Como 1907

As their name implies, Como 1907 was founded in 1907 as the Como Foot-Ball Club. During their first years of existence, the club played in local friendlies and tournaments with teams from Milan and Switzerland. In 1912 Como merged with a student club and attempted to qualify for the Prima Categoria, but fell short and were placed in Lombardy Promozione at tier 6 of the Italian football pyramid. 

In 1927, Como combined with Esperia to form Associazione Calcio Comense, and the newly formed club went on to win the Coppa Volta, defeating Inter Milan and Genoa along the way. The following year they moved into their newly built Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia, and in 1931 they went undefeated in league play and promotion playoffs to secure their promotion to Serie B, their highest position at the time. During WWII, league play was suspended, but Como won the Tournament for Lombard clubs and in 1949 they were promoted to Serie A for the first time in their history. Their stay in the top flight lasted 4 years, including a season where they decided to field only Italian players, which drew significant support throughout the region.

During the early 1960s, Como signed and fielded Paolo Bessi, which led to significant issues as Bessi had not finished serving a disqualification sentence. This costly mistake ended in a 5 match loss penalty, leading to Como’s relegation to Serie C. Como bounced back quickly and achieved promotion back to Serie B in 1968 led by captain Bruno Ballarini, who holds the record for appearances for the club. Como’s success continued in the early 1970s when Como was promoted to Serie A for the second time in their history. Things were quite tumultuous in the second half of the 1970s, as Como went from Serie A all the way to Serie C1, then back to Serie A by 1980. 

The 1980s saw a 5 year stay in Serie A, Como’s most successful period in club history. The 1990s was a difficult time for the club, as they were relegated back to Serie C1, however, Como did manage to win the Coppa Italia Serie C during this time. They briefly made it back to Serie A in the early 2000s, but it was short-lived as times continued to be difficult during the early 2000s as the club was relegated two consecutive times, had fans banned due to violence, and even had a player banned for 3 years due to a violent on-field incident. The two consecutive relegations resulted in the club filing for bankruptcy in 2004. The bankruptcy caused the club to be liquidated and they were forced to enter tier 5.

By 2009 they had climbed their way back to tier 3 and after a short stint in Serie C, they clinched a promotion via playoff in 2015 landing them in Serie B. The club encountered significant financial issues again in 2016, forcing the club to be auctioned off, where they were acquired by the wife of famed Ghanian football star Michael Essien. At the start of the 2017 season, the club was permitted to enter Serie D as Como 1907. The club was purchased by an Indonesian company in 2019 and with this new money success followed shortly after, which got the club into Serie B. In 2022, famous Arsenal and Barcelona star Cesc Fàbregas, became a minority stakeholder in the club, as well as a player. One month later, Arsenal legend Thierry Henry became a minority stakeholder in the club as well. 

The 2023-24 season proved to be one of the most important in club history as they were promoted back to Serie A for the first time in 21 years.

2023-24 SEASON: 2nd in Serie B (Promoted), Coppa Italia 1st Round

2024-25 SEASON: Serie A (promoted 2024)

Como has several local rivalries with clubs currently  in Serie A, B, and C. One of these derbies is the “Derby del Lario” against Lecco, which was at one time a provincial derby, but following the creation of the province of Lecco, it is now a derby contested between the two branches of Lake Como.

Como also has a rivalry with Varese and Monza, with the latter being referred to as the “hottest derby in Serie B”. This rivalry is back on for the 2024-25 season as Como received their promotion to Serie A and Monza has been in Serie A since 2022.

Following a great 2023-24 season, in which they scored 85 goals and conceded just 11, Como 1907 women secured promotion to the Eccellenza championship (the 4th tier of Women’s Italian Football). The club has also hired former USWNT player Heather O’Reilly as a club advisor, with their eyes set on a meteoric rise to Serie A.

Como 1907 play their home games at the Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia. The stadium sits on the shores of Lake Como and was built in 1927 on the orders of Italian dictator Benito Mussolini. The stadium is named after famous Como native, Giuseppe Sinigaglia, who was an Italian rower and war hero. 

Following their promotion to Serie A, Como’s stadium did not meet the minimum capacity requirements and a large-scale project to add seats and hospitality options was introduced prior to the 2024-25 season. This included increasing capacity from less than 7,500 to over 10,500 and after playing their first three home games at another stadium, Como have returned to the Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia.

GETTING THERE: It’s a short walk from the center of town to the lakeside stadium, which is also about 10 minutes from the main ferry dock in town.

BARS: Look for Ostello Bello, with a nice drinks list and both indoor and outdoor seating. I also saw a lively scene outside a bar/cafe called Pan Pero Rosso. Both of those are along the main street south of the stadium.

But the real fun is around on the north end, by the lakeshore, where the local yacht club parks a little barge and offers grilled sandwiches and beers (panini & birre). Especially if it’s a day game, I defy you to find a pregame scene with better scenery.

GRUB: Even with those floating sandwiches, the food is nothing special around the stadium, even less so inside. But you’re in Italy!

AROUND TOWN: The main thing, of course, is the lake. The ferries are bonkers, with tickets sold out a day in advance when I was there in October. I can’t imagine spring and summer. Plan and book ahead.

But my main tip is to take the bus along the shore at least once. The bus station in town is just east of the ferry dock, and I took the C10 just over an hour to Menaggio. Of course, you want to be on the lake, as well, but going through all the little towns, and sharing a bus with not just tourists but also schoolkids and locals buying groceries and everybody else, is a great experience. I’m sure there are many other bus lines, so check asfautolinee.it for schedules. You can pay your fare by tapping with a contactless card.