J1 League

Top division of association football in Japan

J1 League

Founded	1992; 29 years ago (1992)
Country	Japan
Confederation	AFC
Number of teams	20
Level on pyramid	1
Relegation to	J2 League
Domestic cup(s)	Emperor's Cup Fuji Xerox Super Cup
League cup(s)	YBC Levain Cup
International cup(s)	AFC Champions League
Current champions	Kawasaki Frontale (3rd title) (2020)
Most championships	Kashima Antlers (8 titles)
Top goalscorer	Yoshito Ōkubo (179 goals)
TV partners	DAZN (Japan only) NHK
Website	www.jleague.jp/en/
Current: 2021 J1 League

The J1 League (Japanese: J1リーグ, Hepburn: Jē-wan Rīgu) or simply J1 is the top division of the Japan Professional Football League (日本プロサッカーリーグ, Nihon Puro Sakkā Rīgu) and the top professional Football J.League in Japan.^{[2][3][4][5][6][7][8]} It is one of the most successful leagues in Asian club football. Currently, the J1 League is the first level of the Japanese association football league system. The second tier is represented by the J2 League. It is currently sponsored by Meiji Yasuda Life and thus officially known as the Meiji Yasuda J1 League (Japanese: 明治安田生命J1リーグ).^[9] Until the 2014 season it was named the J.League Division 1.

History

For the history of Japanese club association football before the inception of the professional league in 1993, see Japan Soccer League.

For the detailed history of J2 League, see J2 League § History.

Phases of J1

Before the professional league (1992 and earlier)

Before the inception of the J.League, the highest level of club football was the Japan Soccer League (JSL), which consisted of amateur clubs.^[10][11] Despite being well-attended during the boom of the late 1960s and early 1970s (when Japan's national team won the bronze Olympic medal at the 1968 games in Mexico), the JSL went into decline in the 1980s, in general line with the deteriorating situation worldwide. Fans were few, the grounds were not of the highest quality, and the Japanese national team was not on a par with the Asian powerhouses. To raise the level of play domestically, to attempt to garner more fans, and to strengthen the national team, the Japan Football Association (JFA) decided to form a professional league.

The professional association football league, J.League was formed in 1992, with eight clubs drawn from the JSL First Division, one from the Second Division, and the newly formed Shimizu S-Pulse. At the same time, JSL changed its name and became the former Japan Football League, a semi-professional league. Although the J.League did not officially launch until 1993, the Yamazaki Nabisco Cup competition was held between the ten clubs in 1992 to prepare for the inaugural season.

Inaugural season and J.League boom (1993–1995)

J.League officially kicked off its first season with ten clubs in early 1993.

After the boom (1996–1999)

Despite the success in the first three years, in early 1996 the league attendance declined rapidly. In 1997 the average attendance was 10,131, compared to more than 19,000 in 1994. Notably, Arsene Wenger managed Nagoya Grampus Eight during this period.

Change of infrastructure and game formats (1999–2004)

Main article: J2 League

The league's management finally realized that they were heading in the wrong direction. In order to solve the problem, the management came out with two solutions.

First, they announced the J.League Hundred Year Vision, in which they aim to make 100 professional association football clubs in the nation of Japan by 2092, the hundredth season. The league also encouraged the clubs to promote football or non-football related sports and health activities, to acquire local sponsorships, and to build good relationship with their hometowns at the grass-root level. The league believed that this will allow the clubs to bond with their respective cities and towns and get support from local government, companies, and citizens. In other words, clubs will be able to rely on the locals, rather than major national sponsors.

Second, the infrastructure of the league was heavily changed in 1999. The league acquired nine clubs from the semi-professional JFL and one club from J.League to create a two division system. The top flight became the J.League Division 1 (J1) with 16 clubs while J.League Division 2 (J2) was launched with ten clubs in 1999. The former second-tier Japan Football League now became the third-tier Japan Football League.

Also, until 2004 (with the exception of 1996 season), the J1 season was divided into two. At the end of each full season, the champion from each half played a two-legged series to determine the overall season winner and runners-up. Júbilo Iwata in 2002, and Yokohama F. Marinos in 2003, won both "halves" of the respective seasons, thus eliminating the need for the playoff series. This was the part of the reason the league abolished the split-season system starting from 2005.

European League Format & AFC Champions League (2005–2008)

Since the 2005 season, J.League Division 1 consisted of 18 clubs (from 16 in 2004) and the season format became more similar to European club football. The number of relegated clubs also increased from 2 to 2.5, with the 3rd-to-last club going into the promotion/relegation playoffs with the third-placed J2 club. Since then, other than minor adjustments, the top flight has stayed consistent.

