Club de Deportes Santiago Wanderers is a football club based in Valparaíso, Chile, which currently competes in the Chilean Primera División. Wanderers have played their home matches at Estadio Elías Figueroa Brander since 1931. The stadium has a capacity of 20,000.
Founded in 1892, it is the oldest football club in Chile and one of the oldest in the Americas. For this reason, Wanderers are known in Chile as the Decano del fútbol chileno ("Dean of Chilean football") and are part of CONMEBOL's Club de los 100, which brings together Latin American clubs founded more than 100 years ago. In 2007, the club was recognised as part of Valparaíso's intangible heritage. The club's traditional home colours are green shirts and socks with white shorts, inspired by the colours of the Irish national football team.
Wanderers have a fierce rivalry with neighbouring Everton of Viña del Mar, with the two clubs contesting the Clásico Porteño (Seaport Derby), the oldest football derby in Chile, first played in 1916. Wanderers have historically been associated with the working class, whereas Everton have traditionally been associated with the wealthier tourist and seaside areas of neighbouring Viña del Mar.
During its early history, the club competed in the local Liga Valparaíso championship in the Valparaíso Region, winning seven titles. In 1926, Chile's football associations were unified, after which Valparaíso declined in importance as an administrative centre of Chilean football. Following this period, Wanderers joined the professional football association in 1944 and subsequently won three Chilean league titles, in 1958, 1968 and 2001.
Wanderers have produced prominent players in the history of Chilean football, including Elías Figueroa, widely regarded as one of Chile's greatest footballers and one of the greatest defenders in the history of the sport, alongside figures such as Franz Beckenbauer. Other notable Chilean players developed by Wanderers include Moisés Villarroel, Reinaldo Navia, David Pizarro and Eugenio Mena; the latter two were members of the Chilean squad that won the 2015 Copa América.
Contents
History
Beginnings
Santiago Wanderers was officially established on 15 August 1892 in the port district of Barrio Puerto in Valparaíso. Due to the existence of another team named Valparaíso Wanderers, the club's founders adopted the name Santiago to distinguish it from the already established side.
The club remained at amateur level until 1936, before officially joining the professional league competition in 1937, four years after the Chilean Football Federation began organising championships across the central and southern zones of Chile.
In their first professional season, Wanderers finished bottom of the table – in seventh place – without earning a point, prompting the club to leave the Asociación de Fútbol de Santiago (the federation's official governing body responsible for organising the professional football tournament; the predecessor of the current ANFP) and return to the local football association. In 1944, however, Wanderers rejoined the professional league on a permanent basis and went on to produce consistent performances and campaigns throughout the late 1940s and early 1950s.
Success amid instability: 1955–2001
Wanderers' first successful era began with the appointment of José Pérez as manager in 1955. In 1958, his third season in charge, the club won its first league title, followed in 1959 by its first Copa Chile, defeating Deportes La Serena 5–1 in the final. In 1961, Wanderers once again won the Cup, defeating Universidad Católica on aggregate. During the remainder of the 1960s, the club recorded fifth- and eighth-place finishes in subsequent seasons before winning its second league title in 1968. This period also saw the emergence of promising players such as central defender Elías Figueroa.
This success, however, did not continue into the 1970s. José Pérez left the club and Wanderers were relegated to the second division in 1977, following internal turmoil within the club's board and a series of poor campaigns on the field. The club achieved promotion at the first attempt by winning the Second Division championship, finishing two points clear of Naval of Talcahuano. After returning to the top flight, however, Wanderers struggled for consistency, generally finishing in mid-table while also enduring several campaigns near the bottom of the standings.
Wanderers were eventually relegated for the third time in 1984 and did not return to Primera until 1989, after defeating Unión San Felipe 4–1 in the promotion playoffs. In the 1991 season, Wanderers were relegated once again to the second division and celebrated their 100th anniversary in the country's second tier, avoiding further relegation by only five points. After four seasons in the second division, Wanderers finally achieved promotion to Primera in 1995, defeating Audax Italiano 4–1 on aggregate over two legs after the clubs had finished level on 52 points following 30 rounds.
Following their return to the first division, Wanderers struggled for consistency during the 1996 season, although forward Mario Vener became the first player in the club's history to top the league's goalscoring charts, scoring 30 goals. By 1998, the club had made several notable signings, including Claudio Borghi and Marcelo Vega, alongside emerging youngsters such as David Pizarro and Reinaldo Navia. Nevertheless, Wanderers were relegated again after finishing second-last, in 15th place, under manager Pedro García. During the 1999 season, with the club in mid-table under Guillermo Páez, Jorge Garcés was appointed manager and ultimately secured promotion in the final round following a 1–1 draw with Deportes Ovalle.
21st century
Following a series of average performances since 2002, in 2007, the club was relegated to Primera B after finishing in the penultimate position in the league table. However, two seasons later, in 2009, Wanderers returned to the top flight after defeating San Luis Quillota in the two-legged promotion playoffs. After finishing in mid-table during the 2010 season, the team subsequently secured its top-flight status against Naval in 2011.
In 2012, Wanderers celebrated the 120th anniversary of their foundation. That year, the club competed in its third consecutive season in the top flight of Chilean football.
