Aris LimassolThe traditions of Aris Limassol date back to 1930, when the club was formed through the merger of two local associations, Souli and Apol, absorbing the players of the dissolved Poseidonas Limassol. Known to their supporters as Elafria Taxiarchia (the Light Brigade), Aris were founding members of the Cyprus Football Association but spent most of the twentieth century shuttling between the first and second divisions, even suspending operations entirely between 1939 and 1952 due to financial difficulties.
For decades the club's high point remained a run to the 1989 Cypriot Cup final, lost to city rivals AEL Limassol. That season also brought one of the most memorable signings in Cypriot football history, when Aris brought in Soviet striker Oleh Blokhin, the 1975 Ballon d'Or winner, for the 1989-90 campaign.
Real change arrived only in the 2020s, following a 2021 takeover by Russian businessman Vladimir Fedorov. Backed by fresh investment, Aris finished fourth in the 2021-22 Cypriot First Division to secure their first-ever European qualification, then went a step further the following season: in 2023 the club – coached by Aleksey Shpilevsky and led on the pitch by striker Aleksandr Kokorin – won the Cypriot First Division for the first time in its 93-year history, adding the Cypriot Super Cup the same summer. The title also opened the door to the Champions League qualifying rounds, and although Aris fell short there, they progressed through the Europa League play-off round by beating Slovan Bratislava, reaching the group stage of a UEFA competition for the first time in the club's history in 2023-24, where they were drawn alongside Rangers, Real Betis and Sparta Prague.
Aris play in green and white, colours the club describes as symbolising hope and purity, and their home matches are staged at the Alphamega Stadium in Limassol, a ground they share with local rivals AEL. What was long considered one of the more modest clubs in Limassol, overshadowed even by neighbours Apollon and AEL, has in the space of a few seasons become one of the most talked-about success stories in Cypriot football.
