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Sportsdunia DeskModified : Jun 21, 2025, 11:22 AM

Urawa Red Diamonds, also known as Mitsubishi Urawa Football Club from April 1992 to January 1996, is a professional football club in the city of Saitama, part of the Greater Tokyo Area in Japan, that plays in the J1 League, which is the top tier of professional football in Japan. It was started in 1950 at Kobe-based Shin-Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, not as a professional club but as a company-based team meant to provide amusement for the company's employees. It was, however, a common occurrence for teams to stem from companies in Japan, which can be observed in the origins of most of the professional J-League clubs.

It thus meant a lot for the Urawa to become one of the most powerful clubs in Japan's history, which came along with a significant boost, symbolized by a match between Mitsubishi and Yanmar at the National Stadium in Tokyo on November 17, 1968, which dominated the football circle for more than three decades. This was reflected in the results, as in the bronze medal-winning Olympic campaign of 1968, four crucial players came out of Urawa Red to star for the National Team. This team included legends of Japanese football, including goalkeeper Kenzo Yokoyama and midfielder Takaji Mori. The subsequent Olympic success gave football's popularity in Japan a significant boost, symbolized by a match between Mitsubishi and Yanmar at the National Stadium in Tokyo on November 17, 1968, which featured several Olympic stars and attracted a record JSL crowd of 40,000.

Urawa Red Diamonds: Key Facts

Urawa Reds was an original member of the J-League, out of 10 total members upon the League's inception in 1993. The club's name was changed to ''Mitsubishi Urawa Football Club'' in April 1992, where their nickname was "Red Diamonds". In February 1996, the team clubbed both the names to create the first standalone name for the football club, sans a shoutout to their owners, henceforth known as “Urawa Red Diamonds”. The first Reds team played in the inaugural J. League Yamazaki Nabisco Cup in 1992, which was essentially a pre-J-League tournament. Furthermore, the turn of the century proved beneficial for the club, as after finishing at the bottom of the J-League for the first two seasons and getting relegated in the next one, they were finally able to win the Nabisco Cup in 2003.

Since the establishment of the League in 1992, the club has used the Urawa Komaba Stadium as its home stadium. Due to the increasing popularity of the matches in Saitama City, the owner of the stadium expanded its seating capacity. In October 2001, Saitama Prefecture built a new football-specific Saitama Stadium in Saitama City, which initially started as a project to provide a venue for the 2002 World Cup. This stadium was used as a venue for the 2002 FIFA World Cup. After the World Cup, the club gradually increased home games in Saitama Stadium, and in 2003, the stadium was formally designated as the home stadium.

Founded	1950; also, active 75 years ago as Mitsubishi Motors FC
Current Owner	Mitsubishi Heavy Industries- Makoto Taguchi
Country	Japan
City	Saitama, Japan
Nickname	Red Diamonds
League	J-League
Stadium	Saitama Stadium 2002, Saitama, Japan
Capacity	63,700
Manager	Maciej Skorża
Squad Size	34

Urawa Red Diamonds: Key Facts

Urawa Red Diamonds Sponsors, Net Worth & Value

Urawa Red Diamonds started as a passion project for the Japanese company Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. The club was not recognised as a professional team for a long time, playing on transitory grounds, with discrepant rules and no set system for the organization of football matches. Subsequently, through the unwavering backing of the Mitsubishi group, the club established its prominence in its home city of Saitama. Proper establishment of a system occurred simultaneously with the Reds' development, as their official home stadium was established just before the official commencement of the J-League.

The onset of the Japanese League invited a variety of sponsors to the J-League, a lot of them vying to be represented by one of the oldest and top-performing clubs in the League,i.e., Urawa Red Diamonds. Although Urawa Reds were already well-satisfied with their all-weather friends in Mitsubishi, it helped them to develop a global status by entering into strategic partnerships. They currently represent brands such as POLUS, DHL (Popular Freight forwarders), Nike, which has powered Red's footballing endeavors since 2004, PIA (an entertainment magazine), and last but not least, Mitsubishi Motors, which was the catalyst in Red's Forest fire-like spreading in the 90's.

They recorded a net income of 205 million Yen for the 2023 fiscal year, which can be broken down into operating income of 367 million Yen and ordinary income of 392 million yen.

Net Worth	$11.6 million
Valuation	$23.7 million
Sponsors	Mitsubishi, POLUS - Porras Group, DHL, Enecle, Nike, PIA, Mitsubishi Motors and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Soccer Club
Revenue Sources	Entrance fee income, Advertising revenue, Goods income, J League distribution, Merchandise sales, Brand and Sponsorship revenue

Urawa Red Diamonds Rivalries

Football in Japan is filled with an intense passion driven by its scarce and restricted origins, which accurately reflects in the fans' fervour for their team's matches, especially during certain historic rivalries. These rivalries arise out of more than just a place of hate or competition; they provide the impetus for both fans and the teams to provide a great display of football, and even subsequently up the ante of competition with each passing match. An interesting rivalry of the past that we can cite in this context is Urawa constant tussle in the 1990s to rout top-flight rivals JEF United Chiba and Kashiwa Reysol. Now, both rival teams have shifted to the Chiba prefecture, but their intense rivalry, while being located in the same prefecture due to the location of their respective parent company offices, was one to witness in a lifetime. During the time of their prominence, the iconic rivalry developed a nickname, i.e., Marunouchi Gosanke or the Big 3.

