Team History

The predecessor of FC Tokyo, Tokyo Gas Football Club, was established in 1935. The team, which was based in Tokyo League, achieved a remarkable 4th place in the Kanto League after being promoted in 1986. In 1991, they won the National Regional League Championship and were promoted to the JSL Division 2. They joined the JFL in 1992 and have consistently maintained a high position since 1995. In the 1997 Emperor's Cup, they defeated three J.League teams in a row and made it to the semifinal round, showcasing their great performance. In 1998, which was the last season of the JFL, they finally achieved their long-awaited first championship.
In 1999, the team changed its name to "FC Tokyo" and entered J.League Division 2 (J2). In their first participation in the Yamazaki Nabisco Cup, they defeated three J1 teams in a row and advanced to the semi-finals. On the other hand, despite struggling in the league matches towards the end, they finished in second place and secured promotion to J.League Division 1 (J1).
The year 2000, when we were promoted to J1, started with 3 consecutive victories in the 1st stage, finishing in 6th place, and achieved 5 consecutive victories in the 2nd stage, finishing in 8th place (7th place overall), causing a "Tokyo whirlwind". In the following year, 2001, we maintained a mid-level position with 9th place in the 1st stage and 8th place in the 2nd stage (8th place overall), establishing a solid position in J1 in our second year. Additionally, after the end of the season, coach Kiyoshi OKUMA, who had been in charge of the team for 7 years, stepped down, and Hiromi HARA took over as coach from the 2002 season. Building on the foundation of the "never give up tenacity" and "always give your all" spirit established by former coach Okuma, new coach Hara led the team into a new stage with his "attacking football" philosophy.

In 2002, there were a series of injuries to key players and the team struggled, finishing 10th in the 1st stage. However, in the 2nd stage, with the growth and performance of young players, they improved to 5th place (9th overall for the year), gradually showing the attacking style of play that Coach Hara aimed for. In 2003, with the abolition of extra time, the slogan "90 minutes of attacking football" was raised. In the 1st stage, they achieved their best ever 4th place with the fewest goals conceded. In the following 2nd stage, they were in the title race until the end and finished 5th with the most goals scored. They also achieved their best ever 4th place overall for the year. After the season, Amaral, the "King of Tokyo" who had been a central figure in the team for 12 years, left the club. One chapter of history came to a close and the club began to move towards an even higher stage.
In 2004, as the slogan "Attack, Drama, Offensive Soccer" suggests, the team adopted a more aggressive attitude. However, due to factors such as the World Cup qualifiers, the Olympic Games in Athens, and injuries to key players, the team struggled to gather its strength, and the league results were not satisfactory, finishing 8th overall (6th in the 1st stage, 10th in the 2nd stage). However, the team came together and reached the final of the Yamazaki Nabisco Cup. They won in a penalty shootout against Urawa, achieving the long-awaited first title for the club. In 2005, the league format changed to a single league system, and the team aimed for the league championship with the slogan "Attack and Win. Attack and Achieve." They had a successful start and temporarily took the top spot. However, injuries continued to plague the team, and they suffered 7 consecutive losses after the 5th round, ultimately finishing 10th in the league. After the season, Coach Hara, who had been in charge for 4 years, stepped down, and in 2006, the club hired its first foreign coach, Mr. Garo. With the belief of "Ousadia - Trust, Courage, Challenge" in their hearts, they approached the game with a new strategy. However, the team's performance did not improve amidst the schedule that included the World Cup in Germany, leading to the dismissal of Coach Garo. From the 18th round onwards, the team was led by Coach Hisao KURAMATA, who had been the U-18 coach. However, they ultimately finished the season in the lowest position ever, 13th place.

In 2007, with the return of coach Hiromi HARA, the team faced a difficult season with the slogan "It's Our Time ~ Blue Gale, Red Storm ~" after losing the opening game of the league and continuing to struggle with losses. New addition Wanchope, a former Costa Rican representative, scored 2 goals until the 11th round but was unable to achieve the desired results and left the team at the end of June. In the Yamazaki Nabisco Cup, the team advanced to the final tournament with 3 wins, 1 draw, and 2 losses, but was eliminated in the quarterfinals. Throughout the season, the team struggled and finished with 14 wins, 3 draws, and 17 losses, placing 12th in the league. They also lost in the quarterfinals of the Emperor's Cup, ending the 2007 season.

