Club Sport Maritimo was founded on 20 September 1910 in Funchal and is the leading club on the island of Madeira, running sections in many sports besides football. Its green and red colours were taken from the Portuguese republican flag. The team plays at the Estadio do Maritimo, long known as the Estadio dos Barreiros.

Maritimo won the Campeonato de Portugal in 1925-26 and in 1977 became the first club from outside mainland Portugal to reach the top flight, where it then spent 38 consecutive seasons. It has been runner-up in the Taca de Portugal twice and in the League Cup twice, and reached the Europa League group stage in 2012-13. After relegation in 2023 the club won Liga Portugal 2 in 2025-26 to return to the Primeira Liga.