commonly known as Kōchi United SC (高知ユナイテッドSC, ''Kōchi Yunaiteddo Esushi'') is a

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 Kōchi, the capital city of

Kōchi Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Shikoku. Kōchi Prefecture has a population of 669,516 (1 April 2023) and has a geographic area of 7,103 km2 (2,742 sq mi). Kōchi Prefecture borders Ehime Prefecture to the northwest and Tok ...

in Japan. They currently play in 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 ...

for the 2025 season, the third tier of Japanese professional football. after promotion from the JFL in 2024.

History

Merger into current club

On 1 February 2016, two established Shikoku League clubs;

Igosso Kochi FC was a defunct football (soccer) club based in Kōchi, Kōchi, Kōchi, the capital city of Kōchi Prefecture of Japan. They last played in the Shikoku Adult League. The club was known as Nangoku Kōchi F.C. (南国高知FC). In December 2013 the ...

(アイゴッソ高知FC) and Kochi U Torastar FC (高知UトラスターFC) merged to form one club, whose aim was to be the first team from Kōchi Prefecture to play in the

J.League The , commonly a.k.a. shortened to the , and officially known as the for sponsorship with Meiji Yasuda Life, is the men's association football league in Japan. It is responsible for organizing Japan's major professional football tournaments, in ...

. After officially changing the management company's name to Kōchi United Sports Club Ltd., Kochi United SC took Igosso Kōchi FC's place in the Shikoku League. For the many players at Kōchi U Torastar FC unable to join Kochi United SC, and wanting to continue playing as amateurs in the Shikoku League, Kochi Sports Club Ltd. and Kochi University established KUFC Nangoku on March 1, 2016, and this new club took Kōchi U Torastar FC's place in the Shikoku League. The club badge depicts the ceremonial

Keshō-mawashi In sumo, a is the loincloth that (sumo wrestlers) wear during training or in competition. Upper ranked professional wrestlers wear a as part of the ring entry ceremony or . ''Mawashi'' ''Sekitori'' During competition For top ranked professi ...

(化粧廻し) of a Tosa Fighting Dog on the outside, with the dark red colors of Igosso Kochi FC and the green of Kōchi U Torastar inside it and an image of a leaping

bonito Bonitos are a tribe of medium-sized, ray-finned, predatory fish in the family Scombridae, which it shares with the mackerel, tuna, and Spanish mackerel tribes, and also the butterfly kingfish. Also called the tribe Sardini, it consists of ...

skipjack tuna The skipjack tuna (''Katsuwonus pelamis'') is a perciform fish in the tuna family, Scombridae, and is the only member of the genus ''Katsuwonus''. It is also known as katsuo, arctic bonito, mushmouth, oceanic bonito, striped tuna or victor fish. ...

drawn in the center (a popular fish in Kochi prefecture). The club's home shirt also reflects the colors of the amalgamated teams from which Kochi United SC was formed.

Shikoku League (2016–2019)

They played in the

Shikoku Soccer League is the Japanese fifth tier of league football, which is part of the Japanese Regional Leagues. It covers the four prefectures that comprise the island of Shikoku: Kagawa, Tokushima is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located ...

, one of the

Japanese Regional Leagues are a group of parallel association football leagues in Japan that are organized on the regional basis. They form the fifth and sixth tier of the Japanese association football league system below the nationwide Japan Football League. Overview ...

from 2016 to 2019, winning it three times in a row from 2017 to 2019. In 2019, they finished 2nd in the

Japanese Regional Football League Competition The Japanese Regional Champions League (, ''Zenkoku Chiiki Sakkā Championzu Rīgu''), known before 2016 as Japan Regional Football League Competition, is a nationwide play-off tournament meant as a transition for Japanese football clubs competing ...

, earning promotion 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 ...

for the first time in their history from the 2020 season.