Japanese teams did not treat the AFC Champions League that seriously in the early years, in part due to the distances travelled and teams played. However, in the 2008 Champions League, three Japanese sides made the quarter-finals.^[12]

However, in recent years, with the inclusion of the A-League in Eastern Asia, introduction to the Club World Cup, and increased marketability in the Asian continent, both the league and the clubs paid more attention to Asian competition. For example, Kawasaki Frontale built up a notable fan base in Hong Kong, owing to their participation in the Asian Champions League during the 2007 season.^[13] Continuous effort led to the success of Urawa Red Diamonds in 2007 and Gamba Osaka in 2008. Thanks to excellent league management and competitiveness in Asian competition, the AFC awarded J.League the highest league ranking and a total of four slots starting from the 2009 season. The league took this as an opportunity to sell TV broadcasting rights to foreign countries, especially in Asia.

Also starting from the 2008 season, the Emperor's Cup Winner was allowed to participate in the upcoming Champions League season, rather than waiting a whole year (i.e. 2005 Emperor's Cup winner, Tokyo Verdy, participated in the 2007 ACL season, instead of the 2006 season). In order to fix this one-year lag issue, the 2007 Emperor's Cup winner, Kashima Antlers' turn was waived. Nonetheless, Kashima Antlers ended up participating in the 2009 ACL season by winning the J.League title in the 2008 season.

Modern phase (2009–2016)

Three major changes were seen starting in the 2009 season. First, starting that season, four clubs entered the AFC Champions League. Secondly, the number of relegation slots increased to three. Finally, the AFC Player slot was implemented starting this season. Each club will be allowed to have a total of four foreign players; however, one slot is reserved for a player that derives from an AFC country other than Japan. Also, as a requirement of being a member of the Asian Football Confederation, the J.League Club Licence regulations started in 2012 as one criterion of whether a club was allowed to stay in its division or to be promoted to a higher tier in professional level league. No major changes happened to J.League Division 1 as the number of clubs stayed at 18.

In 2015 the J.League Division 1 was renamed J1 League. Also, the tournament format was changed to a three-stage system. The season was split into first and second stages, followed by a third and final championship stage. The third stage was composed of three to five teams. The top point accumulator in each stage and the top three point accumulators for the overall season qualified. If both of the stage winners finished in the top three teams for the season, then only three teams qualified for the championship stage. These teams then took part in a championship playoff stage to decide the winner of the league trophy.

Future (2017–)

Despite the new multi-stage format being initially reported as locked in for five seasons, due to a negative reaction from hardcore fans, and a failure to appeal to casual fans, towards the end of the 2016 it was abandoned in favour of a return to a single-stage system.^[14] From 2017, the team which accumulates the most points will be named champion, with no championship stage taking place at the season's end, and from 2018, the bottom two clubs are relegated and the 16th-placed club enters a playoff with the J2 club that wins a promotion playoff series.^[15] If the J2 playoff winner prevails, the club is promoted, with the J1 club being relegated, otherwise the J1 club can retain its position in J1 League with the promotion failure of the J2 club.

In November 2017, Urawa Red Diamonds played the AFC Champions League final against Al Hilal. After a draw in the first leg, Urawa Red Diamonds won the second leg 1-0 and were crowned Asian Champions. In the past 10–15 years, Japanese clubs have risen not only continentally, but also internationally. Clubs Gamba Osaka and Urawa Red Diamonds have been crowned Asian champions and participated in the Club World Cup, always targeting at least the semi-finals. Kashima Antlers were finalists of the 2016 edition and eventually lost to Real Madrid.