In 2014, Wanderers enjoyed an impressive campaign in the Torneo Clausura, finishing as runners-up behind Universidad de Chile. The club subsequently qualified for international competition following a twelve-year absence, earning a place in the 2015 Copa Sudamericana, despite losing 6–1 at home to Palestino in the second leg of the final qualification playoff.
In 2017, the club won its third Copa Chile title after defeating Universidad de Chile in the final at Estadio Ester Roa Rebolledo in Concepción.
Colours
In its early years, Wanderers were primarily identified with white, with the initials "SW" displayed in black on the shirts. The uniforms were handmade, often by the players' wives, which resulted in noticeable variations between individual kits.
In 1907, the club added a black diagonal band to its traditional white shirt, although differences between the players' uniforms remained. This continued until James McLean, an Englishman who had moved to Valparaíso several years earlier, proposed importing uniforms from England, where kits were already being manufactured specifically for football teams.
Upon McLean's return to Valparaíso, Wanderers received twenty green shirts and twenty pairs of white shorts, as well as a black uniform for the goalkeeper. According to the traditional account of the change, McLean, who was of Irish origin, chose the colours of the Irish Football Association team. Wanderers first wore the new kit on 18 September 1908.
Since then, green has remained the club's traditional home colour, with only occasional variations. Among these was a white shirt with thin green stripes worn during the late 1960s and again in 2001, when Wanderers won their third league title.
In 2007, the club introduced a kit similar to those worn in 1965 and 1966 to commemorate the institution's 115th anniversary.
Rivalries
Santiago Wanderers' traditional rivals are Everton de Viña del Mar and both teams dispute the Clásico Porteño. Although the first games between both date back to the 1910s, in that era the rival was La Cruz Football Club from Valparaíso too. The rivalry with Everton began to take shape towards the mid-1930s and was intensified with the relocation of that club to Viña del Mar.
During the amateurism era Wanderers dominated the head-to-head record against Everton, but today the club has not been able to reverse that difference in the professional era, which explains the current historical disadvantage (only overcome in the early 1970s). Both have faced off 157 times, of which 43 have been draws, 65 have been victories for Everton and 49 for Wanderers, whilst for top-tier, the greens have won 34 times, Everton have won on 39 occasions and registering 30 draws.
The first professional match between Wanderers and Everton took place on 9 July 1944 with a 2–0 win for the Viña del Mar side.
Players
Current squad
Current squad of Santiago Wanderers as of 8 August 2026
(edit)
Sources: ANFP Official Web Site
Manager: Francisco Palladino
2025 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.
Supporters
The club's supporters are known as Porteños or Wanderinos. Wanderers principal fan group are The Panzers, whose politics tend to be left-wing.
Anthem
Based in the rhythm of English march Captain Craddock, the most commonly accepted and widespread version is that this dates back to 1912 and would be work from the performer and composer Efrain Arévalo López, who would have donated the composition in a gesture of thanks to the club's board, for the joys lived with the team.
Honours
National
Primera División
Champions (3): 1958, 1968, 2001
Copa Chile
Champions (3): 1959, 1961, 2017
Primera B
Champions (3): 1978, 1995, 2019
Regional
Football Association of Chile/Liga de Valparaíso
Champions (10): 1907, 1909, 1913, 1915, 1917, 1919, 1921, 1933, 1934, 1935
Copa Sporting
Champions (4): 1907, 1913, 1915, 1916
National Football Association
Champions (1): 1897
Challenger Football Association
Champions (1): 1899
Olimpiadas Nacionales
Champions (1): 1909
Asociación Porteña de Fútbol
Champions (2): 1941, 1942
Youth team
U-20 Copa Libertadores
Champions (1): 2026
Records
Seasons and participations
12 seasons in Football Association of Chile (FAC) 1900-11
19 seasons in Liga Atlética y de Football de Valparaíso (1912) and Liga Valparaíso (1030) 1912-35
1 season in Asociación de Football Profesional de Santiago 1937
4 season in Asociación Porteña de Fútbol Profesional| 1940-43
60 seasons in Primera División 1944–77, 1979, 1980, 1983, 1984, 1990, 1991, 1996–98, 2000–07, 2010–2017, 2020-
17 seasons in Primera B 1978, 1981, 1982, 1985–89, 1992–95, 1999, 2008–09, 2018–2019
3 Participations in Copa Libertadores 1969, 2002, 2018
3 Participations in Copa Sudamericana 2002, 2004, 2015
Results and players achievements
Record Primera División victory: 7–0 v. Everton (1949) & v. Universidad Católica (1954).
Record Copa Chile victory: 7–2 v. San Luis (2014)
Record Primera División defeat: 1–7 Audax Italiano (2007)
Most goals scored (Primera División matches) — 84, Juan Álvarez
Most goals scored in a Primera División league — 30, Mario Véner (1996).
Highest home attendance — 30,099 v. Colo-Colo (30 August 1964) (at Estadio Sausalito)
Football Association of Chile (FAC) Best Position — Champions (1907, 1909)
Liga Atlética y de Football de Valparaíso and Liga Valparaíso Best Position — Champions (1913, 1915, 1917, 1919, 1921, 1933, 1934, 1935)
Primera División Best Position — Champions (1958, 1968, 2001)
Copa Chile Best Season — Champions (1959, 1961, 2017)