OFI Crete

OFI Crete open the new season back at home in Heraklion, though not at the ground they have known for most of their history: they play at the Pankritio Stadium. They arrive there as Greek Cup holders, having beaten PAOK 3-2 in the 2025/26 final, and as Super Cup winners too, after getting the better of AEK Athens.

The club was founded in Heraklion in November 1925, its name built from the initials of the Greek for "Club of Sports Lovers of Heraklion." Black and white became the colours from the start, black carrying weight as a traditional shade for Cretan men, and the pairing set OFI apart from every other club on the island at the time. The nickname stuck to the same idea of belonging: "O Ómilos," simply, "the Club."

Domestic silverware has come in two long-separated bursts. The first Greek Cup arrived in 1986/87, won on penalties against Iraklis. Almost four decades passed before the second, and in between sits a final lost 4-2 to Olympiacos in 1989/90 — the closest OFI have come to more. Further afield, 1989 brought the Balkan Cup, sealed with a 3-1 win over Serbian side Radnički Niš.

Across the city, Ergotelis remain the fixture that matters most.