 | ||||
| Full name | Urawa Red Diamonds | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nicknames | Reds (レッズ,Rezzu) Red Devils (赤い悪魔,Akai Akuma) | |||
| Founded | 1950; 75 years ago (1950) as Mitsubishi Motors FC | |||
| Stadium | Saitama Stadium 2002 Saitama, Japan | |||
| Capacity | 63,700 | |||
| Owner | Mitsubishi Heavy Industries | |||
| Chairman | Makoto Taguchi | |||
| Manager | Maciej Skorża | |||
| League | J1 League | |||
| 2024 | J1 League, 13th of 20 | |||
| Website | urawa-reds.co.jp | |||
 Current season | ||||
TheUrawa Red Diamonds (浦和レッドダイヤモンズ,Urawa Reddo Daiyamonzu) or simplyUrawa Reds (浦和レッズ,Urawa Rezzu), also known asMitsubishi Urawa Football Club from April 1992 to January 1996, are a professionalfootball club in the city ofSaitama, part of theGreater Tokyo Area in Japan, who play in theJ1 League, the top tier of Japanese football. The Reds are one of the most successful clubs in the country, having won threeAFC Champions League titles (most recently in2022) and various domestic titles including a joint-record eightEmperor's Cups, as well as participating at threeFIFA Club World Cups.
The club's name comes from the former city ofUrawa, now part of Saitama, and pre-professional era parent companyMitsubishi, whose logo consists of three red diamonds, one of which remains within the current club badge.
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries established a football club in 1950[1] inKobe and moved the club to Tokyo in 1958. In1965 it formed theJapan Soccer League (JSL) along with today'sJEF United Chiba,Kashiwa Reysol,Cerezo Osaka,Sanfrecce Hiroshima and three other clubs who have since been relegated to regional leagues ("Original Eight"[a]).
Mitsubishi first won the JSL championship in 1969, as a break in Mazda/Sanfrecce's dominance (and also with the fact that Toyo were inBangkok,Thailand, competing in theAsian Club Cup); their runs up the first division were sporadic but steady until the 1980s when they fell into the Second Division. In 1990 they were promoted as JSL Division 2 champions, and thus were ready when the J-League implementation began in earnest. Urawa Red Diamonds was an original member ("Original Ten"[b]) of theJ.League in 1993.
Mitsubishi were the first Japanese club to complete a domestictreble, when in 1978 they won the title, theEmperor's Cup and theJapan Soccer League Cup.
The club's name was then changed to ''Mitsubishi Urawa Football Club'' from in April 1992 where their nickname was "Red Diamonds". However, in February 1996, the club's name was changed to "Urawa Red Diamonds".
The club has experienced varying degrees of success since the inception of the J-League. The team finished at the bottom of the league for the first two seasons, with an average attendance of fewer than 15,000. In 1999, they were relegated to the second tier of Japanese football once again., the club's performance has improved in years, beginning with a victory in the 2003Nabisco Cup.
In2006, Urawa Reds clinched their first professional league title by defeating runners-upGamba Osaka 3–2 on December 2 in front of 63,000 supporters. This after two close calls in the previous two years. In2005, they finished second, just one point behind champions Gamba Osaka. In2004, they finished third in the first stage and won the second stage and qualified for the two-matchJ.League Championship decider, they lost on penalty shootout toYokohama F. Marinos.
Urawa Reds were back to backEmperor's Cup winners in 2005 and 2006. Winning the title for the first time since their establishment as a professional club, they defeatedShimizu S-Pulse 2–1 on 1 January 2006, and retained the title in 2007 with a 1–0 win over Gamba Osaka. This win also completed aleague-cup double. In the 2007 tournament they were defeated at the first hurdle byJ2 League outfitEhime FC.
In 2007, despite a seemingly unassailable lead of seven points with four games remaining, Urawa Reds picked up only two points from their final four games. This run included losing at home toKashima Antlers; the club who would leapfrog Urawa on the final day of the season to claim their fifth J.League title. Following their capitulation in the fourth round of the Emperor's Cup to J2 League outfitEhime FC, Urawa Reds had to be content with their2007 AFC Champions League fixtures.
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Urawa Reds recorded their first prestigious cup overcomingIranian clubSepahan 3–1 on aggregate to clinch the2007 AFC Champions League trophy. The victory made them the first Japanese side to win the cup since the competition was reorganised from the Asian Champions Cup in 2003. In the2007 FIFA Club World Cup of the same year, Urawa Reds became the firstAFC club to finish in third place, beating Tunisian sideÉtoile Sportive du Sahel on penalty shootout in the third/fourth place play off.
