Hibernian FC is a Scottish professional football club based in Leith, in the north of Edinburgh.  The club was founded in 1875 by Irish-born football enthusiasts from the Cowgate area of Edinburgh, who named it Hibernians Football Club.  Hibs established themselves as a force in Scottish football in the 1880s. In 1887 they became the first club from the east coast of Scotland to win the Scottish Cup and they then defeated Preston North End in a match described as the Association Football Championship of the World Decider.  Mismanagement over the next few years led to the demise of Hibernians, who became homeless and ceased operating during 1891. A reformed club called Hibernian was established and they acquired a lease on a site in late 1892 that was to become known as Easter Road. The club today views Hibernians and Hibernian as one continued history and therefore counts the honours won by Hibernians, including the 1887 Scottish Cup.  Hibs had some success after being reformed, winning the 1902 Scottish Cup and their first league championship a year later. After this, however, the club endured a long barren spell until the Second World War, failing to finish high in the league.  Hibs' most successful era was in the decade following the end of the Second World War. The forward line of Gordon Smith, Bobby Johnstone, Lawrie Reilly, Eddie Turnbull and Willie Ormond, collectively known as "The Famous Five" is regarded as being the best forward line in the history of Scottish football. They  won the  league championship in 1948, 1951 and 1952. The team was perhaps unfortunate not to win more trophies, as they finished second to Rangers in 1953 on goal average and second to Rangers by a point in 1950.  

The club enjoyed success in the early 1970s but were relegated in 1980. After mismanagement during the late 1980s, Hibs, although retaining their place in the SPL, was on the brink of financial ruin in 1990. Wallace Mercer, the chairman of Edinburgh derby rivals Hearts, proposed a merger of the two clubs, which he believed would produce a club who could compete on a more even footing with the Old Firm. Hibs fans, however, believed that the proposed merger was more like a hostile takeover, and they formed “Hands off Hibs” to campaign for the continued existence of the club. A resurgent team won the Skol League Cup in 1991, reached the final again in 1993 and finished third in 1994 but in 1998 they were bottom of the premiership and suffered relegation for only the third time in their history. After their return to the top tier in 1999–2000, Hibs established themeselves as one of the stronger teams in the division and won the Scottish League Cup in the 2006/07 season.  They reached the 2012 Scottish Cup Final but were thrashed 5-1 by rivals Hearts in the first all-Edinburgh final for more than a century.  A string  of poor results after Christmas 2013 ended with defeat in the play-offs and relegation at the end of the season along with their bitter rivals Hearts. They failed to acheive promotion the following season under Alan Stubbs, but finally ended their 108-year wait to win the Scottish Cup by defeating Rangers 3-2 in the final. Soon after the cup win Stubbs left Hibs to manage Rotherham United. He was replaced by Neil Lennon, who led the team to promotion by winning the 2016-17 Scottish Championship. Jack Ross led Hibs to the Scottish Cup Final in 2021 which they lost to St Johnstone, and to the League Cup Final the following season which ended in defeat to Celtic. They remain, nevertheless, one of the SPL's strongest teams.