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 season was approached with the slogan "It's Our Time - Blue Gale, Red Storm". After losing the opening game of the league, the team continued to struggle with consecutive losses. Wanchope, a new addition to the team and former Costa Rican national team player, scored 2 goals until the 11th round but couldn't achieve the desired results and left the team by the end of June. In the Yamazaki Nabisco Cup, the team advanced to the knockout stage with 3 wins, 1 draw, and 2 losses but was eliminated in the quarterfinals. Throughout the season, the team couldn't find consistency and finished the league with 14 wins, 3 draws, and 17 losses, in 12th place. They also suffered a defeat in the quarterfinals of the Emperor's Cup, concluding the 2007 season.

In 2008, which marked the 10th anniversary of J's entry, under the new director Hiroshi Jofuku, the team entered the season with the slogan "Moving Football - Ball, Body, and the Hearts of the Spectators". They aimed for continuous growth of the team. In the first half of the league, they steadily accumulated points and reached the mid-season break in 3rd place. However, after the resumption, they struggled to win matches, and although they joined the title race again with 5 consecutive victories towards the end, they finished in 6th place. In the Emperor's Cup, they reached the semi-finals for the first time as FC Tokyo. In the following year, 2009, they approached the season with a strong determination to compete for the title until the end, with the slogan "Moving Football - Move the Hearts of the Spectators". However, they couldn't accumulate points as they wished after losing the opening match, and they faced a tough battle in the early stages. However, when Naohiro Ishikawa started scoring goals, the team revived and achieved a high position. They fought until the end to secure a spot in the AFC Champions League but finished in 5th place. On the other hand, in the Yamazaki Nabisco Cup, rookie Takuji Yonemoto made a remarkable contribution, and they advanced to the final for the first time in 5 years. They endured Kawasaki's fierce attacks and steadily scored 2 goals to secure victory, bringing the club its second title. Also, this season marked the departure and retirement of Ryuji Fujiyama and Satoru Asari, who were both homegrown players from Tokyo Gas FC, signaling the beginning of a new era.

In 2010, the third year under the Jofuku regime, the team adopted the slogan "Moving Football ~ Uniting Hearts ~" and aimed to compete for the championship. However, although they won the opening match, they struggled in the lower ranks from the beginning of the season. After winning the "Suruga Bank Championship 2010 TOKYO" following the South Africa World Cup, they resumed the league matches in an attempt to turn things around, but they were unable to accumulate enough points and found themselves in a relegation battle. After the 24th round, Coach Jofuku was dismissed and former FC Tokyo coach Okuma, who had previously led the team until 2001, returned as the coach. Despite the tough battles in every match, they entered the final round in 15th place, just one point ahead of the relegation zone in 16th place. However, they lost this match and their position was reversed. The season ended with the club's first relegation to J2.

In 2011, under the leadership of Okuma, the team set the slogan "TOKYO SPIRIT ~ For the sake of winning everything ~" and aimed to return to J1 by becoming stronger, and faced the second J2 league match. After the opening match, the Great East Japan Earthquake occurred and the schedule changed significantly. In the early stages, the team struggled due to injuries and could not play as they wanted, resulting in a low ranking. With a sense of crisis within the team, the players themselves thought about what they should do to win, with "self-reliance" as the keyword, and gradually the team improved. They took the lead in the 21st round and then accumulated points with a stable style of play, and secured their return to J1 with a victory against Tottori in the 36th round. In the end, they won their first J2 championship. In the Emperor's Cup, they continued their momentum and fought against J1 teams without hesitation, advancing to the New Year's Day final for the first time. In the final match against Kyoto, they conceded the first goal but showed a composed game and won with a large 4-0 score. They achieved their first Emperor's Cup victory and also secured a spot in the 2012 AFC Champions League (ACL).