Throughout the2008 AFC Champions League edition, Urawa Reds attempted to win their second consecutive AFC Champions League title and progressed to the semi-finals where they were defeated by fellow J-League rivals, and eventual Champions League winners, Gamba Osaka 3–1 on aggregate.
On 8 March 2014, a banner which read "JAPANESE ONLY" was hung at one of the entrances to the stands.[2] As punishment for this racist behavior, the league match on 28 March was playedbehind closed doors.[3]
In the2017 AFC Champions League edition, Urawa Reds had a good run throughout the entire tournament which saw them face Saudi Arabia club,Al-Hilal in the final which saw Urawa Reds winning the2017 AFC Champions League final 2–1 on aggregate to clinch their 2nd trophy.
Urawa Reds managed to make their way through all the way until the2019 AFC Champions League final facing off against Al-Hilal once again. However, the club fell in a 3–0 aggregate loss to the Saudi Arabian club.
During the2022 AFC Champions League, Urawa Reds had an easier run en route to the final where they faced three Southeast Asian club along the way, Singapore league championsLion City Sailors in the group stage while they faced Malaysia league championsJohor Darul Ta'zim 5–0 in the Round of 16 and Thailand league championsBG Pathum United 4–0 in the Quarter-finals. Urawa Reds would then face Korea league champions,Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors in the semi-finals which ended up with Urawa Reds advancing to the final after winning the penalty shootout. The club faced their tournament rivals Al-Hilal for the third time in the2022 AFC Champions League final. Urawa Red won 2–1 on aggregate, clinching their 3rd trophy.
On 19 September 2023, it was announced byJFA that Urawa Reds will not be participating in2024 edition ofEmperor's Cup following supporters clash after 0–3 loss againstNagoya Grampus in the 4th round of2023 edition.[4]
The club is also notable in that formerFeyenoord midfielderShinji Ono began his professional career playing for Urawa Reds. Ono returned for the 2006 season for a second stint with the club. Urawa Reds is affiliated with German clubBayern Munich, whose nickname is also "The Reds".[5]Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, the chairman of the Bayern Munich, announced that "We have been looking for clubs which have potential ability, management stability and cordial confidence. We could fulfill the desire to affiliate with this great club, Urawa Reds."[6] Some other foreign clubs, such asArsenal,Club Atlético Independiente,CR Flamengo,VfB Stuttgart,Manchester United,Feyenoord,Hamburger SV andPerth Glory, visited Japan and played friendly games at the Saitama Stadium.
In August2004, Urawa Reds appeared in a pre-season four-club friendly tournament, the Vodafone Cup, atOld Trafford, the home ground ofManchester United. Urawa Reds missed a few key players, losing their first match 5–2 against the Argentinian sideBoca Juniors. The second fixture against the hosts, Manchester United, was called off due to a massive electric storm. Some 800 Urawa Reds fans had travelled to the game and were later compensated.
Since the establishment of J.League in 1992, the club had used theUrawa Komaba Stadium as its home stadium. Due to the increasing popularity of the matches, Saitama City, owner of the stadium, expanded the seat capacity. During the renovation, the club usedŌmiya Park Soccer Stadium. In spite of the poor performance of the club, the stadium was filled with faithful supporters.
In October 2001,Saitama Prefecture built new football-specificSaitama Stadium in Saitama city. This stadium was used as a venue for the2002 FIFA World Cup. After the World Cup, the club gradually increased home games in Saitama Stadium and in 2003 the stadium was formally designated as the home stadium. In 2008, only two games were held at Komaba Stadium.
Urawa Reds uses Ohara City Field for training. In addition to this facility, the club opened Redsland in 2005, which has three grass fields, oneartificial turf field, onebaseball field,futsal courts andtennis courts.[7] Redsland is opened to the public and club members can use the facilities at relatively cheap fees.