JFL (2020–2024)

In their first season in the JFL, Kochi United finished in 14th place. On 24 September 2024, Kochi United announced they had been officially granted a J3 License after approval from the J. League Board of Directors. On 7 December 2024, Kochi United secured promotion to

for the first time in their history from the 2025 season after defeating

YSCC Yokohama , commonly referred to as simply Y.S.C.C. or Y.S.C.C. Yokohama (Y.S.C.C.横浜 or simply YS横浜, ''Wai Esushishi Yokohama'' or simply ''Wai Esu Yokohama'') is a Japanese multisports club based in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture. Although they ...

0-2 in the 2nd leg of the J3/JFL play-offs thus winning 1-3 on aggregate, so ending five years in the fourth tier.

J. League (2025–)

Kochi United officially played their first J3 League away game against newly relegated,

Tochigi SC , commonly referred to as Tochigi SC (栃木SC, ''Tochigi Esushi'') is a Japanese football club based in Utsunomiya, Tochigi Prefecture, Japan. They set to play in the J3 League after relegation from J2 in 2024, Japan's third tier of profession ...

on 16 February 2025 which they lost 1-0. Their first home game was against

Gainare Tottori are a Japanese football club, based in Tottori, capital of Tottori Prefecture. They play in the J3 League, the Japanese third tier of professional football league. Their team colour is green. Name origin Their team name ''Gainare'' derives fr ...

on 23 February 2025, which ended in a 0-0 draw. In their 3rd match at home to

FC Osaka is a Japanese association football, football club based in Higashiōsaka, Osaka Prefecture. They currently play in J3 League, the third tier of professional football league in the Japanese association football league system, Japanese football le ...

, Kokoro Kobayashi scored their first ever J-League goal in a 1-2 loss. On March 9 2025, Kochi United secured their first ever win in the J-League with a 2-1 away victory against

Zweigen Kanazawa Zweigen Kanazawa (ツエーゲン金沢, ''Tsuēgen Kanazawa'') is a Japanese football club based in Kanazawa, Ishikawa, Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture. They currently play in the J3 League, Japan's third tier of professional league football after ...

Club seasons

2016

In their inaugural 2016 season, they finished runners-up in the Shikoku League (W12-D1-L1) to

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 ...

(FC今治). They also qualified for the

All Japan Senior Football Championship The , officially called the All Japan Adults Football Tournament, is a football (soccer) cup competition in Japan. It is run by the Japan Football Association. As it only involves non-league teams (teams not affiliated to either J.League or the ...

(全国社会人サッカー選手権大会 ''Zenkoku Shakaijin Sakkā Senshuken Taikai''), but lost 4–3 in the first round to eventual winners

Mitsubishi Mizushima FC are a Japanese football club based in Kurashiki, Okayama. They play in the Chūgoku Soccer League. History The club was founded in 1946 to provide recreational activities in the war-torn Mizushima area of Kurashiki city. They joined the Okayama ...

(三菱水島 FC). In addition, they represented Kōchi in 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 ...

(天皇杯 ''Tennōhai'') breaking Kochi University's 13-year streak, but lost 2–1 in the first round proper to

V-Varen Nagasaki is a Japanese association football, football club based in Nagasaki, Capital of Nagasaki Prefecture. They currently play in J2 League, the Japanese second tier professional in football league. History The club was established in 1985 as Ari ...

(V・ファーレン長崎) of the

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 ...

having taken a shock lead with a

Kota Sugawara is a Japanese football player who played for Kochi United SC of the Shikoku Soccer League is the Japanese fifth tier of league football, which is part of the Japanese Regional Leagues. It covers the four prefectures that comprise the islan ...

penalty. Takuya Kobayashi was the top goalscorer with 17 goals in all competitions.

