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Kashima Antlers (鹿島アントラーズ, Kashima Antorāzu) are a professional football club based in Kashima, Ibaraki, Japan. They currently play in the J1 League, the top tier of Japanese professional football leagues. The club has financial backing from Mercari, a Japanese e-commerce company.[3]
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| Full name | Kashima Antlers F.C. Co., Ltd. | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Founded | 1947 as Sumitomo Metal FC | ||
| Ground | Kashima Soccer Stadium | ||
| Capacity | 40,728[1] | ||
| Owner | Mercari | ||
| Chairman | Fumiaki Koizumi[2] | ||
| Manager | Toru Oniki | ||
| League | J1 League | ||
| 2024 | J1 League, 5th of 20 | ||
| Website | www | ||
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Since the J.League's creation and introduction of professional Japanese football in 1993, Kashima have proven themselves to be by far Japan's most successful football club in terms of trophies won, having won the J1 League title a record 8 times, the J.League Cup a record 6 times, the Emperor's Cup 5 times and the Japanese Super Cup a record 6 times for an unprecedented nineteen major domestic titles.[4] Continentally, Kashima became Asian champions when they won the AFC Champions League in 2018.[5] The club also won the J.League Cup / Copa Sudamericana Championship on 2 occasions in 2012 and 2013.
Internationally, Kashima has made two appearances in the FIFA Club World Cup where in the 2016 edition, the club qualified as the host of the tournament.[6] Kashima notably became the only club to qualify from the first round until the final where they would go on to lose to 2015–16 UEFA Champions League winners, Real Madrid 4–2 after extra time with Gaku Shibasaki scoring both goals for Kashima.[7]
Kashima are also one of only two clubs to have competed in Japan's professional top-flight football every year since its inception (the other being Yokohama F. Marinos).
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The name 'Antlers' is derived from the city of Kashima (鹿嶋), which literally translates to 'Deer Island'.[8] The club crest not only resembles deer antlers but it also reflects the image of rose thorn as it is the official flower of Ibaraki, the home prefecture of the club. Deer are amiable animals and are viewed in some religions as spiritual messengers. In fact, Kashima Shrine, one of the most famous shrines in Japan and located in close proximity to the club headquarters, have kept and raised deer for more than 1,300 years as spiritual symbol.
Founded in 1947 as Sumitomo Metal Industries Factory Football Club in Osaka and moved to Kashima, Ibaraki in 1975. It played in the semi-professional Japan Soccer League (JSL). They were promoted to the JSL's top flight in 1984, but never made much of an impact, going down in 1985/86,[9] returning in 1986/87 and going down again in 1988/89.[10] Its last standing in the JSL was 2nd in the Second Division for 1991/92.[11] In October 1991, Kashima Antlers FC Co., Ltd. was established with investment from 43 companies (at the time) from 5 local governments.
After the formation of the fully professional J.League, Sumitomo, like all other clubs, stripped the corporate brand from the club's name and reformed as the Kashima Antlers in April 1992. Kashima was essentially promoted to the new top flight, as many JSL First Division clubs decided to relegate themselves being unprepared for professionalism. (Of the original 10[a] J.League founding member clubs, Kashima and Shimizu S-Pulse were newly promoted. Ironically, Kashima had defeated a forerunner of Shimizu's, Nippon Light Metal/Hagoromo Club, to earn its JSL Second Division place back in 1974).
Since the J.League's creation and introduction of professional Japanese football in 1993, Kashima have consistently been amongst the strongest clubs in the country, holding several distinctions and records. Led by former Brazil national team star and Japan national team coach Zico in the club's formative years, Kashima were the first club to win a J.League stage, claiming the 1st stage of the inaugural season in 1993. This laid a platform for continuous greatness and long after the Kashima icon had departed, in 2000 Kashima became the first J.League club to achieve the "treble", by winning all three major titles: J.League, J.League Cup, and Emperor's Cup in the same year.
In recent times, by clinching the 2007 J.League title they became the first and only club in Japan to have won ten domestic titles in the professional era. In 2008 they became the first and only club to successfully defend the J.League title on two occasions. In 2009 they became the first and only club to win three consecutive J.League titles. With victories in back to back J.League Cups in 2011, 2012 and most recently followed by their 2015 victory, Kashima extended their unmatched record of major domestic titles in the professional era to seventeen.