Timeline

Year	Important events	# J clubs	# ACL clubs	Rele. slots
1989	JFA forms a professional league assessment committee.
1990	The committee decides the criteria for professional clubs Fifteen to twenty clubs from Japan Soccer League applies for the professional league membership
1992	The professional league, J.League is formed with the following 10 clubs: Gamba Osaka, JEF United Ichihara, Nagoya Grampus Eight, Sanfrecce Hiroshima, Urawa Red Diamonds, Verdy Kawasaki, Yokohama Flügels, and Yokohama Marinos (pre-existing from the old JSL First Division) Kashima Antlers (promoted from the old Second Division) Shimizu S-Pulse (newly formed, non-company club). Japan Soccer League becomes then second-tier Japan Football League J.League hosts the first domestic league cup competition with the ten clubs
1993	The J.League officially kicks off its first season	10
1994	Following clubs are promoted from Japan Football League: Júbilo Iwata and Bellmare Hiratsuka	12
1995	Following clubs are promoted from Japan Football League: Cerezo Osaka and Kashiwa Reysol The points system is introduced for the first time: a club receives 3 pts for any win, 1 pt for PK loss, and 0 pts for regulation or extra time loss.	14
1996	Following clubs are promoted from Japan Football League: Kyoto Purple Sanga and Avispa Fukuoka The league adopts single season format J.League average attendance hits the record low 10,131	16
1997	Following club is promoted from Japan Football League: Vissel Kobe The league goes back to split-season format The points system changes: a club receives 3 pts for a regulation win, 2 pts for extra-time win, 1 pt for PK win, and 0 pts for any loss.	17
1998	Following club is promoted from Japan Football League: Consadole Sapporo Yokohama Flügels announce that they will be dissolved into crosstown rivals Yokohama Marinos for the 1999 season The league announces the J.League Hundred Year Vision The league announces incorporation of two-division system for the 1999 season The league hosts J.League Promotion Tournament to decide to promote and/or relegate clubs. As a result, Consadole Sapporo becomes the first club be to relegated.	18
1999	Yokohama Marinos merge with Yokohama Flügels to become Yokohama F. Marinos Penalty kick shootouts are abolished in both divisions; however, golden goal extra-time rules stayed The points system changes: a club receives 3 pts for a regulation win, 2 pts for an extra time win, and 1 pt for a tie Japan Football League (former) is also restructured, as it becomes the 3rd-tier Japan Football League. Note: To distinguish between the former and the current JFL, the new JFL is pronounced Nihon Football League in Japanese.	16		2
2000		16		2
2001		16		2
2002		16	2	2
2003	Extra time is abolished in Division 1 and traditional 3–1–0 points system is adopted	16		2
2004	No automatic relegation this season, as the top flight expands to 18 clubs in the following season Inception of the two-legged Promotion/Relegation Series	16	2	0.5
2005	J.League Division 1 expands to 18 clubs J.League Division 1 adopts single-season format	18	2	2.5
2006	Away goals rule is adopted in Yamazaki Nabisco Cup and Promotion/Relegation Series The league forms J.League expansion committee The league reintroduces J.League Associate Membership	18	2	2.5
2007	J.League champion qualifies to the FIFA Club World Cup as the host for next two seasons. Note: If a Japanese club wins the AFC Champions League, the host loses its right. Urawa Red Diamonds wins the 2007 AFC Champions League, becoming the first Japanese club to win the AFC Champions League since its rebranding in 2002. Urawa wins the bronze medal at the 2007 FIFA Club World Cup, becoming the first Japanese club to do so.	18	2	2.5
2008	Gamba Osaka wins the 2008 AFC Champions League, the second straight championship by a Japanese club and wins the bronze medal at the 2008 FIFA Club World Cup, the second straight Japanese bronze medal at the competition.	18	2 + 1	2.5
2009	Four clubs enter AFC Champions League. Implementation of a 4th foreign player slot, a.k.a. AFC player slot Promotion/Relegation Series is eliminated and 16th-place club is now relegated by default.	18	4	3
2010		18	4	3
2011	J.League champion qualifies to the FIFA Club World Cup as the host for next two seasons again.	18	4	3
2015	J.League reinstates split-season format for the next five seasons. J.League champion qualifies to the FIFA Club World Cup as the host for the next two seasons again.	18	4	3
2016	J.League champion qualifies to the FIFA Club World Cup as the host. Kashima Antlers reaches the 2016 FIFA Club World Cup Final becoming the first Asian club and only Japanese club to reach the Final, finishing with the silver medal.	18	4	3
2017	J.League reinstates single-season format after only two seasons. Urawa Red Diamonds wins the 2017 AFC Champions League becoming the first Japanese club to win this competition twice.	18	4	3
2018	J.League implements entry playoff between 16th J1 club and J2 playoffs winner. Kashima Antlers wins the 2018 AFC Champions League becoming only the third Japanese club to win this competition. Kashima goes on to finish 4th at 2018 FIFA Club World Cup, the best performance by a Japanese club in a FIFA World Cup held overseas outside of Japanese soil.	18	4	2.5
2019	J.League implements a new foreigners rule. J1, J2 and J3 clubs can recruit as many foreign players as they desire, but only 5 (J1) or 4 (J2&J3) can be in the matchday squad. The "Asian slot" is removed. Players from certain J.League partner nations such as Thailand, Vietnam, etc. are not counted as foreigners.	18	4	2.5
2020	No relegation due to the COVID-19 pandemic	18	3	0
2021	League expansion to 20 clubs	20	3	4

2021 season

League format

Main article: 2021 J1 League

Eighteen clubs will play in double round-robin (home and away) format, a total of 34 games each. A club receives 3 points for a win, 1 point for a tie, and 0 points for a loss. The clubs are ranked by points, and tiebreakers are, in the following order:

• Goal differential
• Goals scored
• Head-to-head results
• Disciplinary points

A draw would be conducted, if necessary. However, if two clubs are tied for first place, both clubs will be declared as co-champions. The top three clubs will qualify to the following year's AFC Champions League, while the bottom two clubs will be relegated to J2. The third club will play a playoff against the J2 playoffs-winning team.

