About the J.League
In 1993, Japan's first professional soccer league, the "J League," officially started. The J-League started with 10 teams: Kashima Antlers, Jeff United Ichihara, Urawa Reds, Verdy Kawasaki, Yokohama Marinos, Yokohama Flugels, Shimizu S-Pulse, Nagoya Grampus, Gamba Osaka, and Sanfrecce Hiroshima.
In 1999, the league expanded the number of teams and launched the J-League Division 2 (J2) and the top league J-League Division 1 (J1) to form a two-division system. In 2014, with the addition of J League Division 3, it became a three-division system.
In a normal season, the bottom 3 teams of J1 will be automatically demoted to J2, and the top 2 teams of J2 will be automatically promoted to J1. The playoffs will determine the remaining 1 slot that can be promoted to J1 by the 3rd to 6th place teams in J2. *In the 2020 season, there was no team replacement due to the influence of COVID-19.
2020 Season: J League Participating Clubs / Home Stadium
J1
| Teams | Prefecture | Stadium |
|---|---|---|
| Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo | Hokkaido | Sapporo Dome |
| Vegalta Sendai | Miyagi | Yurtec Stadium Sendai |
| Kashima Antlers | Ibaraki | Kashima Soccer Stadium |
| Urawa Reds | Saitama | Saitama Stadium 2002 |
| Kashiwa Reysol | Chiba | Sankyo Frontier Kashiwa Stadium |
| F.C. Tokyo | Tokyo | Ajinomoto Stadium |
| Kawasaki Frontale | Kanagawa | Kawasaki Todoroki Stadium |
| Yokohama F. Marinos | Kanagawa | Nissan Stadium |
| Yokohama F.C. | Kanagawa | Nippatsu Mitsuzawa Football Stadium |
| Shonan Bellmare | Kanagawa | LEMON GAS Stadium Hiratsuka |
| Shimizu S-Pulse | Shizuoka | IAI Stadium Nihondaira |
| Nagoya Grampus | Aichi | Toyota Stadium |
| Gamba Osaka | Osaka | Panasonic Stadium Suita |
| Cerezo Osaka | Osaka | Yanmar Stadium Nagai |
| Vissel Kobe | Hyogo | Noevir Stadium Kobe |
| Sanfrecce Hiroshima | Hiroshima | Edion Stadium Hiroshima |
| Tokushima Vortis | Tokushima | Pocari Sweat Stadium |
| Avispa Fukuoka | Fukuoka | Best Denki Stadium |
| Sagan Tosu | Saga | Ekimae Fudosan (Real Estate) Stadium |
| Oita Trinita | Oita | Showa Denko Dome Oita |
J2
J3
| Teams | Prefecture | Stadium |
|---|---|---|
| Vanraure Hachinohe | Aomori | Prifoods Stadium |
| Iwate Grulla Morioka | Iwate | Iwagin Stadium |
| Fukushima United FC | Fukushima | Toho Stadium |
| Y.S.C.C. Yokohama | Kanagawa | Nippatsu Mitsuzawa Football Stadium |
| Kataller Toyama | Toyama | Toyama Stadium |
| AC Nagano Parceiro | Nagano | Nagano U Stadium |
| FC Gifu | Gifu | Gifu Memorial Center Nagaragawa Stadium |
| Fujieda MYFC | Shizuoka | Fujieda Soccer Stadium |
| Azul Claro Numazu | Shizuoka | Ashitaka Park Stadium |
| Gainare Tottori | Tottori | Axis Bird Stadium |
| Kamatamare Sanuki | Kagawa | Pikara Stadium |
| FC Imabari | Ehime | Arigatou Service. Yume Stadium |
| Roasso Kumamoto | Kumamoto | Egao Kenko Stadium |
| Tegevajaro Miyazaki | Miyazaki | Unilever Stadium Shintomi |
| Kagoshima United FC | Kagoshima | Shiranami Stadium |
Professional football in Japan
J.League (Japan)
The winning team is determined by the points throughout the season. Win = 3 points, Draw = 1 point, Loss = 0 points. There are no overtime or penalty shootouts. The J League season schedule consists of 34 games for each of the 18 teams in the J1 division.
The regular season begins in mid-February and ends in early-mid-December.
Schedule of the 2020 Season
J1 from February 21 to December 19, 2020
J2 from February 23 to December 20, 2020
J3 from June 27 to December 20, 2020
Teams that have won J. League titles in the past
Kashima Antlers 8th
Yokohama F. Marinos 4th
Jubilo Iwata3 times
Sanfrecce Hiroshima 3 times
Tokyo Verdi 2 times
Gamba Osaka 2
Kawasaki Frontale 2
Urawa Reds 1
Nagoya Grampus 1
Reysol 1
J.League Cup (Levan Cup)
The J-League Levain Cup is held during the regular season, with the top 2 teams from each group that has won the group league (Four teams in four groups) advancing to the playoff stage. The playoff stage is a two-game system at home and away, and the winner goes to the prime stage. In the prime stage, the ACL contestants join, and a total of eight teams compete for the championship. The quarter-finals and semi-finals will be a two-game system at home and away, and the final will be one game. If there is a tie, the rules for overtime and penalty shootout will apply.
2019 J League Levain Cup schedule
Group Stages
Section 1: March 6, 2019
Section 2: March 13, 2019
Section 3: April 10, 2019
Section 4: April 24, 2019
Section 5: May 8, 2019
Section 6: May 22
2019 J League Levain Cup Playoff Stages
June 19, 2019 & June 26, 2019
2019 J League Levain Cup Prime Stages
Quarterfinals: September 4, 2019 & September 8, 2019
Semi-finals: October 9, 2019 & October 13, 2019
Final: October 26, 2019