[10] Franklin Muescan, the current head coach of that time[11] then led his team to a second-place finish in their first appearance in the top-tier 2011 United Football League.

[12] After an opening match against Stallion in the 2011 UFL Cup, the owner of the team, Dan Palami, hired Australian Graeme Mackinnon as head coach.

[β][15] Global then finished the 2012 league season tied with Kaya but claimed their first Division I title in goal difference.

[16] Because of their victory in the league, Global advanced to the 2013 AFC President's Cup and was the first Filipino football club to qualify for the tournament since its inception in 2005,[17][18] but they were eliminated early in the group stages.

[24][25] In the fourth season of the UFL, Global finished second, three points beneath the top, resulting in Stallion winning the championship trophy.

[27] Eventually, Global was invited to play in the 2013 Singapore Cup as a guest club, together with fellow UFL side Loyola Meralco Sparks.

Under his watch, the club had a major overhaul, signing numerous players to play for Global Cebu in the July 2018 transfer window.

[38] However, in January 2019, financial issues remain with several players including former goalkeeper Milan Nikolic calling out team owner Jarvis for the non-payment of their wages.

[40] Global Cebu are set to join the Philippine Premier League which replaced the PFL despite financial issues experiencing by the club.

[43] Within the same month, the club management announced a partnership with MMC Sportz and stated that they will have support from the Makati city government.

English footballer John Cofie who was signed in to play for the club in January 2020, came forward to the public of allegations that Global owed him unpaid wages.

He has sought the Games and Amusements Board to help him deal with the situation and the Philippines Football League officials has scheduled to meet with representatives of Global FC regarding the matter.

[49][50] The PFF gave Global a ten-day ultimatum from July 23, to settle all its outstanding wages to its players and staff and other contractual obligations.

Global's rivalry with Ceres began to develop on January 19, 2013, when the two sides met in a quarter-finals match of the 2012–13 PFF National Men's Club Championship.

[59] Ceres signed a number of national team members such as Patrick Reichelt, Carlie De Murga and brothers Marwin and Marvin Angeles to boost its campaign.

During the finals, Ceres came out firing right at the opening whistle, with Kim Jin Ho scoring at the first minute after converting a header for an early 1-nil lead.

Ceres suffered a huge blow after Azkals veteran Carlie De Murga was stretchered out of the pitch due to a possible knee injury.

In the second half, Global got a boost when Mark Hartmann connected with a long-distance shot from outside the box off a Misagh Bahadoran feed to trim their deficit, 2–1.

But Global, despite having plenty of chances at the goal, failed to convert its shots, including a last-second effort which was denied by the Ceres goalkeeper Louie Casas that sealed the result.

The victory halted Global's run of back-to-back trophies in the UFL, while effectively throwing into disarray the hierarchy of clubs in the Philippines’ elite domestic competition.

Global came back to reclaim their place as one of the country's top clubs with the help of the brace of Azkals standout and tournament Golden Ball Misagh Bahadoran.

Not long after, the defense of the Bacolod-based club was left to pay with another goal as Bahadoran found Matthew Hartman on the edge of the box to elevate their squad's lead to 2–0 going into the break.

After the restart Bahadoran doubled his output in the night with an impressive effort inside the area to shake away defender Jason Sabio and put the ball to the back of the net in the 56th minute.

Tension flared in the match when Ceres head coach Ali Go was thrown off the playing area following an altercation on the pitch after the side's protest of a non-call of a handball in the penalty box.

The Busmen finally scratched a mark in their scorecard in the 61st minute with a shot courtesy of substitute Nate Burkey to cut the deficit down to just two goals.

Ceres scrambled their jets in the remaining minutes of affair to ignite their offense, sending in Stephan Schröck to augment their attacks, but they were unable to turn the game around until the end of regulation.

With the win, Global returns to the next edition of the AFC Cup with a sure slot in the qualification round of the continental club championship.

Currently, the rivalry have experienced a period of uncertainty as fans witness how Ceres routed its financially crippled rival in their last 5 matches in the last two seasons.

[2] The club released its fourth logo on April 26, 2017, through its social media account when it joined the Philippines Football League as Global Cebu F.C.

On August 29, 2013, the Colombian Autocar Corporation, the exclusive distributor of Kia Motors in the Philippines, held a contract signing event with Dan Palami to renew their partnership for another year.