The 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.
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 9 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 twenty (20) major domestic titles. Continentally, Kashima became Asian champions when they won the AFC Champions League in 2018. 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. 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.
Kashima are also one of only two clubs to have competed in Japan's top flight football every year since it was professionalized (the other being Yokohama F. Marinos, who has been playing in the top flight since 1982).
History
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 , returning in 1986–87 and going down again in 1988–89. Its last standing in the JSL was 2nd in the Second Division for 1991–92. In October 1991, Kashima Antlers 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 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).
Domestic treble and back-to-back league champions (1996–2002) Since the J.League's creation and introduction of professional Japanese football in 1993, Kashima Antlers 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 Antlers were the first club to win a J.League stage, claiming the 1st stage of the inaugural season in 1993. In 1996, Kashima Antlers won their first ever league title in the first division, However in 1997, they failed to defend their league title where they ended up as runners-up in the league after losing to Júbilo Iwata 4–2 on aggregate in the Suntory Championship. However, Kashima Antlers went on to win the Emperor's Cup, Japanese Super Cup and J.League Cup in the same year. In 1998, Kashima Antlers went on to win the league title again.
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.
Three peats champions and rise of Kashima Antlers (2007–2019)
In recent times, by clinching the 2007 season league title, Kashima Antlers became the first and only club in Japan to have won ten domestic titles in the professional era. In 2008, Kashima Antlers became the first and only club to successfully defend the league titles on two occasions. In 2009, Kashima Antlers 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.
FIFA Club World Cup debut 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 the 2016 Copa Libertadores champions, Atlético Nacional. In the 2016 FIFA Club World Cup Final, Kashima faced off against European champions Real Madrid. Gaku Shibasaki notably scored a brace in the match to put Kashima 2–1 up before Cristiano Ronaldo converted a penalty to level the match at 2–2. After 90 minutes, Kashima were beaten 4–2 after extra time.
AFC Champions League champions In 2017, Kashima finished the J1 League season as runners-up which sees the club qualified to the 2018 AFC Champions League where they were drawn in Group H alongside Korean club Suwon Samsung Bluewings, Australian club Sydney FC and Chinese club Shanghai Shenhua, Kashima went on to finished as group runners-up with 9 points sitting 1 points below group leaders Suwon Samsung Bluewings thus advancing to the round of 16. In the round of 16, Kashima faced off against Chinese club Shanghai SIPG where they won on a narrow 4–3 margin on aggregate thus advancing to the quarter-finals. In the quarter-finals, they faced off against another Chinese club Tianjin Quanjian where Kashima easily won 5–0 on aggregate seeing themselves qualified to the semi-finals facing against Suwon Samsung Bluewings again. Kashima survived the semi-finals with a 6–5 win on aggregate qualifying to the final where they would face West opposition Persepolis from Iran. Kashima Antlers won 2–0 on aggregate in the 2018 AFC Champions League final thus lifting the trophy at the Azadi Stadium in Tehran. With Kashima Antlers winning their first continental trophy, they earned the right to represent the AFC at the 2018 FIFA Club World Cup facing off against the 2018 CONCACAF Champions League winners Guadalajara where Kashima won them 3–2 to advance to the semi-finals to face off against European champions Real Madrid. However, Kashima suffered a 3–1 lost to the eventual champions where Gareth Bale scored a hat-trick in the match thus seeing Kashima playing in the third place match against 2018 Copa Libertadores champions but was beaten 4–0.
Stagnation (2020–2024) The period between 2020 and 2024 represented a transitional era for the Kashima Antlers as the club struggled to return to the dominance that had defined much of its modern history. Following their last J1 League title in 2016 and the continental triumph in the 2018 AFC Champions League, Kashima entered the early 2020s amid managerial changes, squad rebuilding, and increasing competition within Japanese football. Although the club remained competitive domestically, they were unable to secure major silverware during this period.
The 2020 season marked the beginning of the Kashima rebuilding phase. Under Brazilian head coach Antônio Carlos Zago at the start of the campaign, Kashima struggled for consistency and spent the early part of the season near the bottom of the table before improving later in the year. Zago was replaced by Naoki Soma during the campaign as the club sought to stabilize performances until the end of the season. Despite the difficult start, Kashima recovered strongly in the second half of the season and eventually finished fifth in the J1 League with 18 wins, 5 draws and 11 losses, scoring 55 goals. Brazilian forward Everaldo emerged as the team’s top scorer, while young players such as Ryōtarō Araki began establishing themselves in the first team.
In 2021, Kashima continued to remain among the upper ranks of the league but struggled to mount a sustained title challenge. The season saw the emergence of several young talents, most notably Araki, who recorded double-digit goal contributions and became one of the league’s most promising attacking midfielders.
The 2022 campaign brought renewed optimism with the return of striker Yuma Suzuki who had a three years spelled with Belgium club Sint-Truiden. Kashima started the season strongly and briefly led the league standings during the first half of the campaign. However, inconsistent results in the latter stages saw them fall away from the title race, eventually finishing outside the championship positions once again.
The 2023 season saw further squad changes as the club attempted to rejuvenate its roster with a mix of returning veterans and developing academy products. Gaku Shibasaki returned to Kashima after nearly seven years away after several seasons in Europe, symbolizing the club’s attempt to combine experience with youth development. Although Kashima remained competitive in the J1 League, they again failed to secure a major domestic trophy. Nonetheless, the team continued to maintain consistent league finishes in the upper half of the table, reflecting a level of stability even during a relatively trophyless period.
In the 2024 season, Kashima were still regarded as one of the strongest sides in Japan, despite their prolonged wait for another league championship. The club remained in contention near the top of the table for much of the season, however, Kashima title drought persisted.
Return to glory (2025–present) The 2025 season marked the end of Kashima prolonged trophy drought and the beginning of a new successful era for the club. After several seasons of rebuilding and near-misses in the early 2020s, Kashima returned to the summit by winning the 2025 J1 League title, securing their first league title since 2016 and a record-extending ninth top-flight championship. Ahead of the season, the club appointed Toru Oniki as manager in December 2024. Oniki, who had previously achieved major success, was tasked with restoring Kashima’s competitive edge and guiding a squad that blended experienced players with emerging talents. The season was also highlighted by the attacking form of Brazilian forward Léo Ceará, who would later finish as the league’s top scorer with 21 goals.Kashima’s campaign was not without difficulties. The team endured inconsistent periods, including several winless streaks, while injuries to key players such as Ikuma Sekigawa, Koki Anzai and Shu Morooka forced the squad to adapt throughout the season. Despite these setbacks, Kashima remained in the title race, showing defensive solidity and resilience in the latter stages of the campaign. Notably, the club conceded only four goals in their final ten matches of the league season, helping them maintain their position near the top of the standings.