Prize money (2020 figures)

• Champions: 300,000,000 yen
• Second place: 120,000,000 yen
• Third place: 60,000,000 yen

In addition to the prize, top 4 clubs are awarded with the following funds.

J league funds distributed to top 4 clubs (from 2017)

• Champions: 1,550,000,000 yen
• Second place: 700,000,000 yen
• Third place: 350,000,000 yen
• Fourth place: 180,000,000 yen

^[16]

Participating clubs

Consadole Sapporo

Greater Tokyo Area†

Keihanshin‡

Shimizu S- Pulse

SaganTosu

SanfrecceHiroshima

Vegalta Sendai

Oita Trinita

Nagoya Grampus

† Greater Tokyo teams
FC Tokyo
Kawasaki Frontale
Urawa Red Diamonds
Shonan Bellmare
Yokohama F. Marinos
Yokohama FC
Kashima Antlers
Kashiwa Reysol

‡ Keihanshin teams
Cerezo Osaka
Gamba Osaka
Vissel Kobe

Locations of the 2020 J1 League teams

Kashima Antlers

Kashiwa Reysol

Urawa Red Diamonds

Yokohama FC

FC Tokyo

Kawasaki Frontale

Shonan Bellmare

Yokohama FC

Yokohama F. Marinos

2020 J1 League teams in Greater Tokyo Area

Cerezo Osaka

Gamba Osaka

Vissel Kobe

2020 J1 League teams in Keihanshin

Club	Year joined	Seasons in J1	Based in	First season in top flight	Seasons in top flight	Current spell in top flight	Last title
Kashima Antlers	1993	28	Southwestern cities/towns of Ibaraki	1985/86	31	1993–	2016
Avispa Fukuoka	1996	9	Fukuoka, Fukuoka	1996	9	2021–	–
Shonan Bellmare	1994	13	South and central cities/town in Kanagawa	1972	31	2018–	1981
Cerezo Osaka	1995	20	Osaka & Sakai, Osaka	1965	46	2017–	1980
Consadole Sapporo	1998	9	All cities/towns in Hokkaidō	1989/90	12	2017–	–
Yokohama F. Marinos	1993	28	Yokohama, Yokosuka & Yamato	1979	40	1982–	2019
Kawasaki Frontale	1999 (J2)	17	Kawasaki, Kanagawa	1977	19	2005–	2020
Gamba Osaka	1993	27	North cities in Osaka	1986/87	34	2014–	2014
Nagoya Grampus	1993	27	All cities/towns in Aichi	1973	35	2018–	2010
Urawa Red Diamonds	1993	27	Saitama	1965	53	2001–	2006
Kashiwa Reysol	1995	23	Kashiwa, Chiba	1965	47	2020–	2011
Shimizu S-Pulse	1993 (J)	27	Shizuoka	1993	27	2017–	–
Sagan Tosu	1999 (J2)	9	Tosu, Saga	2012	9	2012–	–
Sanfrecce Hiroshima	1993	26	Hiroshima, Hiroshima	1965	48	2009–	2015
FC Tokyo	1999 (J2)	20	Chofu	2000	20	2012–	–
Oita Trinita	1999 (J2)	10	All cities/towns in Ōita	2003	10	2019–	–
Vegalta Sendai	1999 (J2)	13	Sendai, Miyagi	2002	13	2010–	–
Vissel Kobe	1997	22	Kobe, Hyōgo	1997	22	2014–	–
Tokushima Vortis	2005 (J2)	1	All cities/towns in Tokushima	2014	1	2021–	–
Yokohama FC	2001 (J2)	2	Yokohama, Kanagawa	2007	2	2020–	–

Source for teams participating:^[17]

• Pink background denotes club was most recently promoted from J2 League.
• "Year joined" is the year the club joined the J.League (Division 1 unless otherwise indicated).
• "First season in top flight", "Seasons in top flight", "Current spell in top flight", and "Last title" include seasons in the old Japan Soccer League First Division.

