is a Japanese professional football club based in Kobe, Hyōgo Prefecture. The club plays in the J1 League, which is the top tier of football in the country. The club's home stadium is Noevir Stadium Kobe, in Hyōgo-ku, though some home matches are played at Kobe Universiade Memorial Stadium in Suma-ku.
Throughout its history, the club has won 2 J1 League titles, 1 Emperor's Cup and 1 Japanese Super Cup. The club also has recruited former FIFA World Cup champions including the likes of Andrés Iniesta, David Villa, Juan Mata and Lukas Podolski.
History
Beginnings in Chugoku (1966–2003)
The club was founded in 1966 as the semi-professional Kawasaki Steel Soccer Club in Kurashiki, Okayama Prefecture. It was first promoted to the Japan Soccer League Division 2 in 1986, and remained there until the JSL folded in 1992.
Rakuten years and first successes (2015–present)
thumb|312x312px|Spanish midfielder [[Andrés Iniesta playing for Vissel Kobe in 2018]]
thumb|German striker [[Lukas Podolski playing for Vissel Kobe in 2020]]
In 2017, Vissel signed 2014 FIFA World Cup winner Lukas Podolski. He was the first prominent international player Vissel had been able to sign since Michael Laudrup in 1996. Shortly after, in May 2018, Vissel signed another World Cup winner, Andrés Iniesta, from FC Barcelona. In December 2018 Vissel Kobe managed to sign also David Villa from New York City. The Spanish striker scored 13 goals in 28 games. Alongside Sergi Samper and Andrés Iniesta, Villa was the third Spaniard in the team in that season in which they guided Vissel Kobe to win the 2019 Emperor's Cup.
On 1 January 2020, first time finalist Vissel beat Kashima Antlers in the 2019 Emperor's Cup final at the recently opened New National Stadium to win the first title in the club history. The furthest Kobe had been in the Emperor's Cup was the semi-finals of 2000 and 2017. This was also Spanish forward David Villa's last professional match as a footballer. Vissel also qualified for the 2020 AFC Champions League for the first time. On 8 February 2020, Vissel beat Yokohama F. Marinos in which the scoreline was 3–3. Vissel Kobe eventually won 3-2 on penalties to win their first Japanese Super Cup title and their second national title ever. On 12 February 2020, Vissel played their first AFC Champions League match against Malaysian league champions, Johor Darul Ta'zim at home winning them 5–1 in which Keijiro Ogawa scored a hat-trick in the match. The club than managed to have a good run in the competition all the way until the semi-finals facing against eventual winners Korean Ulsan Hyundai however, Vissel was knocked out by the Korean club losing 2–1 in extra time after conceding an unfortunate penalty kick.
In 2021, Vissel achieved an historic third place in the table of the 2021 J1 League season, thus qualifying for the 2022 AFC Champions League yet again in which the club had another good run in the campaign before losing to Korean Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors 3–1 in the quarter-finals.
Takayuki Yoshida reigns (2022–2025)
On 3 September 2023, Vissel signed former Spanish international midfielder, Juan Mata but, while the players and the fans benefited from his presence (players said he was amazing to train with, fans loved seeing him, he again raised the profile of the club) injuries kept him from playing much at all in meaningful games. On 25 November 2023, Vissel Kobe was confirmed as the 2023 J1 League champions for the first time in history, following a 2–1 win over Nagoya Grampus in the second last week of the season. Kobe thus became the first Japanese football champions to be promoted to the top tier after the J.League era started, as well as the first to play third division football (the old Japan Football League Division 2) before winning the title. On 17 February 2024, Vissel played their second Japanese Super Cup appearance against 2023 Emperor's Cup winner, Kawasaki Frontale but lost 1–0. Vissel also qualified directly to the newly revamp 2024–25 AFC Champions League Elite tournament. On 23 November 2024, Vissel won the second Emperor's Cup of the club history, after a victory over they regional rivals Gamba Osaka in the Kansai Derby.
