| Emperor's Cup | |
| Year: | 2019 |
| Country: | Japan |
| Num Teams: | 88 |
| Champions: | Vissel Kobe |
| Count: | 1 |
| Runner-Up: | Kashima Antlers |
| Continentalcup1: | AFC Champions League |
| Continentalcup1 Qualifiers: | Vissel Kobe |
| Matches: | 87 |
| Goals: | 272 |
| Prevseason: | 2018 |
| Nextseason: | 2020 |
The 2019 Emperor's Cup was the 99th edition of the annual Japanese national football cup tournament. The tournament began on 25 May and ended with the final on 1 January 2020.[1] The final was the first event held at the National Stadium after its rebuilding.[2]
The defending champions were Urawa Red Diamonds, but they lost to Honda FC in the Round of 16.[3]
Vissel Kobe won their first trophy after winning the final. As the winners, they automatically qualified to the group stage of the 2020 AFC Champions League.
| Round | Date | Matches | Clubs | New entries this round | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First round | 25–26 May | 24 |
| ||
| Second round | 3–10 July | 32 | 24+40 → 32 | ||
| Third round | 14 August | 16 | 32 → 16 | ||
| Fourth round | 18–25 September | 8 | 16 → 8 | ||
| Quarter-finals | 23 October | 4 | 8 → 4 | ||
| Semi-finals | 21 December | 2 | 4 → 2 | ||
| Final | 1 January 2020 | 1 | 2 → 1 |
The draw for the first three rounds was held on 4 April 2019.[4]
The draw for the Fourth Round to the final was held on 16 August 2019.[5] There was no seeding in the draw, however, the draw took into consideration the teams whose home or away in the round of 16 were predetermined:[6]
The round of 16 matches were played on 18 September 2019, except for the matches involving Kashima Antlers and Urawa Red Diamonds, which were delayed as they were playing in the second leg of the 2019 AFC Champions League quarter-finals.
See main article: 2019 Emperor's Cup Final. The final was played on 1 January 2020 at the newly rebuilt National Stadium in Shinjuku.