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Júbilo Iwata
ジュビロ磐田
Jubilo Iwata logo.svg
Full name Júbilo Iwata
Nickname(s) Júbilo
Founded 1972; 53 years ago (1972) as Yamaha Motor S.C.
Stadium Yamaha Stadium
Iwata, Shizuoka
Stadium
capacity
15,165
Owner Yamaha Motor Company
Chairman Yoshirou Takahira
Manager John Hutchinson
League J2 League
2022 J1 League, 18th of 18 (relegated)

Júbilo Iwata (pronounced Joo-bee-loh Ee-wah-tah) is a professional football team from Japan. They are based in Iwata, a city in Shizuoka Prefecture. The team currently plays in the J2 League. They moved down from the J1 League in 2024.

What Does "Júbilo" Mean?

The team's name Júbilo comes from Spanish and Portuguese. It means 'joy'.

Team History

Early Days and First Wins (1972–1996)

The team started in April 1972 as a company team for Yamaha Motor Corporation. They played in local leagues in Shizuoka and Tōkai. Later, they joined the Japan Soccer League. This league became the J.League in 1992.

Júbilo Iwata won their first big titles in 1982. They won the Emperor's Cup and were promoted to the top division. In the 1987/88 season, they won their first Japanese league title.

In 1993, they finished second in the JFL 1st division. This earned them a spot in the J1 league for 1994. The team brought in Marius Johan Ooft as manager. They also welcomed Brazil's national team captain Dunga. Dunga's ideas about football greatly influenced the club.

The Golden Years (1997–2003)

Between 1997 and 2003, Júbilo Iwata had an amazing time. They won many titles using mostly Japanese players. During these seven years, Júbilo won the J.League title three times. They also finished second three times. They won each of the main domestic cup competitions once.

In 1999, Júbilo became the Champions of Asia. They won the final match against Esteghlal in front of 121,000 fans.

During this successful period, Júbilo set several records in the J.League.

  • They scored the most goals in a season (107 goals in 1998).
  • They let in the fewest goals in a season (26 goals in 2001).
  • They had the biggest goal difference (plus 68 goals in 1998).
  • They had their largest win (9–1 against Cerezo Osaka in 1998).
  • In 2002, they won both parts of the championship. This was a first in J.League history.
  • In the same year, seven of their players were chosen for the J.League Team of the Year. All these records are still held by Júbilo today.

Later Years and Challenges (2003–2015)

Yamahastafium05161
Yamaha Stadium Júbilo Iwata

After their last cup win in 2003, the team's older players started to retire. New players were not as skilled. Júbilo's strength began to fade. In 2007, the club finished in 9th place, which was their lowest at the time. Their local rivals, Shimizu S-Pulse, started performing better.

In 2008, Júbilo finished 16th out of 18 teams. This was their lowest position ever. But they stayed in J1 by winning a playoff match.

In the 2013 season, they struggled a lot. They did not win their first league match until the 8th week. They never moved higher than 16th place. They were eventually moved down to the J2 League after losing a match in their 31st week. Júbilo was promoted back to J1 in 2015 after finishing second in the J2 League.

Up and Down Seasons (2019–Present)

After finishing 18th in 2019, Iwata was moved down to J2 for 2020. The next year, Júbilo won the J2 League. This meant they were promoted back to the J1 League for the 2022 season.

In 2022, Júbilo did not have a successful season. They were eliminated early from the J.League Cup. In the Emperor's Cup, they lost in the Round of 16.

In October 2022, Júbilo Iwata announced a ban on new player signings for 2023. This ban was put in place by FIFA and the CAS. It was due to issues with a player's contract. The ban did not stop them from promoting youth players or bringing back players from loan.

The team struggled in J1 and stayed in the relegation zone for the last 16 rounds. They were moved down to the J2 League for the 2023 season. However, just one year later, Iwata quickly returned to J1 for the 2024 season. They finished second in the J2 League. This was confirmed with a 2–1 win against Tochigi SC in November 2023. In March 2024, Ryo Germain scored 4 goals in a memorable 5–4 win against Kawasaki Frontale.

