Vissel Kobe trace their origins to 1966 with the founding of Kawasaki Steel Football Club in Hyōgo Prefecture, the works team of the steelmaking corporation. The club rebranded as Vissel Kobe in 1995 — the year of the devastating Great Hanshin earthquake, which destroyed much of the city — and became a symbol of the city's rebuilding. The "Vissel" name combines "victory" and "vessel," reflecting Kobe's identity as Japan's port city. The club joined J1 in 1997 and plays at Noevir Stadium Kobe (formerly Misaki Park Stadium), capacity 30,132.
The Rakuten era, beginning in 2003 under e-commerce billionaire Hiroshi "Mickey" Mikitani, transformed Vissel from a relegation-battling provincial club into one of Japan's most ambitious projects. The high-water mark in global terms came in 2018 when Vissel signed Spanish World Cup winner Andrés Iniesta from Barcelona — followed by Lukas Podolski, Thomas Vermaelen and David Villa. The "global brand" project elevated Kobe's international profile significantly, though early years brought no major silverware.
The 2019-20 Emperor's Cup victory was Vissel's first major trophy, but the breakthrough arrived in 2023 when the club won its first-ever J1 League title — anchored by Japanese internationals Yuya Osako, Hotaru Yamaguchi, Daiju Sasaki and the surprise scoring of forward Yuki Honda. The 2024 Japanese Super Cup followed. Iniesta, whose Vissel tenure ended in 2024, helped change Kobe's culture, while the squad of Japanese veterans now drives the club forward. Local rivalries with Cerezo Osaka and Gamba Osaka — the Kansai Derby — define Vissel's identity.