Club Social y de Deportes Concepción is a Chilean professional association football club based in Concepción, Biobío Region.
The club was established in 1966 through the incorporation of several amateur clubs from the city and was admitted to the Chilean professional football system on 15 April of that year, the date it recognises as its anniversary. It currently competes in the Primera División, the top tier of the Chilean football league system.
Deportes Concepción has won the Chilean second-tier championship three times, in 1967, 1994 and 2024. Its best finish in the Primera División was second place in 1975. Internationally, the club has participated twice in the Copa Libertadores, in 1991 and 2001, reaching the round of 16 on both occasions, and reached the semi-finals of the 1999 Copa CONMEBOL.
Contents
History
Foundation and first promotion
The creation of Deportes Concepción followed efforts during the mid-1960s to establish a professional club representing the city of Concepción. Amateur clubs Galvarino, Liverpool, Juvenil Unido and Santa Fe participated in the process, while Lord Cochrane also supported the project.
The institution initially used the name Deportes Concepción Unido and was admitted to the Segunda División on 15 April 1966. The word Unido was removed from its official name in 1968.
After finishing near the bottom of the Segunda División in its inaugural campaign, Deportes Concepción won the 1967 Segunda División and earned promotion to the Primera División for the first time. The club made its top-flight debut in 1968 and remained in the division for more than a decade.
During this period, Deportes Concepción also won the 1970 Copa Francisco Candelori, a competition contested against Unión Española.
1975 runner-up finish and first relegation
Deportes Concepción recorded its highest league finish in 1975, ending the Primera División season as runner-up behind Unión Española. The team included players such as Mario Osbén, René Valenzuela, Fernando Cavalleri and Víctor Estay.
The club remained in the Primera División until 1981, when it was relegated to the second tier. It returned to the top division after the 1984 season and subsequently maintained a regular presence in the Primera División during the second half of the 1980s and early 1990s.
International competitions
Deportes Concepción qualified for an international competition for the first time through the 1990 Pre-Libertadores play-offs. It made its Copa Libertadores debut in 1991, advancing from a group that also included Colo-Colo, Barcelona and LDU Quito. The club was eliminated by América de Cali in the round of 16.
After being relegated from the Primera División in 1993, Deportes Concepción won the 1994 Segunda División and immediately returned to the top flight.
The club returned to continental competition in the 1999 Copa CONMEBOL. After eliminating Rosario Central, Deportes Concepción advanced to the semi-finals, where it faced eventual champions Talleres. The Argentine side won the first leg 2–1 in Córdoba before drawing 1–1 in Concepción, eliminating the Chilean club.
Deportes Concepción qualified for the 2001 Copa Libertadores after winning the 2000 Pre-Libertadores play-offs. In the group stage, it competed against San Lorenzo, Nacional and Jorge Wilstermann, progressing to the round of 16 before being eliminated by Vasco da Gama.
Administrative crisis
Deportes Concepción was relegated from the Primera División in 2002. Two years later it earned promotion by finishing second in the final stage of the 2004 Primera B season.
The club subsequently encountered financial and administrative problems. During the 2008 season, it received several disciplinary sanctions related to player registrations and unpaid wages. In June, the ANFP's Tribunal de Disciplina confirmed that Deportes Concepción would be excluded from the Clausura tournament and automatically relegated to Primera B because it had failed to demonstrate the financial capacity required to participate.
While competing in Primera B, Deportes Concepción reached the final of the 2010 Copa Chile. It eliminated Palestino on penalties in the semi-final and faced Municipal Iquique in the final at the Estadio Francisco Sánchez Rumoroso. The match ended 1–1 before Iquique won the penalty shoot-out 4–3, leaving Deportes Concepción as runner-up.
Disaffiliation and return
Financial difficulties continued during the following years. On 26 April 2016, the ANFP Council of Presidents voted to disaffiliate Deportes Concepción after the club accumulated significant debts and failed to meet financial obligations, including outstanding payments to players and staff. The decision removed the first team from professional football.
The club later reorganised and returned to national competition in the Tercera División B. In 2018, Deportes Concepción reached the promotion play-offs and faced Ferroviarios. After losing the first leg 2–1, it won the return match 3–1 at the Estadio Ester Roa Rebolledo in front of more than 18,000 spectators, securing promotion to the Tercera División A.
The club continued its progression through the lower divisions and returned to the Segunda División Profesional, restoring its professional status.
2024 title and return to Primera B
In the 2024 Segunda División Profesional, Deportes Concepción and Deportes Melipilla finished level on points and contested a championship play-off on 31 October at the Estadio El Teniente. The match ended 0–0, with Melipilla winning the penalty shoot-out 4–2 and initially being declared champion.
The final standings were subsequently altered following disciplinary proceedings concerning Melipilla's failure to make social-security payments within the required period. In January 2025, the Second Chamber of the ANFP Tribunal de Disciplina ordered a three-point deduction from Melipilla's 2024 total. The ruling placed Deportes Concepción first in the standings and resulted in the club being recognised as the 2024 Segunda División champion and promoted to Primera B.
The decision marked Deportes Concepción's return to Primera B nearly nine years after its 2016 disaffiliation.
Return to top-tier
In its first season back in Primera B, Deportes Concepción qualified for the 2025 promotion play-offs. After eliminating Deportes Antofagasta and Deportes Copiapó, the club faced Cobreloa in the final.
The first leg in Concepción ended 1–1. In the return match at the Estadio Zorros del Desierto on 7 December 2025, Deportes Concepción won 3–2, with Nelson Sepúlveda scoring twice and Joaquín Larrivey adding the other goal. The 4–3 aggregate victory secured promotion to the Primera División for the 2026 season, ending a 17-year absence from the top flight.
Current squad
Current squad of Deportes Concepción (Chile) as of 10 September 2026
(edit)
Sources: ANFP Official Web Site
Manager: Fernando Díaz
2026 Winter Transfers
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Club records
Seasons in Primera División (I): 33 (1968–81), (1985–93), (1995–02), (2005), (2007–08)
Seasons in Primera B (II): 12 (1966–67), (1982–84), (1994), (2003–04), (2009–2016), (2025)
Seasons in Segunda División (III): 5 (2020–2024)
Seasons in Tercera División (IV): 1 (2019)
Seasons in Tercera B (V): 1 (2018)
Copa Libertadores appearances: 2 (1991, 2001)
Copa CONMEBOL appearances: 1 (1999)
Largest Margin of Victory: 7–1 vs. Santiago Morning (1976)
Largest Margin of Defeat: 0–7 vs Universidad de Chile (1987)
Best Finish in Primera División: 2nd (1975)
Best Finish in Copa Chile: Runner-up (2010)
Highest home attendance — 37,423 v. Colo-Colo (1 October 1972)
Most Goals in Primera División matches: Víctor Estay (77 goals)
All-time Goalscorer: Víctor Estay (88 goals)
All-time Appearances: Patricio Almendra (269 games)
Honours
National
Copa Francisco Candelori
Winners (1): 1970
Primera B
Winners (2): 1967, 1994
Regional
Torneo Provincial de Chile
Winners (2): 1968, 1970