Stadiums (2021)

Main article: List of football stadiums in Japan

See also: Category:Football venues in Japan

Primary venues used in the J1 League:

Urawa Red Diamonds	Kashima Antlers	Shimizu S-Pulse	Gamba Osaka	Yokohama F. Marinos	Kawasaki Frontale	Shonan Bellmare
Saitama Stadium 2002	Kashima Soccer Stadium	IAI Stadium Nihondaira	Panasonic Stadium Suita	Nissan Stadium	Kawasaki Todoroki Stadium	Shonan BMW Stadium Hiratsuka
Capacity: 63,700	Capacity: 40,728	Capacity: 20,339	Capacity: 40,000	Capacity: 72,370	Capacity: 26,000	Capacity: 15,200
Vissel Kobe	Nagoya Grampus		Cerezo Osaka		Kashiwa Reysol	Yokohama FC
Noevir Stadium Kobe	Paloma Mizuho Stadium	Toyota Stadium	Yanmar Stadium Nagai	Nagai Ball Game Field	Sankyo Frontier Kashiwa Stadium	Nippatsu Mitsuzawa Stadium
Capacity: 30,132	Capacity: 27,000	Capacity: 45,000	Capacity: 47,816	Capacity: 19,904	Capacity: 15,349	Capacity: 15,454
Vegalta Sendai	Consadole Sapporo		Sagan Tosu	FC Tokyo	Oita Trinita	Sanfrecce Hiroshima
Yurtec Stadium Sendai	Sapporo Dome	Sapporo Atsubetsu Stadium	Ekimae Real Estate Stadium	Ajinomoto Stadium	Showa Denko Dome Oita	Edion Stadium Hiroshima
Capacity: 19,694	Capacity: 41,484	Capacity: 20,861	Capacity: 24,490	Capacity: 50,100	Capacity: 40,000	Capacity: 36,906
Avispa Fukuoka	Tokushima Vortis
Best Denki Stadium	Pocarisweat Stadium
Capacity: 21,562	Capacity: 20,441

Former clubs

Club	Year Joined	Seasons in J1	Based in	First season in top flight	Seasons in top flight	Last spell in top flight	Last title	Current league
Albirex Niigata	1999 (J2)	14	Niigata & Seirō, Niigata	2004	14	2004–2017	–	J2
Omiya Ardija	1999 (J2)	12	Saitama	2005	12	2016–2017	–	J2
Yokohama Flügels	1993	6	Yokohama, Kanagawa	1985/86	11	1988/89–1998	–	Defunct
JEF United Chiba	1993	17	Chiba & Ichihara, Chiba	1965	44	1965–2009	1985/86	J2
Júbilo Iwata	1994	24	Iwata, Shizuoka	1980	33	2016–2019	2002	J2
Montedio Yamagata	1999 (J2)	4	All cities/towns in Yamagata	2009	4	2015	–	J2
Kyoto Sanga	1996	11	Southwestern cities/towns in Kyoto	1996	11	2008–2010	–	J2
V-Varen Nagasaki	2013 (J2)	1	All cities/towns in Nagasaki	2018	1	2018	–	J2
Ventforet Kofu	1999 (J2)	8	All cities/towns in Yamanashi	2006	8	2013–2017	–	J2
Tokyo Verdy	1993	14	Tokyo	1978	28	2008	1994	J2
Matsumoto Yamaga	2012 (J2)	2	Central cities/village in Nagano	2015	2	2019	–	J2

• Grey background denotes club was most recently relegated to J2 League.
• "Year joined" is the year the club joined the J.League (Division 1 unless otherwise indicated).
• "First season in top flight", "Seasons in top flight", "Last spell in top flight", and "Last title" includes seasons in the old Japan Soccer League First Division.

Statistics

Championship history

Main article: List of Japanese football champions

Year	Champions	Runners-up
1993	Verdy Kawasaki	Kashima Antlers
1994	Verdy Kawasaki	Sanfrecce Hiroshima
1995	Yokohama F. Marinos	Verdy Kawasaki
1996	Kashima Antlers	Nagoya Grampus Eight
1997	Júbilo Iwata	Kashima Antlers
1998	Kashima Antlers	Júbilo Iwata
1999	Júbilo Iwata	Shimizu S-Pulse
2000	Kashima Antlers	Yokohama F. Marinos
2001	Kashima Antlers	Júbilo Iwata
2002	Júbilo Iwata	Yokohama F. Marinos
2003	Yokohama F. Marinos	Júbilo Iwata
2004	Yokohama F. Marinos	Urawa Red Diamonds
2005	Gamba Osaka	Urawa Red Diamonds
2006	Urawa Red Diamonds	Kawasaki Frontale
2007	Kashima Antlers	Urawa Red Diamonds
2008	Kashima Antlers	Kawasaki Frontale
2009	Kashima Antlers	Kawasaki Frontale
2010	Nagoya Grampus	Gamba Osaka
2011	Kashiwa Reysol	Nagoya Grampus
2012	Sanfrecce Hiroshima	Vegalta Sendai
2013	Sanfrecce Hiroshima	Yokohama F. Marinos
2014	Gamba Osaka	Urawa Red Diamonds
2015	Sanfrecce Hiroshima	Gamba Osaka
2016	Kashima Antlers	Urawa Red Diamonds
2017	Kawasaki Frontale	Kashima Antlers
2018	Kawasaki Frontale	Sanfrecce Hiroshima
2019	Yokohama F. Marinos	FC Tokyo
2020	Kawasaki Frontale	Gamba Osaka

