About Real Unión

Real Unión is a Spanish football club based in Irún, in the Basque Country, founded in 1915 through the merger of two earlier local clubs, Irún Sporting Club and Racing Club de Irún. The club quickly became one of the most important teams in early Spanish football and was among the founding members of La Liga in 1929. Its origins are closely linked to the early development of football in the Basque region, where the sport spread in the early 20th century and several pioneering clubs emerged.

During its golden era in the 1910s and 1920s, Real Unión was one of the strongest teams in Spain. The club won the Copa del Rey multiple times, including victories in 1918, 1924, and 1927, and also reached other finals, establishing itself as a major force in national competitions before the professional era fully developed. It also contributed players to early Spanish national teams and played an important role in shaping the country’s football identity in its formative years.

In later decades, Real Unión gradually lost its top-tier status and spent most of its history between the second, third, and lower divisions of Spanish football. Although it has had occasional returns to higher levels, including short spells in the second division, the club has largely remained outside the elite since the early 20th century. Today, Real Unión is considered a historic “pioneer club” of Spanish football, valued for its early achievements and its lasting cultural importance in the Basque Country.