In 2012, which marked their return to J1, they welcomed coach 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" which signaled the start of the season, but lost to Kashiwa. However, immediately after that, they played their first ACL match away against Brisbane Roar (Australia). They scored 2 goals with their characteristic passing football and achieved their first victory in Asia. They continued to accumulate points steadily 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 fighting tenaciously in front of a crowd of about 40,000 in a complete away match, 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 then struggled to maintain stability and finished in 10th place with a disappointing result of 48 points.

In the 2013 season, the second year of the Popovich regime, the battle began with the slogan "C.O.A Football ~ aiming for further evolution ~" and aimed for the "league title". It seemed to have a good start with two consecutive wins at the beginning, but then followed an unstable style of play with consecutive losses and wins. Although the scoring power has improved significantly compared to the previous season, there were many goals conceded, and there were many matches where they were leading but ended up with a draw or a comeback loss, unable to accumulate points. Furthermore, they lost all the important matches that could have put them in the top position, showing a weakness in crucial games. As a result, they finished in 8th place with 54 points. It was also announced that Lucas would retire after this season and was appointed as the new club ambassador "FC Tokyo Embassador 2014".

In 2014, FC Tokyo hired Massimo Ficcadenti as the first Italian head coach in J-League history. With the slogan "Bello e Aggressivo! ~Beyond the Limit to the Top~," the team initially struggled with defensive instability. However, as the new system became more established, they began to concede fewer goals and accumulate victories. On May 10th, in the 13th round against Tokushima, they started a record-breaking 14-game unbeaten streak in the league, temporarily rising to 5th place in the standings. However, towards the end of the season, they were unable to accumulate enough points, and they finished the league with 48 points in 9th place, without a win in the last 5 matches.

In the 2015 season, the second year under coach Massimo Ficcadenti, the team aimed to turn their efforts from the previous season into results. They started the league with a draw against Gamba Osaka in stoppage time and remained undefeated for the next five matches, finishing the 5th round in a tie for first place. Although they suffered a loss in the 6th round, they went on to win four consecutive matches and entered a battle with Kashima Antlers in second place. They narrowly lost that match and went on to suffer consecutive defeats. Despite accumulating more wins afterwards, they couldn't catch up to the first place and finished the 1st stage in second place. In the 2nd stage, they maintained the 3rd place in the overall standings from the 5th round onwards, but couldn't extend their winning streak towards the end and closed the season in 4th place. It is worth noting that they finished 6th in the 2nd stage and their total of 63 points was the highest in the club's history. In the Yamazaki Nabisco Cup, they advanced to the knockout stage as the top team in the qualifying group with 3 wins and 3 draws, but were eliminated in the quarterfinals. In the Emperor's Cup, they reached the quarterfinals as well, concluding the 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 the basics and start a new challenge in order to achieve the team's growth and be loved by many. Under the leadership of new coach Kenta Hasegawa, the team started its journey. Although they had a slow start, they accumulated points from the 4th match onwards and finished the first half of the season in 2nd place. However, they struggled to accumulate points in the league matches after the 21st round, and despite fighting for the championship and a spot in the ACL until the end, they finished the season in 6th place with 50 points. They also failed to win the Levain Cup and the Emperor's Cup, but the players never gave up and showed their fighting spirit on the pitch. Additionally, this season marked the retirement of Yohei Kajiyama, who had worn the number 10 jersey and made significant contributions to the team for a long time.

In the 2019 season, the second year under coach Kenta Hasegawa, the team had a good start with 12 consecutive wins from the beginning of the season and aimed for the J1 championship. They maintained the top position in the league from the 8th round to the 27th round. Despite the unusual schedule of 8 consecutive away games due to the influence of events such as the Rugby World Cup, they accumulated points persistently and the title race continued until the final round. In the final round, they faced Yokohama F.Marinos, who were in first place. In order to win the championship, they needed to win by a margin of 4 points or more, but they couldn't create a "miracle". Although they couldn't achieve their long-awaited first championship, they finished the season in 2nd place, their highest position ever. They secured a spot in the 2020 AFC Champions League.