Sociedade Esportiva Palmeiras was founded in São Paulo in 1914 by members of the city's Italian community under the name Palestra Italia, and adopted its present name in 1942 after wartime legislation banned references to Axis nations. The club plays at Allianz Parque, built on the site of its historic Parque Antarctica ground and opened in 2014.

Palmeiras holds the record for Brazilian national championships with 12 titles, and has won the Copa do Brasil four times and the Copa Libertadores three times, in 1999, 2020 and 2021. It also won the 1951 Copa Rio, a tournament the club regards as an early world title.

Palmeiras competes in the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A and reached the 2025 Copa Libertadores final, losing 1-0 to Flamengo in Lima.