Formed in 1980 as the Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. Ltd. Soccer Club, Gamba Osaka was later one of the founding teams of Japan's premier professional soccer league, the J-League. Upon entering the league in 1992, the club adopted the name "Gamba,"
an abbreviated version of the Japanese word "Gambare" or "to fight" – a word that can often be heard emanating from the team's bench in encouragement – and it also means "leg" in Italian.

In the past decade the club's fighting spirit has ushered in impressive results. Led by the fiery play of versatile midfielder and Japanese national team regular,
Yasuhito Endo, Gamba won its first J-League championship in 2005 while later tallying a second place finish in the Yamazaki NABISCO Cup. In March 2006,
the Gamba Osaka defeated the Vietnamese side Da Nang FC 15-0 in an AFC Champions League match. The club's mix of experienced veterans and able youth promises that Gamba Osaka will continue to be a serious contender in Japan's premier league.