To this day, Kashima has maintained strong ties with the football community in Brazil, a fact borne out of Zico's past affiliation with the club. Kashima's Brazilian connection has manifested itself in both the club's player transfer and coaching policy resulting in only three non-Brazilian foreign players and predominantly Brazilian managers signing for Kashima since the inception of the J.League.
The population of Kashima city is a mere 60,000 and for that reason club has also adopted the surrounding cities of Itako, Kamisu, Namegata and Hokota as its official hometowns, all in Ibaraki Prefecture. The combined population of five cities is 280,000. Antlers home games are played at Kashima Soccer Stadium, one of the 2002 FIFA World Cup venues with capacity of 40,000.
During the 2016 FIFA Club World Cup, Kashima became the first Asian club to reach the FIFA Club World Cup final and notably became the only club to qualify from the first round until the final following a 3–0 victory over South American winners, Atlético Nacional.[12] In the final, after a 2–2 draw against European champions Real Madrid after 90 minutes, they were beaten 4–2 after extra time.[13]
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In the Captain Tsubasa manga series, two characters were players of Kashima Antlers. The Brazilian midfielders Luciano Leo (himself loosely based on Leonardo) and Pepe were colleagues of Flamengo's Carlos Santana and São Paulo's Tsubasa Ozora.
In 2017, Kashima established a base in New York where the club main objective is to investigate and apply advanced cases from the digital domain of the Major League Soccer while there are also opportunities to gather information in terms of player management and competition factors. Another reason comes in the form of establishing relationships to learn international strategy directly from the likes of FC Barcelona and Bayern Munich. The relationship building hasn't solely been with European clubs, and for the past two years regular meetings have been held at the head offices of MLS in order to deepen ties with the league and its clubs.
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| Season(s) | Kit manufacturer | Main shirt sponsor | Collarbone sponsor | Additional sponsor(s) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Nike | Lixil | — | Yellow Hat | Riso Kagaku Corporation | Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal | Eyeful Home | — |
| 2018 | Mercari | |||||||
| 2019 | Nippon Steel | |||||||
| 2020 | ||||||||
| 2021 | Merpay / kaneka | Connect | ||||||
| 2022 | kaneka | |||||||
| 2023 | Takasago Thermal Engineering | |||||||
| 2024 | ||||||||
Kit evolution
| Home kits | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
          1993–1994 |
     1995–1996 |
     1997 |
     1998–1999 |
     2000-2001 |
     2002-2003 |
     2004-2005 |
     2006-2007 |
     2008–2009 |
     2010 |
    2011 |
    2012 |
    2013 |
     2014 |
   2015 |
    2016 |
  2017 |
     2018 |
  2019 |
  2020 |
     2021 |
     2022 |
     2023 |
  2024 - | |
| Away kits | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
     1993–1994 |
     1995–1996 |
     1997 |
     1998–1999 |
     2000–2001 |
     2002–2003 |
     2004–2005 |
     2006–2007 |
     2008–2009 |
     2010 |
  2011 |
     2012 |
     2013 |
    2014 |
   2015 |
    2016 |
    2017 |
     2018 |
  2019 |
  2020 |
     2021 |
     2022 |
     2023 |
     2024 - | |
| Alternative kits | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
     1995 3rd |
   2008–2009 3rd 2009 ACL |
  2012 3rd |
2017 3rd |
 2019 3rd |
     2021 3rd | ||||
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Kashima Soccer Stadium has been the home ground of Kashima since 26 March 1993. The Kashima Soccer Museum, opened in 2004 is set for wide-scale renewal, while the Wellness Plaza, established in 2006, is also in line for similar improvements, including the installation of a public bath. There is a real awareness of furthering stadium use on non-matchdays to ensure Kashima Stadium is a hub for the local region. On the other hand, the importance of Kashima Stadium as a sacred football ground will also increase. The stadium has been selected as a host venue for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, meaning it will international competition for the first time since the 2002 FIFA World Cup. Ahead of that, the stadium will also host the Ibaraki National Sports Festival this year, at which athletes will gather from all over the country.
In 2008 a 500-metre LED wraparound advertising board, the longest in Asia, was installed at the front of the second tier. In 2017, the latest large electronic screens were added to both the north and south stands as part of the commitment to improving the viewing environment for visitors.