Rivals further include Kashima Antlers, FC Tokyo, Yokohama Marinos, Kawasaki Frontale, and, even farther away, Gamba Osaka. Old JSL championship rivalries with Sanfrecce Hiroshima, Cerezo Osaka and Shonan Bellmare have died down since the development of the new league and along with it, new matchups providing more exciting viewership have begun. The old guard of the first 10 clubs that participated in the J-League have also been scattered, whose fragments have been re-aligned to give way to the new system.

Derbies

Urawa Red Diamonds indulge in a feisty derby with their town rivals, Omiya Ardija, who reside in Ōmiya-ku, Saitama city. They first met in the 1987 Emperor's Cup, with Mitsubishi defeating NTT Kanto by 5 to 0 at Nishigaoka National Stadium. The derby first took place in the JSL Second Division in the 1989–90 season, and it wouldn't take place until the 2000 season when Urawa was relegated to the second tier again. However, the disappointment didn't last too long, as in 2003 the previously separated Omiya and Urawa cities were merged to become Saitama City, decreasing the tension factor arisen due to a crisis of identity in proximity. Subsequently, in 2005, Omiya were promoted, and the derby of the past became a top-flight fixture.

Urawa Red Diamonds Trophies & Achievements

Urawa Red Diamonds have emerged from turbulent times to achieve elite status in Japanese footballing history. Previously named after their owners, Mitsubishi, they first won the JSL championship in 1969. The formulation of Professional football in Japan was a process taken up through a trial-and-error approach, which meant that Urawa were a part of many iterations of footballing competitions and Leagues, until the introduction of the J-League in 2002. Mitsubishi were the first Japanese club to complete a domestic treble, when in 1978 they won the title, the Emperor's Cup, and the Japan Soccer League Cup.

In the new official Japanese Leagues, Urawa Red Diamonds' success was scattered into seldom bursts of glory. They were even relegated in their initial years before coming back even stronger. They won their first league title in 2006, culminating this momentum into a brace of titles by winning the Emperor's Cup back-to-back in the 2005 and 2006, winning this title for the first time since their establishment as a professional club, they did so by defeating Shimizu S-Pulse 2–1 on 1 January 2006, and retained the title in 2007 with a Marginal 1–0 win over Gamba Osaka.

On top of this exceptional domestic success, Urawa Reds are also one of the select few clubs that have dominated the AFC Champions League, with their record of winning it a total of 3 times. The Reds' consideration in the bracket of topmost clubs in Asia can be attributed to their performances and dedication. The attainment of the AFC trophy has also allowed them to participate in the Club World Cup 3 times.

Competition	No. of Titles	Seasons
Japanischer Halbserienmeister	3	2004, 2015, 2016
Japanese League Cup Winner	2	2003, 2016
Japanese Super Cup Winner	2	2006, 2022
AFC Champions League Winner	3	2007, 2017, 2022
Japanese Cup Winner	8	2021, 2018, 2006, 2005, 1980, 1978, 1973, 1971
Copa Suruga Bank Winner	1	2017
Japan Soccer League Champion	4	1982, 1978, 1973, 1969
Japan Soccer League-Zweitligameister	1	89/90
Japanese Champion	1	2006

Urawa Red Diamonds Trophies & Achievements

History of Urawa Red Diamonds

Urawa Red Diamonds were formed in 1950 by the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries group. Mitsubishi first won the JSL championship in 1969, breaking the dominance of Mazda/Sanfrecce. Their performance in the first division was sporadic but steady until the 1980s, when they were relegated to the Second Division. In 1990, they were promoted after winning the JSL Division 2 championship and thus were ready when the J-League implementation began in principle. Urawa Red Diamonds were an original member of the J-League in 1993.

They were also the first Japanese club to complete a domestic treble in 1978 after winning the title, the Emperor's Cup and the Japan Soccer League Cup. Urawa Reds clinched their first professional league title by defeating Gamba Osaka 3–2 on December 2 in front of 63,000 supporters. This victory came after two close calls in the previous two years, which increased its value. In 2005, they finished second, just one point behind champions Gamba Osaka. The Reds have also become the only team in the Japanese League to win 3 AFC Champions League trophies, thus increasing their popularity worldwide.

Future Goals

Urawa Red Diamonds already have a rich history and bright future ahead of them, while representing Japanese football. This, although it isn't the first such occurrence, previously the club's former Feyenoord midfielder Shinji Ono, who began his professional career playing for Urawa Reds, preached the glory of football in Japan at the world stage. Ono returned for the 2006 season for a second stint with the club. Some other foreign clubs, such as Arsenal, Club Atlético Independiente, CR Flamengo, VfB Stuttgart, Manchester United, Feyenoord, Hamburger SV, and Perth Glory, have previously visited Japan and played friendly games at Urawa Red Diamonds' home, the Saitama Stadium. These shenanigans, along with the Red's hard work, have been pivotal in their gaining international recognition, which will only rise subsequently.

This year, the Reds have already lost the League title, finishing shockingly in the 4th position behind winners Kashima Antlers, Kashiwa, and Kyoto Sanga. This makes it the Japanese giant's responsibility to come back stronger in the following season to regain its reign of old times. The Reds still, however, have a golden opportunity to display the utility of their fluent football amongst top European giants.