Žalgiris Vilnius is the most iconic and successful club in Lithuanian football, founded in 1947. They have a record 11 Lithuanian highest league titles and 14 Lithuanian Cups to their name.

Žalgiris competed in the Soviet Union football league system from 1947-1989. In 1987, they had the most successful season by finishing 3rd in the Soviet Top League. They qualified for the UEFA Cup for the first time, where they debuted against Austria Wien.

Following Lithuania’s declaration of independence on 11 March 1990, Žalgiris left the Soviet Top League immediately. Despite most of their key players leaving the team, they were one of the favorites to win the inaugural A Lyga season. They won the regular season by losing just one match in 32 games, but in the play-off semifinal, they lost to Ekranas.

In the following season, they won back-to-back league titles. These two were the only league titles in the next few years as new contenders rose to fame – after finishing as runners-up in five out of the next six seasons, they won the 1998/99 A Lyga title (the last season to be played from autumn to spring). It was also the last league title for them over a decade, as their main rivals, FBK Kaunas and FK Ekranas, took over Lithuanian football by winning the next 14 A Lyga titles. Financially, Žalgiris struggled, especially after owner Vadim Kastujev was arrested in Moscow. They survived until the end of the 2008 season but could not meet the financial requirements for 2009. In response, fans founded a new club called VMFD Žalgiris, keeping the same players and staff.

Their application to join the A Lyga was denied, so they played in the second division. Although they finished last that season, they returned to the A Lyga the following year after other clubs opted out due to financial issues.

The new club struggled initially but bounced back to the A Lyga within a year. Since 2011, Žalgiris has been consistently strong, finishing no lower than second and winning eight additional league titles. They also made history by becoming the first Lithuanian team to reach the UEFA Competition group stage in the 2022/2023 Europa Conference League, where they finished with five points.