Urawa Red Diamonds are associated with right-wing and nationalistic supporters. Since the early 2000s, sections of their ultras (particularly the "Urawa Boys" and related groups) have drawn widespread criticism for xenophobic and confrontational behaviour. These include the display of theRising Sun Flag, anti-Korean chants, and provocative banners, both at home and away fixtures.[8] In 2008, violent clashes broke out between Urawa and Gamba Osaka supporters at Saitama Stadium, resulting in an hours-long standoff. This was, at the time, considered the most serious act of fan violence in Japanese football history.[9] In 2010, Urawa Red Diamonds were fined $50,000 after a group of their supporters directed taunts at foreign players from rival clubVegalta Sendai.[10] The club’s most notorious incident occurred in March 2014, when a “Japanese Only” banner was hung at Saitama Stadium during a league fixture. The banner, widely condemned as racist, led the J.League to impose its first-ever closed-door match as punishment.[8] The incident sparked national and international backlash and prompted the formal dissolution of Urawa’s supporter groups in the "Curva Est" section, though the Urawa Boys later reformed in 2018.[9]
Further problems persisted; In 2020–2022, during theCOVID-19 pandemic, Urawa fans repeatedly defied public health regulations, including bans on singing, chanting, and mandatory mask-wearing. The club was fined ¥20 million and warned that future infractions could lead to match forfeitures or points deductions.[9] In August 2023, after a 3-0 Emperor’s Cup loss to Nagoya Grampus, over 70 Urawa supporters invaded the pitch, tearing down barriers and clashing with security and rival fans. The Japan Football Association (JFA) described it as a collective riot and imposed a ban on Urawa from the 2024 Emperor’s Cup. Eighteen individuals were banned from matches, and the club was accused of failing to rein in supporters over many years.[9]
In total, since 2000, Urawa Red Diamonds have been sanctioned at least 11 times for serious supporter misconduct,[9] including fines, official warnings, spectator bans, and competition suspensions. The club has been repeatedly criticised for tolerating and enabling its most fervent ultras, often portraying disciplinary action as an attack on fan culture rather than confronting extremist behaviour directly.[9]
Urawa Red Diamonds has alocal derby withOmiya Ardija, fromŌmiya-ku, Saitama city. They first met in the1987 Emperor's Cup, with Mitsubishi defeating NTT Kanto by 5 to 0 atNishigaoka National Stadium. The derby first took place in the JSL Second Division in the1989–90 season, and it wouldn't take place until the2000 season when Urawa was relegated to the second tier again. In 2003 the formerly separate Omiya and Urawa cities merged to becomeSaitama city, and since 2005 the derby became a top flight fixture after Omiya was promoted.
During theJSL years and into the 1990s, Urawa's main top flight rivals wereJEF United Chiba andKashiwa Reysol, both now based inChiba Prefecture. Because of their former parent companies' headquarters being all based inMarunouchi,Tokyo, the three clubs were known as theMarunouchiGosanke (丸の内御三家,"Marunouchi Big Three") and fixtures among them were known as theMarunouchi derbies, although the term is falling out of use as they are now based in different prefectures and rarely play home games in Tokyo stadiums.
Rivals further afield includeKashima Antlers,FC Tokyo,Yokohama Marinos,Kawasaki Frontale, and, even farther away,Gamba Osaka. Old JSL championship rivalries withSanfrecce Hiroshima,Cerezo Osaka andShonan Bellmare have ebbed down as those clubs had nadirs in the second tier.
The club's supporters also have an unofficial relationship with Chinese clubShanghai Shenhua, who are known as the "Blue Devils" (complementing the "Red Devils" nickname for Urawa). The clubs' supporters will support each other in continental competition. For example, Shenhua fans will support Urawa Reds when Urawa Reds play in Shanghai against Shanghai SIPG.[11]
The connection began in 2007 following an AFC Champions League match in Shanghai, where the two groups met and developed a rapport. Since then, they have maintained contact through reciprocal visits and shared matchday gatherings. Support for Urawa from some Shenhua fans, particularly during matches involving other Chinese clubs such asShanghai SIPG, has sparked criticism from portions of the domestic fanbase, who call Shanghai Shenhua fans "traitors" for supporting a Japanese team. Shanghai Shenhua supporters' actions have also attracted negative attention from media outlets and authorities. Nonetheless, members of the Blue Devils have continued to express support for Urawa, including by attending matches in Japan and displaying banners during local derbies. Reporters have suggested that Shanghai's support for Urawa comes from Shanghai fans wanting to reject the Beijing government and nationalistic politics in favour of regionalist pride.[12]
The Red Diamonds have four mascots: Redia, Friendia, Schale, and Diarra. However, Redia doesn't make much appearances at Saitama Stadium, due to the club's policy of the stadium being a "place for serious competition". When he does occasionally appear at the stadium, he does not participate in any fan activities. Because of this, Reds fans dubbed him as a NEET mascot (which is an acronym for "No education, employment, or training").[13] According to the club profile, Redia and Friendia were married during a Reds fan festival in 1997. The younger twin mascots, Schale and Diarra, were born on the day the Red Diamonds won their first J. League Championship in 2006.[14]
The club also has awomen's football team, currently playing in theWE League asUrawa Reds Ladies.[15]
The main colours of the Urawa Red Diamonds are red, black and white.
