Early years as Toyota Motor SC (1939–1991) The club was founded as
Toyota Motor Soccer Club, the company team of the automobile manufacturer
Toyota. During the early decades of Japanese corporate football, the team competed mainly in regional competitions and company leagues. Toyota Motor SC was overshadowed by its colleague
Toyota Automated Loom Works SC (founded in 1946 and which was one of the founding members of the
Japan Soccer League). When Toyota ALW were relegated to regional leagues in 1968, Toyota Motor saw an opportunity to rise at their expense. In
1972, Toyota Motor SC was one of the founding members of the JSL's Second Division and its inaugural champions. They remained in the JSL until the J.League's founding in 1993. They were relegated to the JSL Division 2 in
1977. Toyota Motor SC returned to the top tier after finishing as runners-up in the 1989–90 season. As Japanese football prepared to transition into professionalism, the club underwent restructuring and in 1990 adopted the name '
Nagoya Grampus Eight', reflecting its connection to the city of Nagoya and local cultural symbols. The name “Grampus” refers to the golden shachihoko (often interpreted as dolphin-like creatures) that decorate the roof of
Nagoya Castle, while “Eight” derives from the stylised symbol of Nagoya city, which resembles the character for the number eight.
Founding member of the J.League (1992–1999) Nagoya Grampus Eight was an original member (
"Original Ten") of the
J.League in 1993. The club initially struggled in the early years of the new professional era, finishing near the bottom of the league standings in 1993 and 1994. However in 1995, Nagoya Grampus Eight fortunes improved dramatically following the appointment of future
Arsenal manager
Arsène Wenger led Grampus to the
1995 Emperor's Cup final defeating
Sanfrecce Hiroshima 3–0 winning their first major silverware in the club history and also finishing as the J1 League runnners-up in the
1995 season. In 1999, Nagoya Grampus Eight then continued to establish itself as a competitive club by winning the
1999 Emperor’s Cup defeating
Sanfrecce Hiroshima 2–0.
Consolidation and rebuilding (2000–2007) During the early 2000s, Nagoya Grampus Eight remained a regular participant in the top division but struggled to consistently challenge for major titles. The club maintained a stable presence in the J.League with notable players such as
Seigo Narazaki, who became one of the most prominent goalkeepers in Japanese football. Despite occasional strong league finishes, Nagoya Grampus Eight experienced a downturn in the mid-2000s, finishing 14th in the 2005 season. This prompted a rebuilding period aimed at returning the club to competitiveness.
League champions under Dragan Stojković (2008–2013) A new era began in 2008 where the club's name "Nagoya Grampus Eight" was shorten to just "
Nagoya Grampus" at the start of the 2008 season. In the 2009 AFC Champions League, Nagoya Grampus was drawn in Group E alongside Australian club
Newcastle Jets, Korean club
Ulsan Hyundai and Chinese club
Beijing Guoan. The club then went to top the group stage with 12 points thus advancing to the knockout stage. In the round of 16, Nagoya Grampus face against another Korean club
Suwon Samsung Bluewings winning them 2–1 thus advancing to the quarter-finals facing off
Kawasaki Frontale. Both team was leveled 3–3 on aggregate where
Joshua Kennedy went on to scored in the 88th minute to put Nagoya Grampus 4–3 on aggregate seeing them advanced to the semi-finals. However, Nagoya Grampus ended up losing 8–3 on aggregate to Saudi Arabian club
Al-Ittihad thus bowing out from the competition.
First top flight league title Nagoya Grampus reached the peak of its history in the
2010 season when it won its first top flight league title. Stojković has since led the club to winning the J1 League, featuring a squad consisting of
Marcus Tulio Tanaka,
Mu Kanazaki,
Seigo Narazaki,
Yoshizumi Ogawa,
Keiji Tamada and
Joshua Kennedy.
Boško Gjurovski left his post as manager. On 4 January 2017,
Yahiro Kazama was appointed as the club's new manager. On 3 December 2017, Nagoya Grampus drew 0–0 against
Avispa Fukuoka in the promotion play-offs final, securing promotion back to
J1 League at the first time of asking due to their higher regular season position than Avispa Fukuoka.
Return to competitiveness and silverware (2019–present) After stabilising in the top flight following their 2017 promotion, Nagoya Grampus entered a period of rebuilding and gradual improvement from 2019 onward. On 23 September 2019,
Massimo Ficcadenti was appointed as the club's new manager. In the
2020 season, Nagoya Grampus finished third in the J1 League, marking their highest league placement in nearly a decade and securing qualification for the
2021 AFC Champions League. In the 2021 AFC Champions League, Nagoya Grampus was drawn in Group G alongside Korean club
Pohang Steelers, Malaysian club
Johor Darul Ta'zim and Thailand club
Ratchaburi. Nagoya Grampus went on to have a good record in the group stage with 5 wins, 1 draw and 0 lost finishing with 16 points to top the group thus advancing to the knockout stage. Nagoya Grampus then face off against another Korean club
Daegu in the round of 16 winning them 4–2 which Nagoya Grampus advance to the quarter-finals, however, they lost 3–0 to eventual finalist
Pohang Steelers thus knocked out from the competition. Domestically in the same year, proved historic as Nagoya Grampus ended an 11-year trophy drought by winning the
2021 J.League Cup with Ficcadenti guiding the club to a 2–0 victory over
Cerezo Osaka. However, Nagoya Grampus didn't renew a contract with Ficcadenti, and appointed
Kenta Hasegawa as their new manager. In subsequent seasons, the club has maintained a position near the top of the J1 League table, continuing to compete in domestic and continental competitions while emphasizing youth development and tactical consistency under the current managerial team. The 2024 season marked Nagoya Grampus seventh consecutive year in the J1 League, continuing under manager Kenta Hasegawa. In the league, Nagoya Grampus finished in 11th place, ending the season with a mix of wins, draws, and losses as the team sought consistency in its domestic campaign. Nagoya Grampus’s J.League Cup campaign was significantly more successful. The club reached the final of the
J.League Cup. Nagoya Grampus then went on to defeat
Albirex Niigata 5–4 on penalties shootout to win the J.League Cup, securing their second J.League Cup in three years. == Team image ==