Stadium
thumb|[[Noevir Stadium Kobe]]
Home ground
Vissel firstly settled at the Kobe Central Football Stadium which was opened in 1970 with a capacity of 13,000 seats. it was built on the site of the former Kobe Keirin Stadium and was the first stadium in Japan that was custom-built with floodlights, allowing any sports related activities to play at night. In 1999, the stadium was demolished to make way to a new stadium with modern features. In 2001, Vissel moved to their new stadium, Noevir Stadium Kobe which seats on the former stadium. Located in Misaki Park, Kobe, Japan, the stadium has a capacity of 30,132 seats and features a retractable roof, making it one of the most modern football venues in Japan.
Kit suppliers and shirt sponsors
Sponsors
{| class="wikitable"
|+
! style="background:#BC0B3A; color:white; text-align:center;" |Period
! style="background:#BC0B3A; color:white; text-align:center;" |Kit manufacturer
! style="background:#BC0B3A; color:white; text-align:center;" |Main sponsors
|-
|1994–1998
| Adidas
| Itoham
|-
|1999–2002
| rowspan="4" | Asics
|No sponsors
|-
|2003
| Kawasaki Heavy Industries
|-
|2004–2022
| Rakuten
|-
|2023–present
| Rakuten Mobile
|}
Kit evolution
{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="width:65%; border:double #000000; box-shadow: 4px 4px 4px #a40931;"
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Affiliated clubs
- Aston Villa (2023–present)
On 19 October 2023, English Premier League club, Aston Villa announced a collaborative partnership with Vissel Kobe - so said the press release: "further strengthening the international network and player development pipeline which is part of this exciting step forward for both clubs, Villa and Vissel are working to create a bilateral development framework for players and staff which will enhance youth development, alongside the cooperative sharing of ideas, techniques and best practice. The partnership looks to further open up pathways for talented Japanese players to play in Europe and, ultimately, at Aston Villa. This synergy between the clubs will also extend to first team level, with the exchange of technical knowledge and coaching methodology together with collaboration in the areas of performance, scouting & recruitment, data analysis and overall squad management."
- Górnik Zabrze (2024–present)
Both clubs are tied with an agreement signed in December 2024. Vissel Kobe and Górnik Zabrze will work on making the path between Asia and Europe to promote both teams in case of sporting performance and scouting.
- Seattle Sounders (1995–1996, 2025–present)
Shortly after moving to Kobe in 1995, Vissel partnered with the Sounders (who, at the time, were newly members of the second-division American Professional Soccer League), as Seattle and Kobe are sister cities. The agreement lasted from 1995 to 1996, and during this time, the teams played a home and away exhibition series to fundraise for the relief efforts following the 1995 earthquake in Kobe. In 2025, on the thirtieth anniversary of the original partnership on 17 January, Vissel and the Sounders (now a member of top-division Major League Soccer) announced the re-establishment of their partnership. This agreement began with a loan of Kobe player Kaito Yamada to Seattle's reserve squad, the Tacoma Defiance.
Former
- FC Barcelona (2019–2025)
This partnership will further deepen the relationship between FC Barcelona and Vissel Kobe. The Japanese club currently features three players who have been part of the Barelona family, namely Andrés Iniesta, David Villa and Sergi Samper. Besides, Vissel is also working on fostering the next generation of young talent by introducing new training methods to its academy and going on trips to Barcelona.
Players
First-team squad
Out on loan
Management and staff
Club officials for 2026.