Most successful clubs

Main article: List of Japanese football champions

Clubs in bold compete in top flight for the 2021 season.

Club	Champions	Runners-Up	Winning Seasons	Runners-Up Seasons
Kashima Antlers	8	3	1996, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2016	1993, 1997, 2017
Yokohama F. Marinos	4	3	1995, 2003, 2004, 2019	2000, 2002, 2013
Júbilo Iwata	3	3	1997, 1999, 2002	1998, 2001, 2003
Kawasaki Frontale	3	3	2017, 2018, 2020	2006, 2008, 2009
Sanfrecce Hiroshima	3	2	2012, 2013, 2015	1994, 2018
Gamba Osaka	2	3	2005, 2014	2010, 2015, 2020
Tokyo Verdy	2	1	1993, 1994	1995
Urawa Red Diamonds	1	5	2006	2004, 2005, 2007, 2014, 2016
Nagoya Grampus	1	2	2010	1996, 2011
Kashiwa Reysol	1	0	2011
Shimizu S-Pulse	0	1		1999
Vegalta Sendai	0	1		2012
FC Tokyo	0	1		2019

Relegation history

Only four clubs have never been relegated from J1. Among those, only two clubs – Kashima Antlers and Yokohama F. Marinos – have been participating in every league season since its establishment in 1993. Sagan Tosu were promoted to the first division in 2012, and remain there ever since. The former J.League club Yokohama Flügels never experienced relegation before their merger with Yokohama Marinos in 1999.

JEF United Chiba holds the record for the longest top flight participation streak of 44 consecutive seasons in the first divisions of JSL and J.League that lasted since the establishment of JFL in 1965 and ended with their relegation in 2009. The longest ongoing top flight streak belongs to Yokohama F. Marinos who play in the top flight since 1982 (40 seasons as of 2020).

The 1998 season

When the league introduced the two-division system in 1999, they also reduced number of Division 1 club from 18 to 16. At the end of 1998 season, they hosted the J.League Promotion Tournament to determine two relegating clubs.

Split-season era (1999–2004, 2015–2016)

Throughout 1999 to 2003 seasons, two bottom clubs were relegated to Division 2. To accommodate for split-season format, combined overall standings were used to determine the relegating clubs. This created a confusing situation, where for the championship race stage standing were used, while overall standing was used for relegation survival.

At end of the 2004 season, Division 1 again expanded from 16 to 18 clubs. No clubs were relegated; however, last-placed (16th) club had to play Promotion/Relegation Series against 3rd placed club from J2. Again, to determine 16th placed club, overall standing was used instead of stage standing.

For two seasons starting in 2015, three bottom clubs were relegated based on overall standings.

Single season era (2005–2014, 2017–2019, 2022–future)

For the next four seasons, 2005 to 2008, the number of relegating clubs was increased to 2.5, with two clubs from each division being promoted and relegated directly, and two more (15th in J1 and 3rd in J2) competed in Promotion/Relegation Series.

In 2009, the pro/rele series were abandoned and three teams are directly exchanged between divisions. In 2012, promotion playoffs were introduced in J2, allowing teams that finished from 3rd to 6th to compete for J1 promotion place. For the 2018 and 2019 seasons and from 2022, the bottom two teams are relegated and the entry playoff has the 16th team play the J2 playoff winner.

