History

Beginnings

Cusco Fútbol Club was founded on July 16, 2009 under the name Asociación Civil Real Atlético Garcilaso, or Real Garcilaso, by an initiative of Julio Vásquez Granilla and students of the Inca Garcilaso de la Vega school, in the city of Cusco. The club is one of few the Peruvian teams that has its own institutional headquarters called Casa Dorada, located in the Huancaro urbanization.

In its first year in the Segunda Distrital del Cusco, it was champion thus ascending to the Liga Distrital del Cusco. The first match of the light blue team was on September 6, 2009, defeating Cedecam World Vision 5-2. In this way, it could participate in the Copa Perú. During the year 2010 it was district, provincial, and departmental champion of Cusco. That same year, they reached the National Stage of the Copa Perú, where they were eliminated by Sportivo Huracán.

Promotion to the Primera División

Prior to the start of their participation in the Copa Perú, the club played the Intermediate Tournament, where they reached the quarterfinals, being eliminated by Sport Ancash. However, they eliminated important teams such as Deportivo Garcilaso, Cienciano and Universidad Técnica de Cajamarca.

They began their journey in the 2011 Copa Perú from the Regional Stage, since the previous year they had been eliminated in the National Stage. In their group, they finished first and accessed the National Stage for the second time in their history. They reached all the way to the final of the tournament where they were crowned champions in Lima after defeating Pacífico 3-2 on aggregate. In this way, Real Garcilaso gained access to the Peruvian Primera División for the first time.

Primera División

In their first season in topflight, the club had a successful campaign with Andy Pando who was the tournament's top goal scorer, and made it to the final where it was defeated by Sporting Cristal. It also qualified for the 2013 Copa Libertadores, the most prestigious tournament in South American, after being placed second on the aggregate table. The club surprised again by reaching the quarter-finals but was eliminated by Colombian team Santa Fe. The tournament was Real Garcilaso's best result in an international competition.

In 2012, the club opened its training ground and headquarters in the Oropreza District, becoming one of the few clubs in Peru to properly own their own training ground. According to the IFFHS club ranking, Real Garcilaso was the best Peruvian team between 2012 and 2013. Its position worldwide in 2013 was 103.

In 2013, They reached the final for the second year in a row and qualified for the 2014 Copa Libertadores after finishing as the top club during the tournament's first stage. In the Liguilla A, the club fought against Sporting Cristal for a spot in the finals which they played against Universitario. After winning at home and losing away, a third match was played in which they lost the play-offs 4–5 on penalties.

In the 2014 Copa Libertadores, according to Soccerly, Cruzeiro player Paulo César Fonseca do Nascimento (better known as Tinga) was subjected to racist abuse at the game against Real Garcilaso in Huancayo. The South American Football Federation (CONMEBOL) tweeted that they would "handle this situation and any pertinent sanctions." The club ended up getting eliminated in the Group Stage.

In 2017, the club were runner-up again and qualified for the 2018 Copa Libertadores where they were eliminated in the Group Stage. The next year, the team qualified for the Copa libertadores again but were eliminated by Deportivo La Guaira in the qualifying stage. On 23 December 2019, Real Garcilaso announced its name change to Cusco Fútbol Club, better known as Cusco FC.

In the 2021 season, the team finished next to last and was relegated to the Liga 2. In the 2022 Liga 2 season, Cusco won the league and got promoted back to the Liga 1, where they currently still stand.

Kit and crest

Cusco used to use a shield with a G in the middle and a crown on top from its foundation until 2020. The badge was very similar to that of Real Madrid CF. To avoid conflicts with Deportivo Garcilaso, another club from Cusco with a similar shield and name, it was decided to change the name and shield on January 19, 2020. The current shield has in the background the Incan Citadel Machu Picchu, the rising sun which was a deity of the Inca Empire and a gold ring where its name is found.