Team Rivalries

Júbilo Iwata's biggest rivals are Shimizu S-Pulse. They are from Shizuoka city. This match is called the Shizuoka derby. The club also has rivalries with Kashima Antlers and Yokohama Marinos. These teams often competed for the Japanese league championship in the late 1980s.

In the past, during the Japan Soccer League days, they had a local derby with Honda. This team is from Hamamatsu. But Honda decided not to become a professional team. So, competitive matches between them are rare now. Júbilo also played against another Shizuoka club, Fujieda MYFC, in 2014 and 2023. Iwata won all those matches.

Home Stadium

ヤマハスタジアム1
Yamaha Stadium

Júbilo plays their home games at the Yamaha Stadium. The stadium can hold 15,165 people. It is one of the few football stadiums in Japan owned and managed by a club. Many say it is the easiest place to watch a game in Japan.

For big matches, like the Shizuoka derby or games against top J1 teams, Júbilo plays at the larger Ecopa Stadium. This stadium is in Fukuroi City. It was built for the 2002 FIFA World Cup. Ecopa Stadium is surrounded by nature and can hold 50,000 people.

Júbilo trains at Okubo Ground in Iwata and Iwata Sports Park Yumeria.

Current Squad

No. Position Player
1 Japan GK Eiji Kawashima (captain)
2 Japan DF Ikki Kawasaki
3 Japan DF Riku Morioka
4 Japan DF Ko Matsubara (vice-captain)
5 Japan DF Takuro Ezaki
6 Japan MF Daiki Kaneko
7 Japan MF Rikiya Uehara (vice-captain)
8 Japan MF Hirotaka Tameda
9 Japan FW Ryo Watanabe
11 Brazil FW Matheus Peixoto
13 Japan GK Koto Abe
14 Thailand FW Poramet Arjvirai (on loan from Muangthong United)
16 Brazil FW Gustavo Silva
18 Japan MF Shion Inoue (on loan from Sanfrecce Hiroshima)
20 Japan FW Ryoga Sato
21 Japan GK Ryuki Miura
22 Japan DF Katsunori Ueebisu
No. Position Player
23 Belgium MF Jordy Croux
25 Japan MF Shun Nakamura (vice-captain)
28 Japan GK Tsubasa Nishizawa
29 Japan DF Kota Kuwabara DSP
32 Israel DF Hassan Hilu
33 Japan MF Tokumo Kawai
36 Brazil DF Ricardo Graça
38 Japan DF Naoki Kawaguchi (on loan from Kashiwa Reysol)
39 Japan MF Koshiro Sumi
45 Japan DF Yua Kai Type 2
46 Japan MF Rea Ishizuka Type 2
48 Japan MF Yuki Aida
52 Belgium DF Jan Van den Bergh
65 Japan MF Kento Nishioka Type 2
67 Japan DF Ryusei Yoshimura DSP
71 Japan MF Ken Masui (on loan from Nagoya Grampus)

Players on Loan

No. Position Player
26 Japan DF Shunsuke Nishikubo (at SC Sagamihara)
35 Japan DF Park Se-gi (at Kochi United)
50 Japan MF Hiroto Uemura (at Albirex Niigata)
77 Japan MF Kensuke Fujiwara (at Tochigi SC)
Japan GK Keitaro Nakajima (at Criacao Shinjuku)
No. Position Player
Japan GK Mitsuki Sugimoto (at Giravanz Kitakyushu)
Brazil MF Bruno José (at Brazil Novorizontino)
Japan MF Mahiro Yoshinaga (at Giravanz Kitakyushu)
Brazil FW Weverton (at Azul Claro Numazu)

Club Leaders

For the 2025 season.