In 2008, FC Tokyo celebrated its 10th anniversary and under the new coach Hiroshi Jofuku, they entered the season with the slogan "Moving Football - Moving the ball, the body, and the hearts of the viewers - aiming for continuous growth of the team. In the first half of the league, they steadily accumulated points and were in 3rd place before the break in May. However, after the break, they struggled to win games and despite a 5-game winning streak towards the end, they finished in 6th place. In the Emperor's Cup, they reached the semifinal for the first time as FC Tokyo. In the following year, 2009, they adopted the slogan "Moving Football - Move the hearts of the viewers" and approached the season with a strong determination to compete for the championship until the end. However, after losing the opening game, they were unable to accumulate points as they had hoped and struggled in the beginning. But when Naohiro Ishikawa started scoring goals, the team revived and managed to climb up the rankings. They fought until the end for a spot in the AFC Champions League, but finished in 5th place. On the other hand, in the Yamazaki Nabisco Cup, rookie Takuji Yonemoto's remarkable performance helped the team reach the final for the first time in 5 years. They withstood Kawasaki's fierce attacks and steadily scored 2 goals to secure victory, bringing the club its second title. This season also marked the end for Ryuji Fujiyama and Satoru Asari, who had been with the club since its days as Tokyo Gas FC, as they retired and left the team, marking the beginning of a new era.

In 2010, the third year under the Jofuku regime, FC Tokyo set the slogan "Moving Football ~Together as One~" and aimed for a "true championship battle" in the season. However, although they won the opening match, they struggled in the lower ranks from the beginning. After winning the "Suruga Bank Championship 2010 TOKYO" following the South Africa World Cup, they resumed the league with the goal of making a comeback, but were unable to accumulate enough points and ended up in a relegation battle. After the 24th round, Jofuku was dismissed as head coach and former FC Tokyo coach, Mr. Okuma, who had been in charge until 2001, returned as head coach. In the midst of a tough battle in every match, they reached the final round in 15th place, just one point behind the relegation zone in 16th place, but lost the match and their position was reversed. The season ended with the result of the club's first relegation to J2.

Under the leadership of Ohkuma, the 2011 season saw the team's slogan "TOKYO SPIRIT ~ Everything for Victory ~" as they aimed to return to J1 and compete in their second J2 league. However, the schedule was greatly affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake that occurred after the opening game, and the team struggled in the lower ranks due to injuries and difficulties in playing as they wanted. With a sense of crisis within the team, the players focused on the keyword "independence" and thought about what they needed to do to win, gradually turning the team around. They took the top spot in the 21st round and continued to accumulate points with a stable style of play, ultimately securing their return to J1 after winning against Tottori in the 36th round. They also made it to the Emperor's Cup final for the first time, fearlessly facing J1 teams with their momentum. Despite conceding the first goal in the final against Kyoto, they remained composed and scored four goals to secure their first Emperor's Cup victory. This also earned them a spot in the 2012 AFC Champions League (ACL).

In 2012, the year of their return to J1, they welcomed new coach Ranko POPOVIC and aimed to play attractive attacking football under the slogan "C.O.A Football". They made their debut in the "FUJI XEROX SUPER CUP 2012" but lost to Kashiwa. However, in their first ACL match, they faced Brisbane Roar (Australia) away and scored 2 goals with their signature passing football, securing their first victory in Asia. They continued to accumulate points in the ACL and advanced to the group stage in 2nd place. In the round of 16, they faced Guangzhou Evergrande (China) led by former Italian national team coach Marcello Lippi. Despite putting up a strong fight in front of a crowd of about 40,000 away fans, they were unable to score and suffered a defeat. This marked the end of their first ACL campaign. In the league, they had a good start with 3 consecutive wins, but were unable to maintain their form and finished in 10th place with 48 points, a disappointing result.

In the second year of the Popovic regime in 2013, the battle to achieve the league title began with the slogan "C・O・A Football ~ aiming for further evolution ~". Although they started with two consecutive wins, the team showed an unstable style of play, with a mix of losses and wins. Despite a significant increase in scoring power compared to the previous season, they also conceded many goals, resulting in several games where they were unable to hold onto a lead and ended up with a draw or a comeback loss. They were unable to accumulate points, and their weakness in crucial games where they could have joined the top teams was evident, ultimately finishing in 8th place with 54 points. It was also announced that Lucas would retire after this season, and he was appointed as the new club ambassador "FC Tokyo Embassador 2014".