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! style="background:#BC0B3A; color:white; text-align:center;" |Position
! style="background:#BC0B3A; color:white; text-align:center;" |Name
|-
|Manager
| Michael Skibbe
|-
|Head coach
|| Serhat Umar
|-
|Assistant coaches
| Tadahiro Akiba <br /> Tomo Sugawara <br /> Kunie Kitamoto
|-
|Young player development coach
| Yuji Miyahara
|-
|Goalkeeper coach
| Sidmar
|-
|Analytical coach
| Tatsuro Takenaka <br /> Daichi Matsumoto
|-
|Physical coach
| Akira Umeki<br /> Hikaru Fujii
|-
|Interpreter
| Eiji Kumon<br /> Daisuke Kawashima
|-
|Chief trainer
| Yoshio Shibata
|-
|Trainer
| Masaaki Morita<br /> Ryota Matsuda<br /> Minoru Onogawa<br /> Naoto Nakayama
|-
|Dietitian
| Rika Kawabata
|-
|Chief side manager
| Shusuke Sasagawa
|-
|Equipment manager
| Takuya Arai <br /> Tomoki Ishiguro
|-
|Side manager
| Yuto Kato
|-
|}
Honours
{| class="wikitable"
|+
! style="background:#BC0B3A; color:white; text-align:center;" |Type
! style="background:#BC0B3A; color:white; text-align:center;" |Honours
! style="background:#BC0B3A; color:white; text-align:center;" |Titles
! style="background:#BC0B3A; color:white; text-align:center;" |Season
|-
| rowspan="2" |League
|J1 League
|2
|2023, 2024
|-
|Chūgoku Soccer League
|5
|1980, 1981, 1982, 1984, 1985
|-
| rowspan="3" |Cup
|Emperor's Cup
|2
|2019, 2024
|-
|Japanese Super Cup
|1
|2020
|-
|All Japan Senior Football Championship
|1
|1976
|}
Bold is for those competition that are currently active.
Records and statistics
As of 23 March 2026.
{| class="wikitable"
|+Top 10 all-time appeareances
! style="background:#BC0B3A; color:white; text-align:center;" |Rank
! style="background:#BC0B3A; color:white; text-align:center;" |Player
! style="background:#BC0B3A; color:white; text-align:center;" |Years
! style="background:#BC0B3A; color:white; text-align:center;" |Club appearance
|-
|1
| Kunie Kitamoto
|2000–2018
|474
|-
|2
| Hideo Tanaka
|2005–2017
|325
|-
|3
| Park Kang-jo
|2003–2012
|298
|-
|4
| Keijiro Ogawa
|2010–2020
|283
|-
|5
| Gōtoku Sakai
|2019–present
|250
|-
|6
| Hiroyuki Komoto
|2004–2014
|245
|-
|7
| Hotaru Yamaguchi
|2019–2024
|242
|-
|8
| Hiroto Mogi
|2006–2014
|235
|-
|9
| Daiju Sasaki
|2018–present
|232
|-
|10
| Daiya Maekawa
|2017–present
|230
|}
{| class="wikitable"
|+Top 10 all-time goalscorer
! style="background:#BC0B3A; color:white; text-align:center;" |Rank
! style="background:#BC0B3A; color:white; text-align:center;" |Player
! style="background:#BC0B3A; color:white; text-align:center;" |Club appearance
! style="background:#BC0B3A; color:white; text-align:center;" |Total goals
|-
|1
| Yuya Osako
|174
|66
|-
| rowspan="2" |2
| Kazuma Watanabe
|154
| rowspan="2" |56
|-
| Yoshito Ōkubo
|170
|-
|4
| Leandro
|124
|54
|-
| rowspan="2" |5
| Kyōgo Furuhashi
|111
| rowspan="2" |49
|-
| Keijiro Ogawa
|235
|-
|7
| Akihiro Nagashima
|107
|45
|-
|8
| Yoshinori Muto
|163
|42
|-
|9
| Popó
|112
|37
|-
|10
| Park Kang-jo
|298
|35
|}
- Biggest wins: 8–0 vs Matsumoto Yamaga (2 November 2008)
- Heaviest defeats: 1–7 vs Ōita Trinita (26 July 2003)
- Youngest goal scorers: Ryo Matsumura ~ 17 years 11 months 1 days old (On 16 May 2012 vs Shimizu S-Pulse)
- Oldest goal scorers: Marquinhos ~ 39 years 3 months 18 days old (On 11 July 2015 vs Shimizu S-Pulse)
- Youngest ever debutant: Taiga Seguchi ~ 17 years 1 months 8 days old (On 18 February 2025 vs Shanghai Shenghua)
- Oldest ever player: Santos ~ 40 years 11 months 8 days old (On 17 November 2001 vs FC Tokyo)
Award winners
As of the end of the 2025 season.