2017

In the 2017 season, they won the Shikoku League with a W12-D2-L0 record, thus qualifying for the

(全国地域サッカーチャンピオンズリーグ ''Zenkoku Chiiki Sakkā Championzu Līgu''). They were drawn in Group B for the tournament alongside Amitie SC Kyoto (now

Ococias Kyoto AC Ococias Kyoto AC (, ''Okoshiyasu Kyōto Eshi'') is a Japanese professional football club based in Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture, that competes in the 2nd division of the Kansai Soccer League, which is part of Japanese Regional Leagues. History The c ...

おこしやす京都AC), FC TIAMO Hirakata (FCティアモ枚方) of the

Kansai Soccer League is the Japanese fifth tier of league football, which is part of the Japanese Regional Leagues. It covers most of the Kansai region, as well as the prefectures of Hyōgo, Kyōto, Nara, Osaka, Shiga and Wakayama. Mie, usually considered part o ...

, and

of the

Chūgoku Soccer League is the Japanese fifth tier of league football, which is part of the Japanese Regional Leagues. It covers the five prefectures of the Chūgoku region; Tottori, Shimane, Okayama, Hiroshima and Yamaguchi. It is one of the nine Japanese Regional ...

. They lost 1–0 against Kansai Champions Amitie SC Kyoto in their first match but won their second game 2–1 against FC TIAMO Hirakata. In their final match, they thrashed Mitsubishi Mizushima (6 times Chugoku League champions) 5–2, but it wasn't enough to win the group or qualify for the final stage as best runners-up. Still, it was a fine overall performance in their first appearance in the tournament. In the

they represented Kochi again, but went out in the first round proper for the second consecutive season, losing 2–1 to

Verspah Oita is a Japanese football club based in the city of Ōita, capital of Ōita Prefecture. They currently play in the Japan Football League, the fourth tier of Japanese league football. The 2025 season is their 14th consecutive season in the JFL. H ...

(ヴェルスパ大分) of the

, after leading with a

Tsubasa Yokotake is a Japanese former 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'' gen ...

goal. In the All Japan Senior Football Championship first round, they led at halftime but ended up losing 3–1 to

Vonds Ichihara Vonds Ichihara (''VONDS市原'') is a Japanese football club based in Ichihara, Chiba. The club plays in the first division of the Kantō Soccer League, which is part of the Japanese Regional Leagues. History Founded in 1967, the club was ...

(VONDS市原). The top scorer for the season was Kota Sugawara with 23 goals in all competitions.

2018

In the 2018 season, they retained their Shikoku League title despite one loss to FC Tokushima and won the Kochi Prefectural Football Championship again with a 3–0 win against KUFC Nangoku in the final. In the first round proper of the

, they defeated Mitsubishi Mizushima FC 2–0 at home, then faced

Albirex Niigata is a professional football club based in Niigata, Japan. Formed in 1955 as Niigata Eleven SC, it was renamed Albireo Niigata FC in 1995, and Albirex Niigata in 1997. They currently play in J1 League after being promoted from J2 League as cha ...

(アルビレックス新潟) of the

away in the second round. After a 0–0 draw at

Denka Big Swan Stadium The is a multi-purpose stadium in Niigata, Japan. It is the home ground of J1 League club Albirex Niigata and was one of the twenty stadia used in the 2002 FIFA World Cup, hosting three matches. The stadium's capacity is 41,684. The highest re ...

, one of the venues for the

2002 World Cup The 2002 FIFA World Cup, also branded as Korea/Japan 2002, was the 17th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial Association football, football world championship for List of men's national association football teams, men's national teams organized by ...

, they lost 5–3 on penalties in front of 2241 fans. In the All Japan Senior Football Championship, they lost 3–0 away in the first round to Suzuka Unlimited FC (鈴鹿アンリミテッドFC). Finally, in the season-ending Japanese Regional Football League Competition they disappointingly lost all three matches in the group stages against

Blancdieu Hirosaki FC is a football club team based in Hirosaki, Aomori. They currently play in Tohoku Soccer League, which part of Japanese Regional Leagues. It was founded in 2012 and aims to be a future J. League member. Name origin Blancdieu is a coined wor ...

