J League second-division club Ventforet Kofu have lived the Asian dream since lifting the Emperor’s Cup (Japan’s FA Cup) in 2022. Nobody gave them much chance when that win qualified them for the 2023-24 Asian Champions League, but they have since defied the odds by winning their group and becoming the first-ever J2 club to advance to the knockout stage. In the last16, they were drawn against South Korean champions Ulsan HD.
Ventforet’s dream commenced with a spectacular Emperor’s Cup run in 2022 under former manager Tatsuma Yoshida. They wound up 18th in the second division that season but claimed five consecutive