- J.League Player of the Year:
:* Yuya Osako (2023)
:* Yoshinori Muto (2024)
- J.League Top Scorer:
:* Leandro (2016)
:* Yuya Osako (2023)
- J.League Best XI:
- Leandro (2016)
- Andrés Iniesta (2019, 2021)
- Gōtoku Sakai (2023)
- Hotaru Yamaguchi (2023)
- Yuya Osako (2023, 2024)
- Yoshinori Muto (2023, 2024)
- Matheus Thuler (2024)
- Individual Fair Play Award:
- Akihiro Nagashima (1997)
- Ryota Morioka (2014)
- Hotaru Yamaguchi (2020)
- Daiya Maekawa (2025)
- J.League Goal of the Year:
:* David Villa against Nagoya Grampus (30 June 2019)
Managerial history
{| class="wikitable"
! style="background:#BC0B3A; color:white; text-align:center;" |Manager
! style="background:#BC0B3A; color:white; text-align:center;" |Period
! style="background:#BC0B3A; color:white; text-align:center;" |Honours
|-
| Stuart Baxter ||1 February 1995 – 31 January 1998
|
|-
| Benito Floro ||1 February 1998 – 24 September 1998
|
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| Harumi Kori ||25 September 1998 – 31 January 1999
|
|-
| Ryoichi Kawakatsu ||1 February 1999 – 25 July 2002
|
|-
| Hiroshi Matsuda ||1 July 2002 – 31 January 2003
|
|-
| Hiroshi Soejima ||1 February 2003 – 31 January 2004
|
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| Ivan Hašek ||1 February 2004 – 30 September 2004
|
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| Hiroshi Kato ||1 October 2004 – 31 January 2005
|
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| Hideki Matsunaga ||1 February 2005 – 19 April 2005
|
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| Émerson Leão ||19 April 2005 – 14 June 2005
|
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| Pavel Řehák ||15 June 2005 – 31 January 2006
|
|-
| Stuart Baxter (2) ||1 February 2006 – 4 September 2006
|
|-
| Hiroshi Matsuda ||5 September 2006 – 11 December 2008
|
|-
| Caio Júnior (interim) ||11 December 2008 – 30 June 2009
|
|-
| Masahiro Wada (interim) ||1 July 2009 – 5 August 2009
|
|-
| Toshiya Miura ||5 August 2009 – 11 September 2010
|
|-
| Masahiro Wada (2) ||11 September 2010 – 30 April 2012
|
|-
| Ryo Adachi (interim) ||1 May 2012 – 21 May 2012
|
|-
| Akira Nishino ||22 May 2012 – 8 November 2012
|
|-
| Ryo Adachi (interim) (2) ||9 November 2012 – 31 December 2012
|
|-
| Ryo Adachi (3) ||1 January 2013 – 31 January 2015
|
|-
| Nelsinho Baptista ||1 February 2015 – 15 August 2017
|
|-
| Takayuki Yoshida ||16 August 2017 – 16 September 2018
|
|-
| Kentaro Hayashi (interim) ||17 September 2017 – 3 October 2018
|
|-
| Juan Manuel Lillo ||4 October 2018 – 16 April 2019
|
|-
| Takayuki Yoshida (2)||17 April 2019 – 8 June 2019
|
|-
