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, following the slogan "Aggressive, Dramatic, Attacking Soccer," a more offensive stance was adopted, but due to the dispatch of representative players for the Germany World Cup qualifiers and the Athens Olympics, as well as injuries to key players, the team struggled to gather strength, finishing the league in 8th place (6th in the 1st stage, 10th in the 2nd stage), which was not a satisfactory result. However, in the Yamazaki Nabisco Cup, the team united and advanced to the Final Round. They won against Urawa in a penalty shootout, achieving their long-awaited first club title. In 2005, the league system was changed to a single league, aiming for the league championship with the slogan "Attack to Score. Attack to Win." They succeeded in a strong start and temporarily took the lead, but injuries continued, leading to 7 consecutive losses after 1 draw in the 5th round, which significantly impacted the results, ending the league in 10th place. After the season, Coach Hara, who had been in charge for four years, resigned, and in 2006, the club's first foreign coach, Mr. Garo, was appointed. With the slogan "Ousadia - Trust, Courage, Challenge" in mind, they approached the new way of fighting. However, during the schedule that included the Germany World Cup, the team's condition did not improve, leading to the dismissal of Coach Garo. After the 18th section, Hisao KURAMATA, who was the U-18 coach, took charge, but ultimately the team finished with a record low of 13th place for the year.

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, marking the 10th anniversary of J League participation, under the new management of Hiroshi JOFUKU, the team entered the season with the slogan "Moving Football - Moving the Ball, the Body, and the Hearts of the Spectators" aiming for steady growth. The first half of the league went smoothly, accumulating points and finishing the break in 3rd place before the mid-May hiatus. However, after the restart, the team struggled to secure wins, and despite a late five-game winning streak that brought them back into the title race, they finished in 6th place. In the Emperor's Cup, they advanced to the Semifinal Round for the first time as FC Tokyo. In 2009, with the slogan "Moving Football - Move the Hearts of the Spectators," they approached the season with a strong desire to compete for the championship until the end, but after losing the opening match, they struggled to accumulate points as expected, facing tough battles in the early stages. However, once Naohiro ISHIKAWA began to score consistently, the team revived and made a push for the top positions. They fought until the end for an ACL qualification but finished in 5th place. Meanwhile, in the Yamazaki Nabisco Cup, rookie Takuji YONEMOTO's remarkable performance helped the team reach the Final Round for the first time in five years. They withstood Kawasaki's fierce attacks, steadily adding two goals to secure victory, bringing the club its second title. Additionally, this season marked the end for homegrown players Ryuji FUJIYAMA and Satoru ASARI, who both retired, signaling the dawn 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.

In 2011, under the leadership of Okuma, the slogan "TOKYO SPIRIT - Everything is for Winning -" was raised, aiming to "become stronger and return to J1" as they faced their second J2 league season. After the opening match, the Great East Japan Earthquake occurred, significantly altering the schedule. In the early stages, due to injuries, the team struggled to perform as expected and fell to the lower ranks. Amidst a sense of crisis within the team, the keyword "self-reliance" prompted the players to think about what they needed to do to win and to take action, gradually turning the team around. By Sec. 21, they took the lead and continued to accumulate points with stable performances, securing their return to J1 with a victory against Tottori in Sec. 36. Ultimately, they celebrated their first J2 championship. Furthermore, in the Emperor's Cup, they fought against J1 teams without fear, advancing to the New Year's Day Final for the first time. In the Final Round, although they allowed an early goal against Kyoto, they displayed a calm game and won with a total of 4 goals. They achieved their first Emperor's Cup victory and also secured a spot in the AFC Champions League (ACL) for the 2012 season.

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 the 2015 season, which was the second year for coach Massimo Ficcadenti, the team aimed to turn the progress made since last season into results. In the league opener against Gamba Osaka, they managed to draw in stoppage time, and after that, they finished Sec. 5 unbeaten, tying for first place. Although they lost in Sec. 6, they achieved another four consecutive wins leading up to the match against Kashima, where they faced a narrow defeat. They then suffered consecutive losses but continued to accumulate wins, finishing the 1st stage in 2nd place, unable to catch up to the leaders. In the 2nd stage, they maintained 3rd place in the overall standings after Sec. 5 but could not extend their points in the final stages, closing the year in 4th place overall. The 2nd stage ranking was 6th, and the annual points total of 63 was the highest in the club's history. In the Yamazaki Nabisco Cup, they advanced to the knockout stage by finishing first in the group with 3 wins and 3 draws, but were eliminated in the quarter-finals. The Emperor's Cup also ended with a result of reaching the best 8, 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 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.