Single season era (2021)

No teams descended to J2 after the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan and its effects.^[18] Instead, four relegations are in place for the 2021 season, bringing back the number of teams from 20 to 18.^[19]

Summary

Year	15th Place	16th Place	17th Place	18th Place
1998	JEF United Ichihara	Consadole Sapporo	Vissel Kobe	Avispa Fukuoka
1999	Urawa Red Diamonds	Bellmare Hiratsuka	Only 16 clubs participated
2000	Kyoto Purple Sanga	Kawasaki Frontale
2001	Avispa Fukuoka	Cerezo Osaka
2002	Sanfrecce Hiroshima	Consadole Sapporo
2003	Vegalta Sendai	Kyoto Purple Sanga
2004	Cerezo Osaka	Kashiwa Reysol †
2005	Shimizu S-Pulse	Kashiwa Reysol ‡	Tokyo Verdy 1969	Vissel Kobe
2006	Ventforet Kofu	Avispa Fukuoka ‡	Cerezo Osaka	Kyoto Purple Sanga
2007	Omiya Ardija	Sanfrecce Hiroshima ‡	Ventforet Kofu	Yokohama FC
2008	JEF United Chiba	Júbilo Iwata †	Tokyo Verdy	Consadole Sapporo
2009	Montedio Yamagata	Kashiwa Reysol	Oita Trinita	JEF United Chiba
2010	Vissel Kobe	FC Tokyo	Kyoto Sanga	Shonan Bellmare
2011	Urawa Red Diamonds	Ventforet Kofu	Avispa Fukuoka	Montedio Yamagata
2012	Albirex Niigata	Vissel Kobe	Gamba Osaka	Consadole Sapporo
2013	Ventforet Kofu	Shonan Bellmare	Júbilo Iwata	Oita Trinita
2014	Shimizu S-Pulse	Omiya Ardija	Cerezo Osaka	Tokushima Vortis
2015	Albirex Niigata	Matsumoto Yamaga	Shimizu S-Pulse	Montedio Yamagata
2016	Albirex Niigata	Nagoya Grampus	Shonan Bellmare	Avispa Fukuoka
2017	Sanfrecce Hiroshima	Ventforet Kofu	Albirex Niigata	Omiya Ardija
2018	Nagoya Grampus	Júbilo Iwata †	Kashiwa Reysol	V-Varen Nagasaki
2019	Sagan Tosu	Shonan Bellmare	Matsumoto Yamaga	Júbilo Iwata
2020	Yokohama FC	Shimizu S-Pulse	Vegalta Sendai	Shonan Bellmare

Year	17th Place	18th Place	19th Place	20th Place
2021	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD

* Bold designates relegated clubs;
† Won the Pro/Rele Series or entry playoff;
‡ Lost the Pro/Rele Series or entry playoff and relegated

Other tournaments

Domestic tournaments

• Fuji Xerox Super Cup (1994–present)
• Emperor's Cup (1921–present)
• J.League YBC Levain Cup (1992–present, excluding 1995)
• J1/J2 Play-offs (2018–present, excluding 2020/21)

International tournaments

• FIFA Club World Cup (2007–2008, 2011–2012, 2015–2016)
• AFC Champions League (1969, 1986/87–2002/03, 2004–present)
• J-League Cup/Copa Sudamericana Championship (2008–present)

Defunct tournament

• Suntory Championship (1993–2004, excluding 1996)
• Sanwa Bank Cup (1994–1997)
• JOMO All-Stars Soccer (1993–2007)
• A3 Champions Cup (2003–2007)
• Promotion/Relegation Series (2004–2008)
• Pan-Pacific Championship (2008, 2009)

Players and managers

Players

• List of J1 League players
• List of foreign J1 League players

Managers

• List of J.League managers

Media coverage

Japan

All J1 matches are streamed live through DAZN until 2028 season, with selected matches also televised live plus highlights of other matches also available on public broadcaster NHK.^[20]

Outside Japan

The league is currently covered internationally (excluding China) by NHK World Premium (Japanese audio only)^[21] and Dentsu.^[22][23]

2020-2022

Country/region	Broadcaster
Australia	Optus Sport[24]
Austria	SportdigitalDACH
Germany
Switzerland
Brunei	Astro SuperSport
Malaysia
China	K-Ball CHN FTA and pay (regional television) GZTV TJTV IPTV Wasu Streaming QQ Huya Live Toutiao ByteDance Douyin
Balkans  Bosnia and Herzegovina  Croatia  Montenegro  North Macedonia  Serbia  Slovenia	Sport Klub
Hong Kong	i-Cable
Indonesia	Media Nusantara Citra
	Kompas Gramedia Group
Ireland	FreeSports[25]
United Kingdom
Israel	Sport 5
Macau	TDM
MENA  Algeria  Bahrain  Chad  Comoros  Djibouti  Egypt  Iran  Iraq  Jordan  Kuwait  Lebanon  Libya  Mauritania  Morocco  Oman  Palestine  Qatar  Saudi Arabia  Somalia  Sudan  Syria  Tunisia  United Arab Emirates  Yemen	Dubai Sports
Taiwan	ELTA
Thailand	MCOT