| Home kit - 1st | ||||
          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 kit - 2nd | ||||
     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 kit - 3rd | ||||
1992 - 1993 Cup 1st | 1992 - 1993 Cup 2nd |     1994 - 1996 Cup 1st |     1994 - 1996 Cup 2nd | 1997 Cup 1st |
1997 Cup 2nd |    2012 3rd |      2013 3rd |      2014 3rd |   2017 3rd |
 2019 3rd |    2020 3rd |      2022 PSG game |      2022 Eintracht Frankfurt game |    2023 3rd |
   2023 ACL 2022 |    ACL2023/24 1st FIFA 2023 1st |  ACL 2023/24 2nd FIFA 2023 2nd |      2024 3rd |     2025 3rd |
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.
|
|
For the2024 J1 League season.[17]
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Sporting director |  Hisashi Tsuchida |
| Manager |  Maciej Skorża |
| Coach | Rafal Janas Wojciech MakowskiNobuyasu Ikeda Masato Maesako |
| Physical coach | Tatsuru Ishiguri Wojciech Ignatiuk |
| Goalkeeper coach |  Juan Miret |
| Assistant goalkeeper coach | Tomoyasu Ando |
| Coach & analyst | Maiki Hayashi |
As bothMitsubishi Motors (amateur era) andUrawa Red Diamonds (professional era)
| Honour | No. | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Japan Soccer League Division 1/J1 League | 5 | 1969,1973,1978,1982,2006 |
| Japan Soccer League Division 2 | 1 | 1989–90 |
| Emperor's Cup | 8 | 1971,1973,1978,1980,2005,2006,2018,2021 |
| JSL Cup/J.League Cup | 4 | 1978,1981,2003,2016 |
| Japanese Super Cup | 5 | 1979,1980,1983,2006,2022 |
| AFC Champions League Elite | 3 | 2007,2017,2022 |
| J.League Cup / Copa Sudamericana Championship | 1 | 2017 |
The following players have represented their country at theWorld Cup whilst playing for Urawa Red Diamonds:
Koichi Shitani 1992–1993Masahiro Fukuda 1994–1997 Takashi Tsuchida 1998–1999Shinji Ono 2000–2001Masami Ihara 2001–2002Hideki Uchidate 2003Nobuhisa Yamada 2004–2008Keita Suzuki 2009–2011Yuki Abe 2012–2017Yōsuke Kashiwagi 2018–2019Shusaku Nishikawa 2020–2022Hiroki Sakai 2023–present
|
| Manager | Nationality | Tenure | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Start | Finish | ||
| Hiroshi Ninomiya | Japan | 1 February 1967 | 31 January 1975 |
| Kenzo Yokoyama | 1 February 1975 | 31 January 1984 | |
| Kuniya Daini | 1 February 1984 | 30 June 1989 | |
| Kazuo Saito | 1 July 1989 | 30 June 1992 | |
| Takaji Mori | 1 July 1993 | 31 January 1994 | |
| Kenzo Yokoyama (2) | 1 February 1994 | 31 January 1995 | |
| Holger Osieck |  Germany | 1 February 1995 | 31 December 1996 |
| Horst Köppel | 1 February 1997 | 31 December 1998 | |
| Hiromi Hara | Japan | 1 February 1998 | 30 June 1999 |
| Aad de Mos |  Netherlands | 1 July 1999 | 3 December 1999 |
| Yasushi Yoshida | Japan | 4 December 1999 | 31 January 2000 |
| Kazuo Saito (2) | 2 February 2000 | 2 October 2000 | |
| Kenzo Yokoyama (3) | 3 October 2000 | 31 January 2001 | |
| Tita |  Brazil | 1 February 2001 | 27 August 2001 |
| Pita | 28 August 2001 | 31 January 2001 | |
| Hans Ooft | Netherlands | 1 February 2002 | 31 January 2004 |
| Guido Buchwald | Germany | 1 February 2004 | 31 January 2007 |
| Holger Osieck (2) | 1 February 2007 | 16 March 2008 | |
| Gert Engels | 16 March 2008 | 27 November 2008 | |
| Volker Finke | 1 February 2009 | 31 January 2011 | |
| Željko Petrović |  Montenegro | 1 February 2011 | 20 October 2011 |
| Takafumi Hori(caretaker) | Japan | 20 October 2011 | 31 January 2012 |