| Thorsten Fink ||9 June 2019 – 21 September 2020
|– 2019 Emperor's Cup
– 2020 Japanese Super Cup
|-
| Marcos Vives (interim) ||22 September 2020 – 23 September 2020
|
|-
| Atsuhiro Miura ||24 September 2020 – 20 March 2022
|
|-
| Lluís Planagumà (interim) ||21 March 2022 – 7 April 2022
|
|-
| Miguel Ángel Lotina ||8 April 2022 – 29 June 2022
|
|-
| Takayuki Yoshida (3) ||30 June 2022 – 13 December 2025
|– 2023 J1 League
– 2024 J1 League
– 2024 Emperor's Cup
|-
| Michael Skibbe ||14 December 2025 – present
|
|}
Season by season record
{| class="wikitable"
| bgcolor="gold" |<small>Champions</small>
| bgcolor="silver" |<small>Runners-up</small>
| bgcolor="ff6600" |<small>Third place</small>
| bgcolor="palegreen" |<small>Promoted</small>
| bgcolor="pink" |<small>Relegated</small>
|}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
! colspan="13" |League !! rowspan="2" |J.League<br />Cup !! rowspan="2" |Emperor's<br />Cup
|-
!Season !!Division !!Teams !!Position !!Plays !!W (<small>OTW / PKW</small>) !!D !!L (<small>OTL / PKL</small>) !!F !!A !!GD !!Points !!Attendance/G
|-
|1997
| rowspan="9" |J1 ||17 ||16th ||32 ||6 <small>(1 / 0)</small> ||– ||21 <small>(2 / 0)</small> ||43 ||78 ||-35 ||24 ||6,567 || rowspan="2" |Group stage ||Round of 16
|-
|1998
|18 ||17th ||34 ||8 <small>(0 / 1)</small> ||– ||23 <small>(2 / 0)</small> ||45 ||89 ||-44 ||25 ||7,686 ||3rd round
|-
|1999
|16 ||10th ||30 ||9 <small>(3)</small> ||4 ||12 <small>(2)</small> ||38 ||45 ||-7 ||37 ||7,691 ||1st round ||3rd round
|-
|2000
| rowspan="5" |16 ||13th ||30 ||10 <small>(1)</small> ||1 ||16 <small>(2)</small> ||40 ||49 ||-9 ||33 ||7,512 || rowspan="2" |2nd round ||Semi-finals
|-
|2001||12th ||30 ||8 <small>(1)</small> ||7 ||10 <small>(4)</small> ||41 ||52 ||-11 ||33 ||13,872 ||Round of 16
|-
|2002||14th ||30 ||8 <small>(2)</small> ||3 ||17 ||33 ||44 ||-11 ||31 ||10,467 || rowspan="4" |Group stage ||3rd round
|-
|2003||13th ||30 ||8 ||6 ||16 ||35 ||63 ||-28 ||30 ||11,195 ||Quarter-finals
|-
|2004||11th ||30 ||9 ||9 ||12 ||50 ||55 ||-5 ||36 ||15,735 || rowspan="2" |4th round
|-
|2005
|18 || bgcolor="pink" |18th ||34 ||4 ||9 ||21 ||30 ||67 ||-37 ||21 ||14,913
|-
|2006
|J2 ||13 || bgcolor="ff6600" |3rd||48 ||25 ||11 ||12 ||78 ||53 ||25 ||86 ||6,910 ||– ||3rd round
|-
|2007
| rowspan="6" |J1 || rowspan="5" |18 ||10th ||34 ||13 ||8 ||13 ||58 ||48 ||10 ||47 ||12,460 || rowspan="4" |Group stage || rowspan="3" |Round of 16
|-
|2008||10th ||34 ||12 ||11 ||11 ||39 ||38 ||1 ||47 ||12,981
|-
|2009||14th ||34 ||10 ||9 ||15 ||40 ||48 ||-8 ||39 ||13,068
|-
|2010||15th ||34 ||9 ||11 ||14 ||37 ||45 ||-8||38 ||12,824 ||3rd round
|-