Position Name
Sports director Japan Toshiya Fujita
Head Coach Malta John Hutchinson
Assistant Coach Japan Fumitake Miura
Japan Yasumasa Nishino
Goalkeeping coach Japan Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi
Physical coach Japan Kentaro Chuman
Assistant physical coach Japan Ryosuke Inada
Chief analyst Japan Kiyotaka Sakai
Analyst Japan Takashi Harada
Chief trainer Japan Takahiro Abe
Physiotherapist Japan Toyohiro Oshiro
Athletic trainer Japan Yusuke Otsuga
Japan Kazumasa Terui
Chief manager Japan Yuichi Kiyan
Manager Japan Hideki Masaki
Japan Satoru Tanigawa
Interpreter Japan Shio Murray
Japan Antonio Danilo Hideki Uehara
Brazil Gabriel
Japan Norikazu Murakami

Team Achievements

Júbilo Iwata honours
Honour No. Years
Japan Soccer League Division 1/J1 League 4 1987/88, 1997, 1999, 2002
Japan Soccer League Division 2/Japan Football League/J2 League 3 1982, 1992, 2021
Regional Promotion Series 2 1977, 1978
Emperor's Cup 2 1982, 2003
J.League Cup 2 1998, 2010
Japanese Super Cup 3 2000, 2003, 2004
Asian Club Championship 1 1998/99
Asian Super Cup 1 1999
J.League Cup / Copa Sudamericana Championship 1 2011

Manager History

Manager Nationality Tenure
Start Finish
Ryuichi Sugiyama  Japan 1974 30 June 1987
Kikuo Konagaya  Japan 1 July 1987 31 December 1991
Kazuaki Nagasawa  Japan 1 January 1992 31 January 1994
Hans Ooft  Netherlands 1 February 1994 31 January 1997
Luiz Felipe Scolari  Brazil 1 February 1997 29 May 1997
Takashi Kuwahara  Japan 29 May 1997 31 January 1998
Valmir  Brazil 1 February 1998 31 December 1998
Takashi Kuwahara  Japan 1 February 1999 31 January 2000
Gjoko Hadžievski  Macedonia 1 February 2000 31 August 2000
Masakazu Suzuki  Japan 1 September 2000 31 January 2003
Masaaki Yanagishita  Japan 1 February 2003 31 January 2004
Takashi Kuwahara  Japan 1 February 2004 31 August 2004
Masakazu Suzuki  Japan 1 September 2004 9 November 2004
Masakuni Yamamoto  Japan 9 November 2004 19 June 2006
Adílson Batista  Brazil 23 June 2006 1 September 2007
Atsushi Uchiyama  Japan 1 September 2007 31 August 2008
Hans Ooft  Netherlands 2 September 2008 31 January 2009
Masaaki Yanagishita  Japan 1 February 2009 31 January 2011
Hitoshi Morishita  Japan 1 February 2012 4 May 2013
Tetsu Nagasawa  Japan 5 May 2013 26 May 2013
Takashi Sekizuka  Japan 27 May 2013 31 January 2014
Péricles Chamusca  Brazil 1 February 2014 24 September 2014
Hiroshi Nanami  Japan 25 September 2014 30 June 2019
Hideto Suzuki  Japan 1 July 2019 15 August 2019
Minoru Kobayashi  Japan 15 August 2019 19 August 2019
Fernando Jubero  Spain 20 August 2019 1 October 2020
Masakazu Suzuki  Japan 2 October 2020 31 January 2021
Akira Ito  Japan 1 February 2022 14 August 2022
Hiroki Shibuya  Japan 17 August 2022 31 January 2023
Akinobu Yokouchi  Japan 1 February 2023 18 December 2024
John Hutchinson  Malta 19 December 2024 present