| Mihailo Petrović |  Serbia | 1 February 2012 | 30 July 2017 |
| Takafumi Hori | Japan | 31 July 2017 | 2 April 2018 |
| Tsuyoshi Otsuki | 3 April 2018 | 24 April 2018 | |
| Oswaldo de Oliveira | Brazil | 25 April 2018 | 28 May 2019 |
| Tsuyoshi Otsuki (2) | Japan | 29 May 2019 | 22 December 2020 |
| Ricardo Rodríguez | Spain | 22 December 2020 | 30 October 2022 |
| Maciej Skorża | Poland | 10 November 2022 | 30 December 2023 |
| Per-Mathias Høgmo |  Norway | 1 January 2024 | 27 August 2024 |
| Nobuyasu Ikeda (interim) | Japan | 27 August 2024 | 1 September 2024 |
| Maciej Skorża (2) | Poland | 1 September 2024 | Current |
| Champions | Runners-up | Third place | Promoted | Relegated |
| Season | Div. | Teams | Pos. | Avg. Attd. | J.League Cup | Emperor's Cup | Super Cup | AFC CL | Others | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | – | Group stage | Semi-final | – | – | |||||
| 1993 | J1 | 10 | 10th | 11,459 | 2nd round | |||||
| 1994 | 12 | 12th | 18,475 | 3rd round | – | |||||
| 1995 | 14 | 4th | 19,560 | – | Quarter-final | |||||
| 1996 | 16 | 6th | 24,329 | Semi-final | – | |||||
| 1997 | 17 | 10th | 20,504 | Round of 16 | ||||||
| 1998 | 18 | 6th | 22,706 | Group stage | Quarter-final | |||||
| 1999 | 16 | 15th | 21,206 | Round of 16 | – | |||||
| 2000 | J2 | 11 | 2nd | 16,923 | ||||||
| 2001 | J1 | 16 | 10th | 26,720 | Quarter-final | Semi-final | ||||
| 2002 | 11th | 26,296 | Runners-up | 3rd round | ||||||
| 2003 | 6th | 28,855 | Winners | |||||||
| 2004 | 2nd | 36,660 | Runners-up | Semi-final | ||||||
| 2005 | 18 | 39,357 | Semi-final | Winners | ||||||
| 2006 | 1st | 45,573 | Quarter-final | Winners | ||||||
| 2007 | 2nd | 46,667 | Round of 16 | Runners-up | Winners | A3 | 3rd place | |||
| FIFA CWC | ||||||||||
| 2008 | 7th | 47,609 | Group stage | 5th round | – | Semi-finals | – | |||
| 2009 | 6th | 44,210 | Quarter-final | 2nd round | – | |||||
| 2010 | 10th | 39,941 | Group stage | Quarter-final | ||||||
| 2011 | 15th | 33,910 | Runners-up | |||||||
| 2012 | 3rd | 36,634 | Group stage | Round of 16 | ||||||
| 2013 | 6th | 37,100 | Runners-up | 3rd round | Group stage | |||||
| 2014 | 2nd | 35,516 | Quarter-final | – | ||||||
| 2015 | 3rd | 38,745 | Runners-up | Group stage | ||||||
| 2016 | 2nd | 36,935 | Winners | Round of 16 | – | Round of 16 | ||||
| 2017 | 7th | 33,542 | Quarter-final | Runners-up | Winners | Suruga | Winners | |||
| FIFA CWC | 5th place | |||||||||
| 2018 | 5th | 34,798 | Play-off stage | Winners | – | |||||
| 2019 | 14th | 34,184 | Quarter-final | Round of 16 | Runners-up | – | ||||
| 2020† | 10th | 7,869 | Group stage | Did not qualify | – | |||||
| 2021† | 20 | 6th | 8,244 | Semi-final | Winners | |||||
| 2022 | 18 | 9th | 23,617 | 3rd round | Winners | – | ||||
| 2023 | 4th | 30,509 | Runners-up | Round of 16 | – | Group stage | FIFA CWC | 4th Place | ||
| 2024 | 20 | 13th | 37,519 | Group stage (3) | Banned[18] | |||||
| 2025 | TBD | TBD | FIFA CWC | Group stage | ||||||
Excepting two seasons in which they were in the second tier, Mitsubishi/Urawa has always competed in the top flight, thereby being the club with the most top flight seasons total.
| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Champions of Asia 2007 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Champions of Asia 2017 | Succeeded by |
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