|2011||9th ||34 ||13 ||7 ||14 ||44 ||45 ||-1 ||46 ||13,233 ||1st round ||3rd round
|-
|2012
|18 || bgcolor="pink" |16th ||34 ||11 ||6 ||17 ||41 ||50 ||-9 ||39 ||14,638 ||Group stage ||2nd round
|-
|2013
|J2 ||22 || bgcolor="silver" |2nd ||42 ||25 ||8 ||9 ||78 ||41 ||37 ||83 ||11,516 ||– ||3rd round
|-
|2014
| rowspan="12" |J1 || rowspan="7" |18 ||11th ||34 ||11 ||12 ||11 ||49 ||50 ||-1 ||45 ||15,010 ||Quarter-finals ||2nd round
|-
|2015||12th ||34 ||10 ||8 ||16 ||44 ||49 ||-5 ||38 ||16,265 ||Semi-finals ||Quarter-finals
|-
|2016||7th ||34 ||16 ||7 ||11 ||56 ||43 ||13 ||55 ||17,018 ||Quarter-finals ||Round of 16
|-
|2017||9th ||34 ||13 ||5 ||16 ||40 ||45 ||-5 ||44 ||18,272 ||Quarter-finals ||Semi-finals
|-
|2018||10th ||34 ||12 ||9 ||13 ||45 ||52 ||-7||45 ||21,450 ||Play-off stage ||Round of 16
|-
|2019||8th ||34 ||14 ||5 ||15 ||61 ||59 ||2 ||47 ||21,491 ||Group stage || bgcolor="gold" |Winners
|-
|2020 †||14th ||34 ||9 ||9 ||16 ||50 ||59 ||-9 ||36 ||6,041 ||Quarter-finals ||Did not qualify
|-
|2021 †
|20 || bgcolor="ff6600" |3rd ||38 ||21 ||10 ||7 ||62 ||36 ||26 ||73 ||7,120 ||Play-off stage ||Round of 16
|-
|2022
| rowspan="2" |18 ||13th ||34 ||11 ||7 ||16 ||35 ||41 ||-6 ||40 ||15,572 ||Quarter-finals ||Quarter-finals
|-
|2023|| bgcolor="gold" |1st ||34 ||21 ||8 ||5 ||60 ||29 ||31 ||71 ||22,405 ||Group stage ||Quarter-finals
|-
|2024
| rowspan="2" |20 || bgcolor="gold" |1st||38 ||21 ||9 ||8 ||61 ||36 ||25 ||72 ||21,811 ||3rd round || bgcolor="gold" |Winners
|-
|2025||5th ||38 ||18 ||10 ||10 ||46 ||33 ||13 ||64 ||21,099 ||Quarter-finals || bgcolor="silver" |Runners-up
|-
|2026
| rowspan="2" |J1 ||10 ||TBD ||18 || || || || || || || || ||N/A ||N/A
|-
|2026-27
|20 ||TBD ||38 || || || || || || || || ||TBD ||TBD
|-
|}
;Key
Continental record
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! style="background:#BC0B3A; color:white; text-align:center;" |Season
! style="background:#BC0B3A; color:white; text-align:center;" |Competition
! style="background:#BC0B3A; color:white; text-align:center;" |Round
! style="background:#BC0B3A; color:white; text-align:center;" |Club
! style="background:#BC0B3A; color:white; text-align:center;" |Home
! style="background:#BC0B3A; color:white; text-align:center;" |Away
! style="background:#BC0B3A; color:white; text-align:center;" |Aggregate
|-
|rowspan="6"|2020
|rowspan="32" |AFC Champions League
|rowspan="3"|Group G
| Johor Darul Ta'zim
|style="background:#dfd;"|
|
|rowspan="3"|1st
|-
| Suwon Samsung Bluewings
|style="background:#fdd;"|
|style="background:#dfd;"|
|-
| Guangzhou Evergrande
|style="background:#fdd;"|
|style="background:#dfd;"|
|-
|Round of 16
| Shanghai Port
|colspan="3" style="background:#dfd;"|
