[3] They started the league campaign extremely poorly, winning only one of their first ten games and only scoring three goals in the process.

[1] Head of the academy Masanobu Matsunami took over on an interim basis, until in June it was announced he would be taking over the managerial role for the remainder of the season.

They also reached the quarter-finals of the J.League Cup, but this was the round they entered the competition at due to their commitments in the AFC Champions League.

[3] Due to their involvement in the 2021 AFC Champions League, Gamba received a bye for the group and playoff stages of the competition.

Gamba Osaka were drawn into Group H, alongside two-time winners Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors of South Korea, Tampines Rovers of Singapore and Australia's Sydney FC.

[33] In June 2021, it was announced that all Australian teams would not be participating in the 2021 AFC Champions League due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.