Deportes Iquique

Club de Deportes Iquique S.A.D.P. is a Chilean football club based in Iquique that is a current member of the Primera B. Founded in 1978, the club's home stadium is the Estadio Tierra de Campeones, which has a 13,171 capacity.

Iquique has spent 19 seasons in the Primera Division, its longest spell lasting ten years (1980–90). The team has spent 13 seasons in Primera B and four in the third-tier Tercera Division. Among its titles, Iquique has won three Copa Chile titles (1980, 2010 and 2013–14).

They have a local rivalry with San Marcos de Arica, disputing the derby since early 1980s.

History

The team was founded on 21 May 1978 by the merger of Cavancha and Estrella de Chile. The following year Iquique competed in the Segunda Division, winning it and securing promotion to the Campeonato Nacional.

In its first season at top level, the club finished in 14th place out of eighteen teams and won the Copa Polla Gol, beating Colo-Colo in the final at the Estadio Nacional.

Between 1981 and 1987, Iquique remained in mid-table positions. In 1988, they reached the qualifying stages of the 1989 Copa Libertadores after finishing in third place in the league. However, they lost to Colo-Colo in the final of the qualification tournament. That season, Juan Jose Ore was the tournament's leading goalscorer with eighteen goals.

In 1991, following a poor campaign where the team finished in the bottom of the table, they were relegated to the second division. They returned to the top flight for one season in 1993, and again for two seasons in 1997. However, in 2002, the club was relegated to the third division and then declared bankruptcy. It was relaunched as Municipal Iquique.

During its four-year presence in the third division, the club saw the rise of Chilean international Edson Puch, a key player in their title win of 2006. Two years later, Iquique reached its fourth promotion to the top division, beating Coquimbo Unido in the promotion playoffs. During the 2009 Apertura, Puch

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