Fortaleza F.C.

Fortaleza Fútbol Club is a professional Colombian football team based in Bogotá, currently playing in the Categoría Primera A, the top tier of Colombian football. The team has been promoted to the Categoría Primera A thrice, in 2013, 2015 and 2023. From 2018 to 2020, they played their home games at the Estadio Municipal de Cota,^[1] moving afterwards to the Estadio Metropolitano de Techo in Bogotá.

History

The club was founded on 15 November 2010^[2] as Fortaleza F.C., based in the municipality of Soacha. The club joined the Categoría Primera B after buying the licence of the recently dissolved club Atlético Juventud.^[3]

In the 2013 Primera B season, the team was champion of the Finalización tournament, allowing them play the finals against Uniautónoma. The team lost the title, losing the home match with a 0–2 score, and drawing 1–1 in the away match. However, the team was promoted to the Primera A after winning against Cúcuta Deportivo in the Promotion/relegation playoff with a 2–1 global score.

Fortaleza was relegated after its first year in the Primera A. The club ranked 16th in the Apertura tournament and 13th in the Finalización tournament, being the worst team in the Relegation table.

In 2015, the club was renamed Fortaleza C.E.I.F. after merging with the amateur football club C.E.I.F. (Centro de Entrenamiento Integrado para el Fútbol), founded in 2008.^[4] That season, the club was promoted after reaching the finals, however they lost the title against Atlético Bucaramanga with a 0–2 aggregate score. Fortaleza's second spell in the top flight also lasted one season, sealing their relegation back to Primera B with three matches to go after losing to Patriotas on 22 October 2016.^[5]

After two seasons of mid-table performances, Fortaleza found themselves contending for promotion in the 2019 Primera B season, in which they made it to the Torneo II semi-finals but were knocked out at that stage by the eventual runners-up Boyacá Chicó,^[6] and were a serious contender in the final tournament of the 2021 season. They advanced to the semi-finals after placing fourth in the first stage, and were leading their group with 10 points prior to the final matchday. Fortaleza needed to hold on to the top spot in order to achieve promotion, which they would manage by avoiding defeat against Bogotá, while at the same time Llaneros and Unión Magdalena were playing their match in Villavicencio, with the latter side having a chance at promotion if they won and Fortaleza lost their match. Despite losing their match to Bogotá, Fortaleza were promoting to Primera A since Llaneros were winning their game, however, two goals scored by Unión Magdalena in stoppage time ended Fortaleza's promotion chances and triggered a match-fixing inquiry.^[7][8] Although Fortaleza officially requested to get the match played in Villavicencio annulled and Unión Magdalena's promotion reversed,^[9] the inquiry failed to find any irregularity.

Fortaleza returned to Primera A at the end of the 2023 Primera B season, sealing promotion after defeating Cúcuta Deportivo in the Torneo II finals and securing the top spot in the season's aggregate table.^[10] They eventually ended as season runners-up after losing the grand final to Patriotas.^[11]

Fortaleza managed to avoid immediate relegation back to Primera B in its third spell in the top tier, placing 13th in the relegation table of the 2024 Primera A. On 22 January 2025, the club presented Colombian singer Carlos Vives and former cyclist Rigoberto Urán as its new shareholders,^[12] and in the 2025 Finalización tournament it managed to advance to the final stages of the league for the first time ever.^[13] On 25 November 2025, Fortaleza announced the exit of Carlos Barato, founder of the club CEIF and former Fortaleza CEIF chairman. As part of the agreement reached with Barato for his departure, the club ended its partnership with CEIF and reverted to its previous name Fortaleza Fútbol Club effective from 1 January 2026.^[14]