|-
|Quarter-finals
| Suwon Samsung Bluewings
|colspan="3" style="background:#ffd;"|
|-
|Semi-finals
| Ulsan Hyundai
|colspan="3" style="background:#fdd;"|
|-
|rowspan="6"|2022
|rowspan="1"|Play-off round
| Melbourne Victory
|colspan="3" style="background:#dfd;"|
|-
|rowspan="3"|Group J
| Shanghai Port
|colspan="3" bgcolor="gray |
|-
| Kitchee
|style="background:#dfd;"|
|style="background:#ffd;"|
|rowspan="2"|1st
|-
| Chiangrai United
|style="background:#dfd;"|
|style="background:#ffd;"|
|-
|Round of 16
| Yokohama F. Marinos
|colspan="3" style="background:#dfd;"|
|-
|Quarter-finals
| Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors
|colspan="3" style="background:#fdd;"|
|-
| rowspan="9" |2024–25
| rowspan="8" |League stage
| Buriram United
|
|style="background:#ffd;"|
| rowspan="8" | 5th
|-
| Shandong Taishan
|style="background:#dfd;"|
|
|-
| Ulsan HD
|
|style="background:#dfd;"|
|-
| Gwangju FC
|style="background:#dfd;"|
|
|-
| Central Coast Mariners
|style="background:#dfd;"|
|
|-
| Pohang Steelers
|
|style="background:#fdd;"|
|-
| Shanghai Port
|style="background:#dfd;"|
|
|-
| Shanghai Shenhua
|
|style="background:#fdd;"|
|-
|Round of 16
| Gwangju FC
|style="background:#dfd;"|
|style="background:#fdd;"|
|style="background:#fdd;"|
|-
| rowspan="11" |2025–26
| rowspan="8" |League stage
| Shanghai Port
|
|style="background:#dfd;"|
| rowspan="8" | 2nd
|-
| Melbourne City
|style="background:#dfd;"|
|
|-
| Gangwon FC
|
|style="background:#fdd;"|
|-
| Ulsan HD
|style="background:#dfd;"|
|
|-
| Shanghai Shenhua
|
|style="background:#dfd;"|
|-
| Chengdu Rongcheng
|style="background:#ffd;"|
|
|-
| FC Seoul
|style="background:#dfd;"|
|
|-
| Johor Darul Ta'zim
|
|style="background:#fdd;"|
|-
|Round of 16
| FC Seoul
|style="background:#dfd;"|
|style="background:#dfd;"|
|style="background:#dfd;"|
|-
|Quarter-finals
| Al Sadd
|colspan="3" style="background:#ffd;"|
|-
|Semi-finals
| Al-Ahli
|colspan="3" style="background:#fdd;"|
|}
League history
- Chugoku Soccer League: 1978–85 (as Kawasaki Steel Mizushima)
- Division 2 (Japan Soccer League Div. 2): 1986–91 (Kawasaki Steel Mizushima until 1987; Kawasaki Steel afterwards)
- Division 3 (Old JFL Div. 2): 1992–93 (as Kawasaki Steel)
- Division 2 (Old JFL): 1994–96 (Kawasaki Steel 1994; Vissel Kobe since 1995)
- Division 1 (J.League): 1997–2005
- Division 2 (J.League Division 2): 2006
- Division 1 (J.League Division 1): 2007–12
- Division 2 (J.League Division 2): 2013
- Division 1 (J1 League): 2014–present
Total (as of 2024): 26 seasons in the top tier, 11 seasons in the second tier, 2 seasons in the third tier and 8 seasons in the Regional Leagues.