The scenery, the city, the food, the soccer. Como, the picturesque northern Italian city nestled between the Alps has become massively famous over the past two decades for its extravagant hotels, villas, restaurants, and attractions. Celebrities such as George Clooney, Lance Armstrong, Barack Obama, and many more of the world’s elite reside and regularly visit the Como hillsides to enjoy the luxurious life that has developed.
Apart from what the city has become as a tourist hot spot, the local soccer team, Como 1907, has seen exponential growth and rise in the past five years. In 2019, the team was bought by Indonesian billionaire brothers, Robert Budi Hartono and Michael Bambang Hartono, worth an eye-watering “50.3 billion USD” (Forbes, 2024). At the time, Como 1907 was playing non-professionally in Italy’s fourth soccer division, Serie D. Plagued by bad business and catastrophic team moves, Como 1907 saw a horrible collapse from top flight soccer, to nearly not existing as a team anymore. The Indonesian intervention helped Como get promoted to Serie C over the COVID-19 pandemic and remained there for two seasons, they then jumped up to Serie B, also for two seasons. Finally, in May of 2024, Como reached their glory and got their fourth promotion in five years to reclaim a spot in Serie A, Italy’s top soccer league.
Not only was the team gaining strength within itself, they also became massively popular in Italy and throughout the world. In 2022, Como saw two ex-soccer giants join their ranks; Thierry Henry and Cesc Fabregas, both FIFA World Cup champions. Henry joined the team as a stakeholder, and Fabregas first joined as a player in ‘22, then as an intern manager in ’23, he is currently Como’s head coach for the Serie A season, with a contract valid through 2028. Apart from the important figures off the field, the summer before Como’s Serie A debut saw important signings that have strengthened the squad. Some of the most notable names that arrived at Lake Como this summer, through the end of 2024 and the start of the new year are Nico Paz, the 19-year-old Real Madrid future star, Champions League, LaLiga, and Copa America winner. The other youngster is Iraq’s 20-year-old Ali Jasim. Experienced players came in the form of the Barcelona midfielder, Sergio Roberto, and the Italian international, Andrea Belotti who won the European Championship with Italy in 2021. In the winter transfer window that concluded in 2024, Como picked up three big signings, with 19-year-old Assane Diao to play on the wing. Two French players also joined their ranks: goalkeeper Jean Butez, and the experienced Lyon midfielder, Maxence Caqueret.
With the season kicking off on August 19th and a harsh welcome as Como fell 3-0 to rivals Juventus, the team saw its share of ups and downs until December. They recently started to pick up the pace and distance themselves from the relegation zone at the bottle of the league table. Como saw two important back-to-back wins where they beat league leaders Atalanta on the road, they then picked up their first home win at the Stadio Comunale G. Sinigaglia, both in late September. Como did not secure another victory until December 15th, but their recent form has since impressed. They then got another win, two draws, one to Lazio who previously beat them 5-1, and only one loss to Inter who are currently second in the Serie A. January holds a difficult schedule for the *Lariani. After the 1-1 draw against Lazio in Rome, they now face AC Milan, Udinese, and Atalanta, all Italian powerhouse teams. February has matches against Fiorentina, Juventus, and Napoli, meaning Como’s composure over their next six fixtures will play a great role in determining if they stay afloat in Serie A.
As interesting as the club has been in the soccer world, they have made massive moves on the pop culture and community side of the sport as well. Using their new popularity to positively impact the city and their team image, Como has landed huge sponsorships and created initiatives to benefit the local community. The summer of 2024 saw the team launch Como 4 Como, a collaboration with small local shops with the goal of promoting Como 1907 merchandise and local business. Clothing stores, art galleries, and souvenir stands in the city sell exclusive Como 1907 pieces ranging from old Como 1907 jerseys, Como 4 Como t-shirts, limited edition scarves, and hats, along with other Como souvenirs only available at these community locations. Along with the impact Como made on the city, they also upgraded their jersey outfitter from Erreà to Adidas, and took a huge leap with their front of shirt sponsor, going from Mola, an Indonesian TV provider to taxi giants Uber. On January 13th, 2025, Como launched the “Semm Chumash” lifestyle line featuring jackets, Adidas Stan Smiths and other iconic team clothing items. The club’s other staples in the fashion world are brand collaborations that are available at Harrods in London and the Galeries Lafayette in Paris and overseas. The collaborations the team is a part of are Bric’s x Como, that features premium Italian luggage with Como’s team name appearing on the products in shades of blue, resembling the iconic colors of Lake Como. The team has also joined forces with MITCHUMM Industries, an Italian-Californian leather clothier that dresses all the Como 1907 players. The MITCHUMM products are used in the photo shoots that newly signed Como players partake in where they are seen holding old-style pieces such as leather cleats and soccer balls, knitted Como 1907 sweaters, handkerchiefs, and other classy leather attire.
The city’s location boasts extravagant views and scenery that have attracted tourists of all sorts from all around the world, especially since the early 2000s. Soccer tourism to Como has peaked, and along with the team’s new popularity, movie stars have made an appearance at the Stadio Sinigaglia to cheer on the Lariani. Hollywood names such as Hugh Grant, Andrew Garfield, Kate Beckinsale, and Benedict Cumberbatch have been seen in the **Comasco BiancoBlu. Soccer icons have also made the trip to Como, with the most notable appearances being Javier Zanetti, Thierry Henry, Raphaël Varane, Jamie Vardy, and Zlatan Ibrahimović.
Even with famous movie stars and soccer players being present at Como’s stadium, the team’s promotion to Serie A highlighted the big problems present at the century-old relic soccer ground. One of the biggest issues was the seating capacity needed to meet the Serie A minimum of 10,000 seats, and the stadium was nearly 2,500 shy when the team clinched promotion in the spring. The Sinigaglia is built on the shores of Lake Como, and it is nestled between the water, mountains, and the city’s buildings, leaving virtually no space for expansion. New seats were added in September to the pre-existing structure and allowed for the capacity to increase from 7,498 to 10,584 seats, still making it the smallest stadium in the Italian topflight but now allowing it to host home matches. “Major stadium expansion plans have been presented to the Como City Hall, and are awaiting legal approval and funding from the Hartono family and city funds. Little is currently known about the future of the Sinigaglia, aside from the firm assigned to redesign the stadium. Populous, the London architecture group has been tasked with fixing up and modernizing the Sinigaglia. The group specializes in venue modernization, borrowing concepts from existing construction and product manufacturing to build eco-friendly sports complexes. They have famously designed Wembley Stadium, Arsenal Stadium, Yankee Stadium, Sphere in Las Vegas and they upgrade NFL grounds to host Super Bowls and other major events. Populous has only stated vague plans for the Sinigaglia so far, hinting at a rectangular shape, glass suites with VIP areas/press boxes, and spiral corner stairs that match the world-famous Stadio San Siro in Milan” (TRANSLATED – La Provincia di Como, 2025).
Como 1907 had an absolutely groundbreaking year in 2024, touching all corners and aspects of the soccer world. After a 20-year drought from Serie A, May 2024 saw the team’s future change entirely with promotion out of Serie B. New owners, managers, players, and other key people have helped the club rise from the ashes into its current glory. From collaborations within the city and far beyond, Como 1907 is now growing as a hugely recognized and popular Italian soccer club. Having already clinched a few vital wins and more important draws, 2025 will provide the team with a chance to prove themselves once again as they have over the last calendar year, and will ultimately decide their bitter or sweet result at the end of the 2024/2025 Serie A Campaign. Sempre Solo Forza Como!
*Lariani: old name of Como’s inhabitants
**Comasco: modern name of people from the Como area