In 2014, Massimo FICCADENTI, the first Italian coach in the J-League, was invited. At the beginning of the season, under the slogan "Bello e Aggressivo! ~ Beyond the Limits to the Top ~", there were some defensive instabilities, but as the new system became more established, the number of goals conceded decreased and the team started to accumulate wins. Then, starting with the 13th round against Tokushima on May 10th, the team achieved a new club record of 14 consecutive unbeaten games in the league, and temporarily rose to 5th place in the standings. However, in the final stretch, the team was unable to accumulate enough points and ended the league with 48 points and in 9th place without a win in the last 5 games.

In his second year as manager, Massimo FICCADENTI led the team in the 2015 season with the goal of turning their progress from the previous season into results. They started off the league with a draw against Gamba Osaka in the opening match, and then went on a five-game unbeaten streak to finish Sec. 5 in a tie for first place. Although they lost in Sec. 6, they bounced back with four consecutive wins and entered the match against Kashima in second place. They narrowly lost and went on to suffer consecutive losses, but continued to accumulate wins. However, they were unable to catch up to the first place team and finished Sec. 1 in second place. In Sec. 2, they maintained their third place position in the overall rankings after Sec. 5, but were unable to increase their points towards the end and finished the season in fourth place. Their Sec. 2 ranking was sixth, and their total of 63 points for the season was the highest in club history. In the Yamazaki Nabisco Cup, they advanced to the final tournament after finishing first in the qualifying group with three wins and three draws, but were eliminated in the quarterfinals. They also reached the quarterfinals in the Emperor's Cup, ending their 2015 season.

The 2016 season aimed for victory in the J1 League with the slogan "Challenge The Top ~Top Battle~". The season saw the return of manager Hiroshi Jofuku after 6 years, and the team competed in both the AFC Champions League (ACL) and the J1 League. Additionally, FC Tokyo participated in the J3 League as FC Tokyo U-23. It was a year of new challenges for the club, but due to a congested schedule and injuries, the team struggled. They were eliminated in the round of 16 in the ACL and suffered multiple losses due to late goals, resulting in a change of manager in July. Yoshiyuki Shinoda, who was previously a coach, took over as the new manager and led the team to 8 wins, 2 draws, and 2 losses in the remaining league matches, finishing the season in 9th place.

In the 2017 season, under the leadership of manager Yoshiyuki SHINODA, the team aimed for the J1 League title with the slogan "TOKYO GRIT ~All Strength~" and made major reinforcements. They started the season with consecutive wins, but were unable to accumulate points as planned and could not ride the wave. In addition, they were eliminated in the 2nd round of the Emperor's Cup and the quarter-finals of the Levain Cup. In September, manager SHINODA resigned and coach Takayoshi AMMA took over the top team, but the team could not regain their momentum and finished the season with 40 points in 13th place in the J1 League. Also, long-time leader Naohiro ISHIKAWA retired after this season, while Yuhei TOKUNAGA announced his transfer. On the other hand, Rei HIRAKAWA and Takefusa KUBO were promoted from FC Tokyo U-18 to the top team in the middle of the season. It was a season where they took a step forward towards a new challenge.

The 2018 season, which marked the 20th anniversary of the club's founding, was a time to return to our roots and aim to become a strong and beloved team as we embark on new challenges and the team's growth. Under the guidance of new coach Kenta HASEGAWA, the team started their journey. Although we had a slow start, we accumulated points from the 4th section and finished the first half of the season in 2nd place. However, from the 21st section of the league onwards, we were unable to accumulate points as we had hoped and ended the season in 6th place with 50 points. We fought until the end for the championship and a spot in the ACL, but unfortunately fell short. We also did not win the Levain Cup or the Emperor's Cup, but the players never gave up and showed their fighting spirit on the pitch. This season also marked the retirement of Yohei KAJIYAMA, who had worn the number 10 jersey and played an active role for a long time.

In his second year as manager, Kenta HASEGAWA led the team to a strong start towards winning the J1 title, going undefeated in the first 12 matches of the 2019 season. Despite facing a challenging schedule with 8 consecutive away matches due to events such as the Rugby World Cup, the team persevered and remained at the top of the league from the 8th to the 27th match. The title race came down to the final match, where they faced league leaders Yokohama F.Marinos. In order to win the title, they needed to win by a margin of 4 points or more, but they were unable to pull off a "miracle". Although their dream of winning the title did not come true, they finished the season in 2nd place, their highest ever position. They also secured a spot in the 2020 AFC Champions League.