J.League Records

Champions Runners-up Third place Promoted Relegated
Season Div. Teams Pos. P W (OTW / PKW) D L (OTL / PKL) F A GD Pts Attendance/G J.League Cup Emperor's
Cup
Asia
1994 J1 12 8th 44 20 - 24 56 69 -13 - 14,497 Final 1st round
1995 14 6th 52 28 (- / 0) - 23 (- / 1) 88 77 11 85 17,313 Not held 2nd round
1996 16 4th 30 20 (- / 0) - 8 (- / 2) 53 38 15 62 13,792 Group stage 3rd round
1997 17 1st 32 20 (3 / 0) - 6 (3 / 0) 72 35 35 66 10,448 Final Semi-final
1998 18 2nd 34 26 (0 / 0) - 7 (1 / 0) 107 39 78 78 12,867 Winner Quarter final
1999 16 1st 30 14 (3 / -) 1 9 (3 / -) 52 42 10 49 12,273 Quarter final Quarter-final CC Winner
2000 16 4th 30 17 (2) 0 7 (4) 67 42 25 55 12,534 Quarter-final Quarter final CC Final
2001 16 2nd 30 18 (8) 1 2 (1) 63 26 37 71 16,650 Final 4th round CC Final
2002 16 1st 30 18 (8) 1 3 72 30 42 71 16,564 Quarter final Quarter final
2003 16 2nd 30 16 9 5 56 34 22 57 17,267 Semi-final Winner
2004 16 5th 30 14 6 10 54 44 10 48 17,126 Group stage Final CL Group stage
2005 18 6th 34 14 9 11 51 41 10 51 17,296 Quarter-final Quarter final CL Group stage
2006 18 5th 34 17 7 10 68 51 17 58 18,002 Quarter-final Quarter final
2007 18 9th 34 15 4 15 54 55 -1 49 16,359 Group stage 5th round
2008 18 16th 34 10 7 17 40 48 -8 37 15,465 Group stage 5th round
2009 18 11th 34 11 8 15 50 60 -10 41 13,523 Group stage 4th round
2010 18 11th 34 11 11 12 38 49 -11 44 12,137 Winner 4th round
2011 18 8th 34 13 8 13 53 45 8 47 11,796 Quarter final 3rd round
2012 18 12th 34 13 7 14 57 53 4 46 13,122 Group stage 4th round
2013 18 17th 34 4 11 19 40 56 -16 23 10,895 Group stage Quarter final
2014 J2 22 4th 42 18 13 11 67 55 12 67 8,774 Not eligible 3rd round
2015 22 2nd 42 24 10 8 72 43 29 82 10,041 2nd round
2016 J1 18 13th 34 8 12 14 37 50 -13 36 14,611 Group stage 3rd round
2017 18 6th 34 16 10 8 50 30 20 58 16,321 Group stage Quarter final
2018 18 16th 34 10 11 13 35 48 -13 41 15,474 Play-off stage Quarter final
2019 18 18th 34 8 7 19 29 51 -22 31 15,277 Play-off stage 4th round
2020 J2 22 6th 42 16 15 11 58 47 11 63 3,214 Not eligible Did not qualify
2021 22 1st 42 27 10 5 75 42 33 91 5,968 Quarter final
2022 J1 18 18th 34 6 12 16 32 57 -25 30 9,942 Group stage Round of 16
2023 J2 22 2nd 42 21 12 9 74 44 30 75 10,446 Group stage 3rd round
2024 J1 20 18th 38 10 8 20 47 68 -21 38 13,817 2nd round 2nd round
2025 J2 20 TBD 38 TBD 2nd round
  • Pos. = Position in league; P = Games played; W = Games won; D = Games drawn; L = Games lost; F = Goals scored; A = Goals conceded; GD = Goals difference; Pts = Points gained
  • OTW / PKW = Overtime wins / Penalty kicks wins (1997 & 1998 seasons). For 1999, 2000, 2001 & 2002, this means Overtime wins only.
  • OTL / PKL = Overtime losses / Penalty kicks losses (1997 and 1998 seasons). For 1999, 2000 & 2001, this means Overtime losses only.
  • Attendance/G = Average league home attendance
  • In 2020 & 2021, attendances were lower due to the COVID-19 worldwide pandemic.
  • Source: J.League Data Site

Players in the FIFA World Cup

The following players were chosen for their country's World Cup team while playing for Júbilo Iwata:

Award Winners

The following players won awards while playing for Júbilo Iwata:

Club Captains

Famous Former Players

Players who have played for their country's national team:

Japan
Asia/ Africa/ Oceania
Europe
South America

Team Uniforms Over Time

Home kits 1st
1994 - 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 2nd
1994 - 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 -
Third kits
2003
3rd
2005
Friendly match
2013
20 Anniversary
3rd
2016
Midsummer decisive battle
2017
Midsummer challenge
2017
3rd
2018
Limited
2019
Summer Night
Challenge
2020
Limited
2021
Limited
2023
30th Anniversary
2024
3rd

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Júbilo Iwata para niños

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Júbilo Iwata Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.