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| Full name | Kashima Antlers F.C. Co., Ltd. | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Founded | 1947; 78 years ago (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 | ||
 Current season | |||
TheKashima Antlers (鹿島アントラーズ,Kashima Antorāzu) are a professionalfootball club based inKashima, Ibaraki, Japan. They currently play in theJ1 League, the top tier of Japanese professional football leagues. The club has financial backing fromMercari, a Japanese e-commerce company.[3]
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 theJ1 League title a record8 times, theJ.League Cup a record 6 times, theEmperor's Cup 5 times and theJapanese Super Cup a record 6 times for an unprecedented nineteen major domestic titles.[4] Continentally, Kashima became Asian champions when they won theAFC Champions League in2018.[5] The club also won theJ.League Cup / Copa Sudamericana Championship on 2 occasions in2012 and2013.
Internationally, Kashima has made two appearances in theFIFA Club World Cup where in the2016 edition, the club qualified as the host of the tournament.[6] Kashima notably became the only club to qualify from the first round until thefinal where they would go on to lose to2015–16 UEFA Champions League winners,Real Madrid 4–2 after extra time withGaku Shibasaki scoring both goals for Kashima.[7]
Kashima are also one of onlytwo clubs to have competed in Japan's top flight football every year since it was professionalized (the other beingYokohama F. Marinos, who has been playing in the top flight since 1982).
The name 'Antlers' is derived from the city of Kashima (Japanese:鹿嶋,lit. 'Deer Island').[8]
The club crest not only resembles deerantlers but it also reflects the image of arose 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, has kept and raised deer for more than 1,300 years as a spiritual symbol.
Founded in 1947 asSumitomo Metal IndustriesFactory Football Club inOsaka and moved toKashima, Ibaraki in 1975. It played in the semi-professionalJapan Soccer League (JSL). They were promoted to the JSL's top flight in1984, but never made much of an impact, going down in1985/86,[9] returning in1986/87 and going down again in1988/89.[10] Its last standing in the JSL was 2nd in the Second Division for1991/92.[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 theKashima 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 andShimizu 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 in1974).
Since the J.League's creation and introduction of professional Japanese football in1993, Kashima have consistently been amongst the strongest clubs in the country, holding several distinctions and records. Led by formerBrazil national team star andJapan national team coachZico 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, in2000 Kashima became the first J.League club to achieve the "treble", by winning all three major titles:J.League,J.League Cup, andEmperor's Cup in the same year.
In recent times, by clinching the2007 J.League title they became the first and only club in Japan to have won ten domestic titles in the professional era. In2008 they became the first and only club to successfully defend the J.League title on two occasions. In2009 they became the first and only club to win three consecutive J.League titles. With victories in back to backJ.League Cups in2011,2012 and most recently followed by their2015 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 thefootball 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 ofItako,Kamisu,Namegata andHokota as its official hometowns, all in Ibaraki Prefecture. The combined population of five cities is 280,000. Antlers home games are played atKashima Soccer Stadium, one of the 2002 FIFA World Cup venues with capacity of 40,000.
During the2016 FIFA Club World Cup, Kashima became the first Asian club to reach theFIFA 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 thefinal, after a 2–2 draw against European championsReal Madrid after 90 minutes, they were beaten 4–2 after extra time.[13]
In 2017, Kashima established a base inNew York where the club main objective is to investigate and apply advanced cases from the digital domain of theMajor 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 ofFC Barcelona andBayern 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.
| Season(s) | Kit manufacturer | Main shirt sponsor | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Mizuno (J.League) | Ennerre (Emperor's Cup) | none |
| 1994 | |||
| 1995 | |||
| 1996 | Tostem | ||
| 1997 | Umbro | ||
| 1998 | NR (Ennerre) | ||
| 1999 | |||
| 2000 | |||
| 2001 | |||
| 2002 | Nike | ||
| 2003 | |||
| 2004 | |||
| 2005 | |||
| 2006 | |||
| 2007 | |||
| 2008 | |||
| 2009 | |||
| 2010 | |||
| 2011 | Lixil | ||
| 2012 | |||
| 2013 | |||
| 2014 | |||
| 2015 | |||
| 2016 | |||
| 2017 | |||
| 2018 | |||
| 2019 | |||
| 2020 | |||
| 2021 | |||
| 2022 | |||
| 2023 | |||
| 2024 | |||
| Home kits | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
          1992 |      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 |
     2025 | ||||
| Away kits | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
    1992 |      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 |
     2025 | ||||
| Alternative kits | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
     1995 3rd |    2008–2009 3rd 2009 ACL |   2012 3rd | 2017 3rd |  2019 3rd |
     2021 3rd |    2024 Friendly Match against Brighton | |||
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 the2020 Tokyo Olympics, meaning it will international competition for the first time since the2002 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.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
|
|
| Role[15][16] | Name |
|---|---|
| Technical advisor |  Zico |
| Manager |  Toru Oniki |
| Assistant manager | Masaki Chugo |
| Coaches | Atsushi YanagisawaMakoto Tanaka |
| Goalkeeping coach | Hitoshi Sogahata |
| Technical staff | Suguru Arie Tomofumi Kuriyama |
| Physical coach | Ryosuke Ito |
| Conditioning coach | Hiroyuki Furuta |
| Physiotherapists | Yoshihiko Nakagawa Atsushi Inaba |
| Athletic trainers | Toshihiro Hashimoto Kenichi Nakata Tsukasa Ohashi |
| Interpreters | Kenta Kasai Kentaro Seki Masaya Kawakubo Kim Young-ha |
| Competent | Yuji Takada |
| Side affairs | Keisuke Okawa Shinpei Okiji |
| Dietitian | Aya Ishibashi |
| Team doctors | Hiroshi Jonouchi Jun Seki Ryo Matsunaga Takashi Sando Tomoo Ishii Toshiaki Nagamine Hiroshi Kimura |
As bothSumitomo Metal FC (1947–1991) andKashima Antlers (1991–present)
| Honour | No. | Years |
|---|---|---|
| J1 League | 8 | 1996,1998,2000,2001,2007,2008,2009,2016 |
| Japan Soccer League Division 2 | 2 | 1984,1986–87 |
| Emperor's Cup | 5 | 1997,2000,2007,2010,2016 |
| J.League Cup | 6 | 1997,2000,2002,2011,2012,2015 |
| Japanese Super Cup | 6 | 1997,1998,1999,2009,2010,2017 |
| All Japan Senior Football Championship | 1 | 1973 |
| AFC Champions League Elite | 1 | 2018 |
| J.League Cup / Copa Sudamericana Championship | 2 | 2012,2013 |
| A3 Champions Cup | 1 | 2003 |
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)The following players have been selected by their country in theWorld Cup, while playing for Kashima Antlers:
The following players have represented their country at theSummer 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[17] |
| René Weiler |  Switzerland | 10 December 2021 | 7 August 2022[18] |
| Daiki Iwamasa | Japan | 8 August 2022[19] | 4 December 2023[20] |
| Ranko Popović |  Serbia | 21 December 2023[21] | 6 October 2024[22] |
| Masaki Chugo | Japan | 9 October 2024[23] | 8 December 2024 |
| Toru Oniki | Japan | 12 December 2024[24] | 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 | 2nd round | Quarter-finals | – | – | – | – | – | ||
| 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[25] (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) |
| 2025 | FOOTBALL DREAM ONE |
| Club | |
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| Stadium | |
| Honours | |
| Personalities |
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| Seasons | |
| Matches | |
| Sponsors | |
| Training ground | |
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