commonly known as Ehime FC (愛媛FC, ''Ehime Efu Shī'') is a professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

club based in

Matsuyama 270px, Matsuyama City Hall 270px, Ehime Prefectural Capital Building is the capital city of Ehime Prefecture, on the island of Shikoku, in Japan and is also Shikoku's largest city. , the city had an estimated population of 505,948 in 243,541 h ...

, the capital city of

Ehime Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located on the island of Shikoku. Ehime Prefecture has a population of 1,334,841 and a geographic area of 5,676 km2 (2,191 sq mi). Ehime Prefecture borders Kagawa Prefecture to the northeast, Toku ...

of Japan. The club currently compete in

J2 League The or simply J2 is the second division of the and the second level of the Japanese association football league system. The top tier is represented by the J1 League. It (along with the rest of the J.League) is currently sponsored by Meiji Yasud ...

, the second tier of Japanese professional football. They returned to

in 2024, following promotion as third-tier league champions of 2023.

History

The club was founded in 1970 as Matsuyama Soccer Club and renamed itself as Ehime Football Club in 1995. For many years it competed in the regional and prefectural league, as Matsuyama was represented in the

Japan Soccer League ; JSL) was the top flight association football league in Japan between 1965 and 1992, and was the precursor to the current professional league, the J.League. JSL Cup, JSL was the second national league of a team sport in Japan after the professi ...

by the local club belonging to the

Teijin is a Japanese chemical, pharmaceutical and information technology company. Its main fields of operation are high-performance fibers such as aramid, carbon fibers & composites, healthcare, films, resin & plastic processing, polyester fibers, prod ...

company. Ehime F.C. was promoted to the

Japan Football League The , also known as simply the JFL, is the 4th tier of the Japanese association football league system, positioned beneath the three divisions of the J.League. The league features fully professional teams that hold J.League 100 Year Plan club sta ...

in 2003. After winning the JFL in 2005 season, Ehime spent 16 seasons in the

before being relegated to the

J3 League or simply J3 is the third division of . It was established in 2013 as the third-tier professional association football league in Japan under the organization of J.League. The league is known as the for sponsorship reasons. The third-tier nation ...

at the end of the 2021 season. On 28 November 2007, Ehime pulled off a major shock by consigning the

Urawa Red Diamonds The or simply Urawa Reds (浦和レッズ, ''Urawa Rezzu''), also known as Mitsubishi Urawa Football Club from April 1992 to January 1996, are a professional association football, football club in the city of Saitama (city), Saitama, part of t ...

, the

AFC Champions League 2007 The 2007 AFC Champions League was the 26th edition of the top-level Asian club football tournament and the 5th edition under the current AFC Champions League title. Japanese side Urawa Red Diamonds became champions for the first time, beating S ...

winners, to a fourth-round exit from the

Emperor's Cup , commonly known as or Japan FA Cup, and rebranded as The JFA Emperor's Cup from 2024 onwards, is a Japanese annual football competition. It has the longest tradition of any football tournament in Japan, dating back to 1921, before the formatio ...

courtesy of a 2–0 win on Urawa's home soil,

Urawa Komaba Stadium The is an athletic stadium in Urawa-ku, Saitama, Japan. It accommodates 21,500 spectators. It was formerly known as Saitama Urawa Komaba Stadium (さいたま市駒場スタジアム). Since May 2012, it has been called Urawa Komaba Stadium. ...

. On 11 November 2023, after two years absence from Japanese second division, Ehime FC officially returned to J2 League for 2024 season. They were promoted as J3 League champions of 2023 season with a narrow 1–0 win against their local rivals,

FC Imabari FC Imabari (FC今治, ''Efu Shī Imabari'') is a Japanese football club based in Imabari, Ehime Prefecture. They currently play in the J2 League after promotion from J3 League in 2024, Japan's second tier of professional football. History The ...

on the matchweek 35, with

Riki Matsuda is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a forward for club Kataller Toyama. Career Oita Trinita Matsuda made his official debut for Oita Trinita in the J. League Division 1 on 22 May 2013 against Sagan Tosu in Best Amenity Stad ...

scored the only goal of the match.

Stadium

The club plays its home games at Ningineer Stadium in Matsuyama, Ehime Prefecture. The stadium, which is owned by Ehime Prefecture, has a capacity of 20,919 spectators. The sports facility is operated and managed by the Ehime Prefectural Sports Promotion Corporation as the designated manager.

Record as J. League member

;Key

Honours

Current squad

Out on loan

Club officials

Club officials for 2025

Kit evolution

Managerial history

References

External links

* {{Authority control J.League clubs Football clubs in Japan Association football clubs established in 1970 Sports clubs and teams in Ehime Prefecture 1970 establishments in Japan Japan Football League clubs