: 3–2,

Hokkaido Tokachi Sky Earth is a football (soccer) club based in Obihiro, which is located in Hokkaido in Japan. They play in the Hokkaido Soccer League, which is part of Japanese Regional Leagues are a group of parallel association football leagues in Japan that are ...

: 3-0 and

FC Kariya are a Japanese football club based in Kariya, Aichi. They're aiming to gain professional status. Since the 2022 season, after being relegated from the Japan Football League, they are currently playing in the Tōkai Adult Soccer League, whic ...

: 2-1 respectively. The joint top scorers in all competitions were Kazuki Nakabayashi and Ryo Taguchi with 16 goals.

2019

The 2019 season was a breakthrough season for Kochi United. They won the Shikoku League for the third straight season with a 100% record and retained the Kochi Prefectural Football Championship, though they needed an extra-time winner to beat KUFC Nangoku in the final. In the first round proper they defeated MD Nagasaki (MD長崎) at home 1–0 in front of over 400 fans but lost 2–1 away after extra time to

of J2 in the second round. They failed to qualify for the first round proper of the All Japan Senior Football Championship after losing in the regional playoffs to FC Tokushima. However, in the Japanese Regional Football League Competition, their luck changed. With home advantage in the group stages, they beat

2–1 in their opening group game. In their second match, they thrashed SRC Hiroshima 7–0 and although they lost the final group game 2–0 to

, they still qualified for the final round. Things didn't look good when they lost the first game of the final stage 3–0 to

Iwaki FC is a football (soccer) club based in Iwaki, a city in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. The club competes in the J2 League, the second tier of Japanese football league system. History Founder Club Iwaki FC was founded in 2012, before getting ...

, but they responded well in the second match with a 3–1 victory over

Fukui United FC is a football (soccer) club based in Fukui, the capital city of Fukui Prefecture in Japan. They play in the Hokushinetsu Football League, which is part of Japanese Regional Leagues. They were founded in 2019 to take the place of their dissolved ...

. That meant they went into a winner-takes-all final match against Ococias Kyoto who they had lost to earlier on in the competition. This time, they emerged victorious with a stunning 3–1 win to get their revenge and finish second in the competition, thus earning promotion to the

; the first time a team from Kochi had achieved that feat.

League and Cup record

;Key

Current squad

Coaching staff

''As of 2024 season''.

Managerial history

Honours

Statistics

All-time competitive record table

Updated April 2025

All-time top ten record goalscorers

''Updated to Apr 2025''

Records

*Record home victory: 11-0 v Rossorise KFC (Emperor's Cup Regional Round, 2017) & v Koyo Sealing Techno (Shikoku Soccer League, 2019). *Record away victory: 0-14 v Koyo Sealing Techno (Shikoku Soccer League 2019). *Record away defeat: 5-0 v Honda FC (JFL 2021). *Record home defeat: 0-5 v Tochigi City FC (J3 2025). *Longest winning streak (all comps): 13 games (2017–18 and 2019 season). *Longest losing streak (all comps): 7 games (JFL 2022/23). *Most goals by one player in a game: 4 (Takuya Kobayashi: SSL 2016, Kazuki Nakabayashi: AJSFC 2017, Paulo Sousa: SSL 2018, Ryo Taguchi: SSL 2019, Hiroki Maehara: SSL 2019). *Most career goals for Kochi United SC: 57 (Hiroki Maehara). *Most hat-tricks for Kochi United SC: 5 (Kota Sugawara, Ryo Taguchi, Hiroki Maehara). *Record home attendance: 11,085 v Verspah Oita (JFL 2024).

References

External links

Official Website

Official Facebook Page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kochi United SC Football clubs in Japan Association football clubs established in 2016 Sports clubs and teams in Kōchi Prefecture 2016 establishments in Japan Kōchi, Kōchi J.League clubs Japan Football League clubs