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- As of 15 August 2024.[14]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Out on loan
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Kashima Antlers Youth
- As of 15 April 2024.
The main U-18 team of Kashima Antlers currently plays in the Prince Takamado U-18 Premier League, the top-flight league for U-18 team of professional soccer clubs and high school soccer team in the country.[15][16]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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| Role[17] | Name |
|---|---|
| Technical advisor |  Zico |
| Manager |  Masaki Chugo |
| Coaches | Ryuji Suzuki Kenji Haneda Masashi Moyoyama |
| Physical advisors | Masaya Sakihana |
| Physical coach | Ryosuke Ito |
| Goalkeeping coach | Yohei Sato |
| Assistant goalkeeper coach |  Kwoun Sun-tae |
| Technical staff | Suguru Arie |
| Strength coach | Hitoshi Otomo |
| Physiotherapists | Yoshihiko Nakagawa Atsushi Inaba |
| Athletic trainers | Toshihiro Hashimoto Kenichi Nakata Tsukasa Ohashi |
| Mental trainer | Toshiki Shimizu |
| Dietitian | Aya Ishibashi |
| Interpreters | Kenta Kasai Kentaro Seki Masaya Kawakubo Kim Young-ha |
| Competent | Yuji Takada |
| Side affairs | Keisuke Okawa Shinpei Okiji |
| Team doctors | Hiroshi Jonouchi Jun Seki Ryo Matsunaga Takashi Sando Tomoo Ishii Toshiaki Nagamine Hiroshi Kimura |
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As both Sumitomo Metal FC (1947–1991) and Kashima Antlers (1991–present)
| Honour | No. | Years |
|---|---|---|
| All Japan Senior Football Championship | 1 | 1973 |
| Japan Soccer League (Second tier) | 2 | 1984, 1986–87 |
| J1 League | 8 | 1996, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2016 |
| Emperor's Cup | 5 | 1997, 2000, 2007, 2010, 2016 |
| J.League Cup | 6 | 1997, 2000, 2002, 2011, 2012, 2015 |
| A3 Champions Cup | 1 | 2003 |
| Japanese Super Cup | 6 | 1997, 1998, 1999, 2009, 2010, 2017 |
| J.League Cup / Copa Sudamericana Championship | 2 | 2012, 2013 |
| AFC Champions League | 1 | 2018 |
Jorginho (1996)- Marquinhos (2008)
Mitsuo Ogasawara (2009)
- Marquinhos (2008)
- Santos (1993)
- Shunzo Ono (1993)
- Yasuto Honda (1993)
- Naoki Soma (1995, 1996, 1997, 1998)
- Jorginho (1996)
- Bismarck (1997)
- Yutaka Akita (1997, 1998, 2000)
- Atsushi Yanagisawa (1998, 2001)
- Daijiro Takakuwa (2000)
- Akira Narahashi (2001)
- Mitsuo Ogasawara (2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2009)
- Kōji Nakata (2001)
- Hitoshi Sogahata (2002)
- Daiki Iwamasa (2007, 2008, 2009)
- Marquinhos (2008)
- Atsuto Uchida (2008, 2009)
- Yuya Osako (2013)
- Gaku Shibasaki (2014)
- Mu Kanazaki (2015)
- Gen Shoji (2016, 2017)
- Daigo Nishi (2017, 2018)
- Everaldo (2020)
- Atsushi Yanagisawa (1997)
- Gaku Shibasaki (2012)
- Caio (2014)
- Ryotaro Araki (2021)
- João Carlos (1997)
- Oswaldo de Oliveira (2007, 2008, 2009)
- Masatada Ishii (2016)
World Cup players
The following players have been selected by their country in the World Cup, while playing for Kashima Antlers:
Olympic players
The following players have represented their country at the Summer Olympic Games whilst playing for Kashima Antlers:
| Manager | Nationality | Tenure | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Start | Finish | ||
