two goals in extra time by Monza won them the encounter 4–3 (6–4 on aggregate), to earn promotion to the
2022–23 Serie A for the first time. Prior to their promotion, Monza had competed in 40 Serie B seasons, the most of any Italian club without ever being promoted to the first division.
Christian Gytkjær was key to helping Monza to promotion, scoring five goals in the playoffs.
Serie A (2022–2025) their first
Serie A promotion in 2022 Monza began their Serie A season on 13 August 2022, with a 2–1 home defeat to
Torino;
Dany Mota's goal in stoppage time was Monza's first in the Italian top flight. After consecutive defeats in the opening five games, Monza earned their first point in a 1–1 draw to Lecce on 11 September. Sitting in last place with only one point in six games, Monza replaced Stroppa with under-19s head coach
Raffaele Palladino. He guided them to their first historic win on 18 September, in an upset 1–0 win against giants
Juventus at home thanks to a goal by Gytkjær. In their first top-flight season, Monza mathematically avoided relegation six matchdays in advance; no other team had done so on their Serie A debut. Monza eventually finished the season in 11th place with 52 points under Palladino, the highest point tally among newly promoted teams in Europe's top five leagues, and the second-highest point tally for a Serie A debuttee in history. In their second Serie A campaign, Monza again impressed under Raffaele Palladino. Despite the departure of several key players, and the death of owner Silvio Berlusconi in June 2023, the team remained competitive and briefly fought for a European spot. Though the push for eighth place fell short, Monza secured a solid 12th-place finish in the
2023–24 season, confirming their top-flight status. However, the following season marked a sharp downturn. After Palladino's departure, the club appointed Alessandro Nesta as head coach. Monza endured a poor start, collecting just 10 points from the opening 17 matches, including a single victory. Nesta was replaced by Salvatore Bocchetti, but results failed to improve, with only one win in seven matches. The club then turned back to Nesta, though the change did not bring a turnaround. Monza's relegation was confirmed three matchdays before the end of the season after a 4–0 home defeat to Atalanta. They ended the
2024–25 season in 20th place, returning to Serie B after three consecutive seasons in the top flight. With just 18 points, Monza narrowly avoided matching
Salernitana's all-time low tally of 17 points in a 20-team Serie A, recorded the previous season.
Post-Berlusconi era and American ownership (2025–present) On 1 July 2025, Fininvest announced an agreement to sell AC Monza to the American investment firm Beckett Layne Ventures (BLV) in a deal reported at around €45 million, including the club's debts. The first closing, giving BLV control with an 80% stake, was completed on 25 September 2025. ==Colours and identity==