The 2019 Vissel Kobe season was Vissel Kobe's sixth consecutive season in the J1 League following promotion to the top flight in 2013 and their 21st J1 League season overall. The club also participated in the 2019 Emperor's Cup, the 2019 J.League Cup. Vissel Kobe defeated Kashima Antlers in the final of the Emperor's Cup on 1 January 2020, winning a major trophy for the first time in the club's history.[5][6]