Honours

Domestic

• Categoría Primera B
  • Runners-up (3): 2013, 2015, 2023

Managers

• Jaime Manjarrés (2011–2012)^[15]
• Roberto Vidales (2012–2013)^[16]
• Hernán Pacheco (2013–2014)
• Alexis García (2014)
• Nilton Bernal (2015–2016)
• Freddy Amazo (2016)
• Carlos Barato (2016–2017)
• Carlos Mora (2017)
• David Barato (2018–2019)
• Pablo Garabello (2020)
• Nelson Flórez (2021–2023)
• Sebastián Oliveros (2023–present)

Source: Worldfootball.net

See also

• Atlético Juventud Soacha

References

1. ^ "Fortaleza FC cambia de sede y técnico – Código Fútbol". Archived 2018-02-10 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2018-02-16.
2. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2016-06-29. Retrieved 2016-05-28.
3. ^ "Soacha volverá a tener fútbol profesional, con Fortaleza FC". Archived 2016-07-01 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2016-05-28.
4. ^ "DIMAYOR | División Mayor del Fútbol Colombiano". Archived from the original on 2015-09-29. Retrieved 2016-05-28.
5. ^ "Fortaleza cae ante Patriotas y sentencia su regreso a la segunda división" [Fortaleza go down against Patriotas and seal their relegation to the second division] (in Spanish). Caracol Radio. 22 October 2016. Archived 27 December 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 27 December 2023.
6. ^ "Un sueño llamado ascenso: Boyacá Chicó certificó su paso a la final" [A dream called promotion: Boyacá Chicó certified their passage to the final] (in Spanish). Futbolred. 16 November 2019. Archived 23 November 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 27 December 2023.
7. ^ "Fortaleza reviviría una de sus pesadillas: así fue como le habrían "robado" el ascenso en 2021" [Fortaleza would relive one of their nightmares: this is how they would have been "robbed" of promotion in 2021] (in Spanish). Infobae. 6 November 2023. Archived 27 December 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 27 December 2023.
8. ^ "Match-fixing inquiry ordered after bizarre Colombian match between Llaneros, Union Magdalena". ESPN. 6 December 2023. Archived 27 December 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 27 December 2023.
9. ^ "Carlos Barato, presidente de Fortaleza: "Solicitamos la nulidad de Unión Magdalena vs Llaneros"" [Carlos Barato, Fortaleza's chairman: "We request the nullity of Unión Magdalena vs Llaneros"] (in Spanish). Gol Caracol. 6 December 2021. Archived 9 December 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 27 December 2023.
10. ^ "Fortaleza vence a Cúcuta y asegura su ascenso a primera división" [Fortaleza beat Cúcuta and secure their promotion to first division] (in Spanish). Diario AS. 17 November 2023. Archived 26 November 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 26 November 2023.
11. ^ "Patriotas se corona campeón del torneo de ascenso y regresa a la primera división" [Patriotas are crowned champions of the promotion tournament and return to the first division] (in Spanish). Caracol Radio. 29 November 2023. Archived 29 November 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 29 November 2023.
12. ^ "Carlos Vives y Rigoberto Urán se presentaron como nuevos accionistas del Fortaleza" [Carlos Vives and Rigoberto Urán were presented as Fortaleza's new shareholders] (in Spanish). La República. 22 January 2025. Retrieved 27 November 2025.
13. ^ "Fortaleza confirmó su histórica clasificación a los cuadrangulares de la Liga BetPlay" [Fortaleza confirmed their historic qualification for the Liga BetPlay quadrangulars] (in Spanish). El Espectador. 29 October 2025. Retrieved 27 November 2025.
14. ^ "Liga Betplay: otro equipo anunció cambio de nombre a partir de 2026" [Liga Betplay: another team announced change of name starting from 2026] (in Spanish). Antena 2. 25 November 2025. Retrieved 27 November 2025.
15. ^ "Soacha volverá a tener fútbol profesional, con Fortaleza FC". Archived 2016-07-01 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2016-05-28.
16. ^ "Hernán Pacheco es el nuevo técnico de Fortaleza Fútbol Club"

External links

• Fortaleza profile on DIMAYOR