| Masakatsu Miyamoto | Japan | January 1992 | June 1994 |
| Edu | Brazil | June 1994 | December 1995 |
| João Carlos | Brazil | January 1996 | July 1998 |
| Takashi Sekizuka (interim) | Japan | July 1998 | |
| Zé Mário | Brazil | July 1998 | August 1999 |
| Takashi Sekizuka (interim) | Japan | August 1999 | |
| Zico (interim) | Brazil | 20 August 1999 | 31 December 1999 |
| Toninho Cerezo | Brazil | 1 January 2000 | 30 December 2005 |
| Paulo Autuori | Brazil | 31 December 2005 | 29 November 2006 |
| Oswaldo de Oliveira | Brazil | 1 January 2007 | 31 December 2011 |
| Jorginho | Brazil | 1 January 2012 | 31 December 2012 |
| Toninho Cerezo | Brazil | 1 January 2013 | 22 July 2015 |
| Masatada Ishii | Japan | 23 July 2015 | 31 May 2017 |
| Go Oiwa | Japan | 31 May 2017 | 1 January 2020 |
| Antônio Carlos Zago | Brazil | 2 January 2020 | 3 April 2021 |
| Naoki Soma (interim) | Japan | 7 April 2021 | 5 December 2021[18] |
| René Weiler |  Switzerland | 10 December 2021 | 7 August 2022[19] |
| Daiki Iwamasa | Japan | 8 August 2022[20] | 4 December 2023[21] |
| Ranko Popović |  Serbia | 21 December 2023[22] | 6 October 2024[23] |
| Masaki Chugo | Japan | 9 October 2024[24] | 8 December 2024 |
| Toru Oniki | Japan | 12 December 2024[25] | Present |
| Champions | Runners-up | Third place | Promoted | Relegated |
| Season | Div. | Tms. | Pos. | Avg. Attd. | J.League Cup | Emperor's Cup | Super Cup | Asia | Others | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | – | – | – | – | Semi-finals | Quarter-finals | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1993 | J1 | 10 | 2nd | 14,016 | Group stage | Runners-up | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1994 | 12 | 3rd | 16,812 | 1st round | 1st round | – | – | – | – | – | |
| 1995 | 14 | 7th | 19,141 | – | Semi-finals | – | – | – | – | – | |
| 1996 | 16 | 1st | 15,386 | Group stage | Quarter-finals | – | – | – | – | – | |
| 1997 | 17 | 2nd | 16,985 | Winner | Winner | Winner | – | – | – | – | |
| 1998 | 18 | 1st | 15,345 | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Winner | CC | Quarter-finals | – | – | |
| 1999 | 16 | 9th | 17,049 | Runners-up | Round of 16 | Winner | CWC | 3rd place | – | – | |
| 2000 | 16 | 1st | 17,507 | Winner | Winner | – | CC | Quarter-finals | – | – | |
| 2001 | 16 | 1st | 22,425 | Semi-finals | Quarter-finals | Runners-up | – | – | – | – | |
| 2002 | 16 | 4th | 21,590 | Winner | Runners-up | Runners-up | CC | Quarter-finals | – | – | |
| 2003 | 16 | 5th | 21,204 | Runners-up | Semi-finals | – | CL | Group stage | A3 | Winner | |
| 2004 | 16 | 6th | 17,585 | Quarter-finals | Quarter-finals | – | – | – | – | – | |
| 2005 | 18 | 3rd | 18,641 | Group stage | Quarter-finals | – | – | – | – | – | |
| 2006 | 18 | 6th | 15,433 | Runners-up | Semi-finals | – | – | – | – | – | |
| 2007 | 18 | 1st | 16,239 | Semi-finals | Winner | – | – | – | – | – | |
| 2008 | 18 | 1st | 19,714 | Quarter-finals | 5th round | Runners-up | CL | Quarter-finals | – | – | |
| 2009 | 18 | 1st | 21,617 | Quarter-finals | Quarter-finals | Winner | CL | Round of 16 | – | – | |
| 2010 | 18 | 4th | 20,966 | Quarter-finals | Winner | Winner | CL | Round of 16 | – | – | |