^CHN – as main distributor, including J2 matches

^DACH – starting from MW2 in 2020 season

See also

• Sport in Japan
  • Football in Japan
    • Women's football in Japan
• Japan Football Association (JFA)

Soccer/Football

League system

• Japanese association football league system
• J.League
  • J1 League (Tier 1)
  • J2 League (Tier 2)
  • J3 League (Tier 3)
• Japan Football League (JFL) (Tier 4)
• Regional Champions League (Promotion playoffs to JFL)
• Regional Leagues (Tier 5/6)

Domestic cup

• Fuji Xerox Super Cup (Super Cup)
• Emperor's Cup (National Cup)
• J.League YBC Levain Cup (League Cup)

Futsal

• F.League
  • F1 League (Tier 1)
  • F2 League (Tier 2)
• JFA Futsal Championship (National Cup)
• F.League Ocean Cup (League Cup)

Beach soccer

• Beach Soccer Championship (National Cup)

References

1. "サッカー用語集 (Football glossary)". JFA (in Japanese). Japan Football Association. January 25, 2017. Retrieved February 24, 2019. 「日本プロサッカーリーグ」の読みは、「にほんプロサッカーリーグ」。
2. "J-League History Part 5: Expansion, success, and a bright future". Goal.com. 9 September 2013. Retrieved 12 December 2013.
3. "J-League History Part 4: Exporting Talent". Goal.com. 9 September 2013. Retrieved 12 December 2013.
4. "J-League History Part 3: Growing pains emerge on the road to the 2002 World Cup". Goal.com. 9 September 2013. Retrieved 12 December 2013.
5. "J-League History Part 2: Verdy Kawasaki dominates the early years". Goal.com. 9 September 2013. Retrieved 12 December 2013.
6. "J-League History Part 1: Professional football begins in Japan". Goal.com. 9 September 2013. Retrieved 12 December 2013.
7. "Tokyo Journal; Japan Falls for Soccer, Leaving Baseball in Lurch". New York Times. 6 June 1994. Retrieved 17 November 2013.
8. "Japan Wages Soccer Campaign". Christian Science Monitor. 11 June 1993. Retrieved 17 November 2013.
9. The logo used in Japan is labeled 「明治安田生命 J1 LEAGUE」.
10. "Football finds a home in Japan". FIFA. 12 December 2005. Retrieved 12 December 2013.
11. "How Japan created a successful league". When Saturday Comes. 18 July 2010. Archived from the original on 9 August 2016. Retrieved 12 December 2013.
12. John Duerden (11 August 2008). "Asian Debate: Is Japan Becoming Asia's Leader?". Goal.com. Retrieved 19 August 2012.
13. 川崎Ｆが香港でブレーク中、生中継で火 (in Japanese). NikkanSports. 8 March 2008. Retrieved 8 March 2008.
14. Duerden, John. "J.League seeks to wrestle back spotlight from Chinese Super League". ESPN FC. ESPN. Retrieved 2 March 2017.
15. "2018J1参入プレーオフ 大会方式および試合方式について". J.League. 12 December 2017. Retrieved 12 December 2017.
16. "J. League reveals breakdown of prize money, funds". The Japan Times. 9 February 2017.
17. "J1 League: Summary". Soccerway. Global Sports Media. Retrieved 19 August 2012.
18. Orlowitz, Dan (19 March 2020). "J. League to skip relegation as schedule threatened by coronavirus". The Japan Times.
19. "Number of clubs promoted and relegated at the end of the 2021 season" (Press release). J.League. 18 November 2020. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
20. "DAZN AND J.LEAGUE REDEFINE DOMESTIC RIGHTS MODEL IN TRANSFORMATIONAL AGREEMENT EXTENDED UNTIL 2028". DAZN. 25 August 2020. Retrieved 25 September 2020.
21. "J League Soccer: Urawa Red Diamonds vs F.C.Tokyo". NHK World Premium. Retrieved 26 February 2021.
22. "Overseas Broadcasting details determined for the 2020 MEIJI YASUDA J.LEAGUE：J. LEAGUE.JP". J.League. Retrieved 25 September 2020.
23. "The 2021 MEIJI YASUDA J.LEAGUE is available for viewing in the following regions and broadcasters". J.LEAGUE.JP. Retrieved 2021-03-31.
24. "Optus Sport Welcomes J-League to Our 2020 Line Up". Optus Sport. Retrieved 11 February 2020.
25. "J1 League". FreeSports. Retrieved 11 February 2020.

External links

• Official website, JLeague.jp (in English)
• Official YouTube Channel (in Japanese)
• RSSSF.com - Japan - List of Champions