Gil Vicente Futebol Clube was founded on 3 May 1924 in Barcelos, in the Braga district of northern Portugal. The club takes its name from the town's theatre, itself named after the sixteenth-century playwright Gil Vicente. Since 2004 the team has played at the Estádio Cidade de Barcelos, which holds around 12,000 and carries the Barcelos rooster, the town's emblem, as a club symbol.

Gil Vicente has won the second tier twice, in 1998-99 and 2010-11, and its best top-flight placings are fifth in 1999-2000 and again in 2021-22, the latter earning a first European campaign in the UEFA Europa Conference League in 2022-23. The club has moved between the top two divisions several times, including one return to the Primeira Liga granted by administrative ruling, and currently competes in the Primeira Liga.