| 2011 | 18 | 6th | 16,156 | Winner | Round of 16 | Runners-up | CL | Round of 16 | – | – | |
| 2012 | 18 | 11th | 15,381 | Winner | Semi-finals | – | – | – | Suruga | Winner | |
| 2013 | 18 | 5th | 16,419 | Quarter-finals | Round of 16 | – | – | – | Suruga | Winner | |
| 2014 | 18 | 3rd | 17,665 | Group stage | 2nd round | – | – | – | – | – | |
| 2015 | 18 | 5th | 16,423 | Winner | 3rd round | – | CL | Group stage | – | – | |
| 2016 | 18 | 1st | 19,103 | Group stage | Winner | – | – | – | Suruga | Runners-up | |
| FIFA | Runners-up | ||||||||||
| 2017 | 18 | 2nd | 20,467 | Quarter-finals | Quarter-finals | Winner | CL | Round of 16 | – | – | |
| 2018 | 18 | 3rd | 20,547 | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | – | CL | Winner | FIFA | 4th place | |
| 2019 | 18 | 3rd | 20,571 | Semi-finals | Runners-up | – | CL | Quarter-finals | – | – | |
| 2020 † | 18 | 5th | 6,466 | Group stage | Did not qualify | – | CL | Playoff | – | – | |
| 2021 † | 20 | 4th | 7,818 | Quarter-finals | Quarter-finals | – | – | – | – | – | |
| 2022 | 18 | 4th | 16,161 | Play-off stage | Semi-finals | – | – | – | – | – | |
| 2023 | 18 | 5th | 20,834 | Quarter-finals | 3rd round | – | – | – | – | – | |
| 2024 | 20 | 5th | 23,027 | 3rd round | Quarter-finals | – | – | – | – | – | |
| 2025 | 20 | TBD | TBD | TBD | – | – | – | – | – | ||
- Key
- Attendance/G = Average home league attendance
- † 2020 & 2021 seasons attendances reduced by COVID-19 worldwide pandemic.
- Source: J.League Data Site
International capped players
| Year | Slogan |
|---|---|
| 1998 | CHALLENGE |
| 1999 | NEXT |
| 2000 | Glory Again– 原点からの挑戦– (Challenge from the Beginning) |
| 2001 | - 勝利主義 Antlersism – FOR NEXT 10 YEARS (Doctrine of Victory) |
| 2002 | - 進化 Antlersism – STAIRWAY TO THE WORLD (Evolution) |
| 2003 | OVER'03 – カシマからアジア、そして世界へ – (From Kashima to Asia, then to the World) |
| 2004 | FOOTBALL DREAM 2004 – 奪冠10 – (Take the Crown 10) |
| 2005 | FOOTBALL DREAM 2005 – 反撃宣言 – (Declaration of Counter-Attack) |
| 2006 | FOOTBALL DREAM 2006 – 一新制覇 – (Brand New Conquest) |
| 2007 | FOOTBALL DREAM'07 – 魂 Spirits – |
| Year | Slogan |
|---|---|
| 2008 | FOOTBALL DREAM 2008 – DESAFIO 挑戦 – (Challenge) |
| 2009 | FOOTBALL DREAM 2009 – PROGRESSO 飛躍 – (Progress) |
| 2010 | FOOTBALL DREAM 2010 – Evolução 新化 – (Evolution) |
| 2011 | FOOTBALL DREAM NEXT |
| 2012 | SMILE AGAIN with PRIDE |
| 2013 | RENASCIMENTO – 誇りを胸に – (Rebirth – Carrying Pride in Our Hearts) |
| 2014 | SPECTACLE – 戦 – (Battle) |
| 2015 | RISE TO THE CHALLENGE – 覚悟 – (Ready) |
| 2016 | FOOTBALL DREAM ともに (Together) |
| 2017 | FOOTBALL DREAM つなぐ (Connected) |
| Year | Slogan |
|---|---|
| 2018 | FOOTBALL DREAM こえる (Surpassing) |
| 2019 | FOOTBALL DREAM かわる (Changing) |
| 2020 | FOOTBALL DREAM みせる[26] (On Display) |
| 2021 | FOOTBALL DREAM しんか (Evolution) |
| 2022 | FOOTBALL DREAM いどむ (Challenge) |
| 2023 | FOOTBALL DREAM ひとつに (Be the One) |
| 2024 | FOOTBALL DREAM かける (Hang on) |
- The Original Ten of the J.League in 1992 were Kashima Antlers, Urawa Red Diamonds, JEF United Ichihara, Verdy Kawasaki, Yokohama Marinos, Yokohama Flügels, Shimizu S-Pulse, Nagoya Grampus Eight, Gamba Osaka and Sanfrecce Hiroshima.
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