YOKOHAMA F. MARINOS 

Yokohama F. Marinos are one of the most successful football clubs in the history of the professional game in Japan and joined the City Football Group family in 2014.

The Club began life in 1972 as the Nissan Motor Football Club, became Japanese champions for the first time in 1988 and quickly followed up that triumph a year later. Yokohama were one of the founding members of the J-League which was launched in 1991. The name change to Marinos – which translates from Spanish to ‘sailor’ – is a reference to the international port of Yokohama and came two years later in 1993.

Six years later, there was another modification to the Club’s title to Yokohama F. Marinos following a financial and technical merger with Yokohama Flugels.

In 2014, the partnership between Nissan Motors, the majority owners of Yokohama F. Marinos, and CFG came into existence. The deal marked the first significant foreign investment in a J-League club. CFG took a minority stake of 20%.
 
They won the J1 League in 2019 and repeated that feat three years later, in their 50th year in existence.

The Club were crowned Japan’s champions for a fifth time, winning the J1 League title by two points with a dramatic victory over Vissel Kobe on the last day of the season. The team went on to triumph in the 2023 Super Cup with a 2-1 win over Ventforet Kofu.

Yokohama F. Marinos, whose colours are red, white and blue – as portrayed in their crest – play in the impressive 72,000-capacity Nissan Stadium which opened in March 1998. It hosted the final of the 2002 FIFA World Cup between Germany and Brazil and was one of the venues for the 2020 Summer Olympics.

Yokohama F. Marinos have around 3,000 players in their pyramid at any one time. Life as a potential first team player begins with ‘friendship’ soccer activities in school, and from that point, selection is made at Under-12, Under-15 and Under-18 levels with the best players making the J-League squad.