FC Osaka

Six years at Regional League level

In 2012, they won the Kansai Soccer League 2nd Division with 13 wins and 1 loss, including an uncommon run of 10 consecutive wins that started on their debut match at the tournament, and this contributed to their promotion to the Kansai Soccer League 1st Division. In 2013, the club won the Division 1 with 12 wins and 2 draws, remaining unbeaten at the competition. However, on the Regional Champions League, they weren't able to finish in a position that would enable them to get a promotion, exiting the competition at the group stage. On the same year, it was established the women's teamm, "FC Osaka CRAVO".

In 2014, they won The KSL Island Shield of Awaji, they won the Shakaijin Cup, and the Osaka Prefectural Soccer Championship for the first time. That win enabled them to qualify, and make their debut at the Emperor's Cup. FC Osaka lost to Zweigen Kanazawa in the first round. But, this Emperor's Cup loss in the middle of the year didn't reflected how the rest of the season would go, as it resulted favorably for the Osaka-based team. After winning the Shakaijin Cup, the club was runners-up at the Regional Champions League, granting them the possibility of promotion for the Japan Football League (Japan's 4th tier league), only pending the JFL Board of Directors approval, which was given on 10 December.

Eight-year stint at JFL

In 2015, they triumphed over Cerezo Osaka in the first round of the Emperor's Cup. In 2018, the "General Incorporated Association FC Osaka Sports Club" management corporation was formed as a step towards joining the J League. In their fourth year in the JFL, FC Osaka achieved their best-ever result, finishing as runners-up. On November 27 of the same year, the club was approved to establish Higashiosaka City as their hometown. Higashiosaka is also home to the Hanazono Rugby Stadium, which underwent significant renovations ahead of the 2019 Rugby World Cup.

On 26 November 2019, FC Osaka and Higashiosaka City signed an agreement to renovate the second ground of Higashiosaka Hanazono Rugby Stadium. The aging facility was upgraded with seating for over 5,000 spectators, preparing for a potential promotion to the J3 League. A roof was added to one of the stands, and the stand behind the goal was sloped. FC Osaka fully funded the construction and donated the completed project to Higashiosaka City. The renovation was successfully completed by December 2021. On the same day, the club also submitted documents for J.League admission, applying for the "J.League 100 Year Plan club status," a necessary step for joining the league.

On 25 February 2020, FC Osaka received J.League approval for their submitted documents, earning 100-year plan club status. Later, on 30 June, they applied for a J3 League license, aiming for promotion by 2021. The J.League issued the license on 15 September. However, FC Osaka couldn't secure promotion to the J3 League in 2020, as they were placed 9th when the league was abandoned. In 2021, they faced a similar outcome, finishing 7th, just two points short of the Top 4.

In 2021, the top team's name FC Osaka was changed to F.C. Osaka (F.C.大阪, Efu. Sī. Osaka) as of 1 January that year.^[1] "FC" not only means "football club", but also various fields (Field), foundation / substrate (Foundation), for people (For people) "F" ” and the “C” which stands for Community contribution, Cooperation, Confidence and Creation. Osaka” was changed to “F.C.Osaka” (English notation: F.C.✩OSAKA).

On 12 January 2022, the name was changed back to FC Osaka.^[2]

Promotion to J3

On November 5, FC Osaka achieved promotion to the J3 League for the first time in their history, after spending eight seasons in the Japan Football League. Just 15 days later, the club secured their place as runners-up by exceeding the 2,000 minimum average home attendance and finishing with a 10-goal difference over Nara Club, who were crowned champions. Although FC Osaka had one more win than Nara, they also suffered two more losses. This narrow gap between them and the champions, however, highlighted the hard-fought journey to promotion, where they will compete in the J3 League starting from the 2023 season.

Current squad

As of 3 March 2025.^[3] Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

More information No., Pos. ...

No. Pos. Nation Player 1 GK  JPN Toi Yamamoto 3 MF  JPN Ryu Kawakami 4 DF  JPN Ryoji Yamashita 5 DF  JPN Yuto Minakuchi 6 DF  JPN Shunsuke Tachino 7 MF  JPN Takahiro Kitsui 8 MF  JPN Asahi Haga 9 FW  JPN Takumi Shimada 10 FW  JPN Rikuto Kubo 11 MF  JPN Rui Tone 13 DF  JPN Kazuya Mima 14 MF  JPN Sho Sumida 15 DF  JPN Hayato Kurosaki 16 DF  JPN Riku Hashimoto 17 FW  JPN Hagumi Wada 18 MF  JPN Yamato Natsukawa 19 MF  JPN Shunji Masuda 20 FW  JPN Daizo Horikoshi 22 DF  JPN Kaito Hayashida

No. Pos. Nation Player 23 DF  JPN Takuya Akiyama 24 MF  JPN Ryo Sato 25 MF  JPN Seigo Takei 26 FW  KOR Lee Dong-yeol 27 FW  JPN Ryota Sawazaki 28 FW  JPN Katsuyuki Ishibashi 29 MF  KOR Shin Dong-min 30 GK  JPN Takahiro Koga 31 GK  JPN Hiromichi Sugawara 33 MF  KOR Woo Sang-ho 37 MF  JPN Soichiro Tsutsumi 39 FW  JPN Sora Mochizuki 44 DF  KOR Ha Ji-sung 51 FW  JPN Masaki Nishimura 66 DF  KOR Kim Yoon-sik 68 GK  JPN Gaku Hirabuki 88 FW  JPN Kohei Matsumoto 99 FW  BRA Vinícius Souza

Close