| J1 League | |
| Organiser: | J.League |
| Country: | Japan |
| Confed: | AFC |
| Teams: | 20 |
| Relegation: | J2 League |
| Levels: | 1 |
| Domest Cup: | Emperor's Cup Japanese Super Cup |
| League Cup: | J.League Cup |
| Confed Cup: | AFC Champions League Elite AFC Champions League Two |
| Season: | 2023 |
| Most Successful Club: | Kashima Antlers (8 titles) |
| Most Appearances: | Yasuhito Endō (672) |
| Top Goalscorer: | Yoshito Ōkubo (179) |
| Tv: | DAZN (including Abema de DAZN) NHK General TV (selected matches) NHK BS (selected matches) YouTube (selected matches and markets) |
| Current: | 2024 J1 League |
The, the J.League or the for sponsorship reasons,[1] is the top level of the system.[2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] Founded in 1992, it is one of the most successful leagues in Asian professional club football history. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the J2 League. It was names the J.League from 1993 to 1998 before becoming a two-division league, and as J.League Division 1 from 1999 to 2014.
Before the inception of the J.League, the highest level of club football was the Japan Soccer League (JSL), which was formed in 1965 and consisted of amateur clubs.[9] [10] 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.
J.League officially kicked off its first season with ten clubs in early 1993.
Despite its 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, Arsène Wenger managed Nagoya Grampus Eight during this period.
See main article: J2 League. By 1999, the league's management came to a conclusion that they were heading in the wrong direction. They subsequently came up with two solutions to solve the problem.
Firsty, they announced the J.League Hundred Year Vision, in which they aimed to create or endorse 100 professional association football clubs throughout Japan by 2092, which would mark the hundredth season since the establishment of the J1 League. 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 relationships with their hometowns at the grassroots level. The league administration believed that this would allow the clubs to bond with their respective cities and towns, and obtain support from local government, companies, and citizens. In other words, clubs will be able to rely on the locals, rather than major national sponsors.
Secondly, the infrastructure of the league was heavily changed in 1999. The league acquired nine clubs from the semi-professional JFL and one club from the J.League to create a two-division system. The top flight became the J.League Division 1 (J1) with 16 clubs while the 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 (J3).
Also, until 2004 (with the exception of 1996 season), the J1 season was divided into two stages. At the end of each full season, the champions from each half played a two-legged series to determine the overall season winners 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. The league abolished the split-season system in 2005.
Since the 2005 season, the J1 League consisted of 18 clubs (from 16 in 2004) and the season format adopted a system 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 a promotion/relegation playoff with the third-placed J2 club. Since then, other than minor adjustments, the top flight has stayed consistent.
Japanese teams did not view the AFC Champions League (ACL) as a major competition in the early years, in part due to the distances travelled and teams involved. Despite this, three Japanese sides made the quarter-finals in the 2008 ACL.[11]
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.[12] 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.
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, in 2012 the J.League Club Licence became one criterion of whether a club was permitted to be promoted to a higher tier in professional level leagues. 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.
Despite the new multi-stage format being initially reported as locked in for five seasons, due to negative reaction from hardcore fans and failure to appeal to casual fans, after 2016 it was abandoned in favour of a return to a single-stage system.[13] 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.[14] 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.
Beginning in 2026/27, the J.League will use a fall–spring format. The regular season will begin in August and pause for a winter break between December and February, with the final matches played in May.[15]
| Year | Important events | No. J clubs | No. ACL Elite clubs | No. ACL Two clubs | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 |
| – | ||||
| 1990 |
| |||||
| 1992 |
| |||||
| 1993 |
| 10 | ||||
| 1994 |
| 12 | ||||
| 1995 |
| 14 | ||||
| 1996 |
| 16 | ||||
| 1997 |
| 17 | ||||
| 1998 |
| 18 | ||||
| 1999 |
Note: To distinguish between the former and the current JFL, the new JFL is pronounced Nihon Football League in Japanese. | 16 | 2 | |||
| 2000 | ||||||
| 2001 | ||||||
| 2002 | 2 | |||||
| 2003 |
| |||||
| 2004 |
| 0.5 | ||||
| 2005 |
| 18 | 2.5 | |||
| 2006 |
| |||||
| 2007 |
Note: If a Japanese club wins the AFC Champions League, the host loses its right.
| |||||
| 2008 |
| 2+1 | ||||
| 2009 |
| 4 | 3 | |||
| 2010 | ||||||
| 2011 |
| |||||
| 2012 | ||||||
| 2013 | ||||||
| 2014 | ||||||
| 2015 |
| |||||
| 2016 |
| |||||
| 2017 |
| |||||
| 2018 |
| 2.5 | ||||
| 2019 |
| |||||
| 2020 |
| 3 | 0 | |||
| 2021 |
| 20 | 4 | |||
| 2022 |
| 18 | 2.5 | |||
| 2023 |
| 1 | ||||
| 2024 |
| 20 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
See main article: 2024 J1 League. Twenty clubs play in double round-robin (home and away) format, a total of 38 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:
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 two clubs will qualify to the following season's AFC Champions League Elite, the third-placers qualify to the following season's AFC Champions League Two, while the bottom three clubs will be relegated to J2.
In addition to the prize, the top 4 clubs are awarded with the following funds.
| Club | Year joined | Seasons in J1 | Based in | First season in top flight | Seasons in top flight | Current spell in top flight | Last title | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albirex Niigata | 1999 (J2) | 15 | Niigata, Niigata | 2004 | 15 | 2023– | – | |
| Avispa Fukuoka | 1996 | 12 | Fukuoka, Fukuoka | 1996 | 12 | 2021– | – | |
| Cerezo Osaka | 1995 | 23 | Osaka & Sakai, Osaka | 1965 | 49 | 2017– | 1980 | |
| Gamba Osaka | 1993 | 30 | North cities in Osaka | 1986/87 | 36 | 2014– | 2014 | |
| Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo | 1998 | 12 | All cities/towns in Hokkaidō | 1989/90 | 15 | 2017– | – | |
| Júbilo Iwata | 1994 | 25 | Iwata, Shizuoka | 1980 | 36 | 2024– | 2002 | |
| 1993 | 31 | Southwestern cities/towns of Ibaraki | 1985/86 | 34 | 1993– | 2016 | ||
| 1995 | 26 | Kashiwa, Chiba | 1965 | 50 | 2020– | 2011 | ||
| 1999 (J2) | 20 | Kawasaki, Kanagawa | 1977 | 22 | 2005– | 2021 | ||
| 1996 | 13 | 1996 | 13 | 2022– | – | |||
| 2012 (J2) | 0 | Machida, Tokyo | 2024 | 0 | 2024– | – | ||
| Nagoya Grampus | 1993 | 30 | All cities/towns in Aichi | 1973 | 38 | 2018– | 2010 | |
| Sagan Tosu | 1999 (J2) | 12 | Tosu, Saga | 2012 | 12 | 2012– | – | |
| Sanfrecce Hiroshima | 1993 | 29 | Hiroshima, Hiroshima | 1965 | 51 | 2009– | 2015 | |
| 1994 | 16 | South and central cities/town in Kanagawa | 1972 | 34 | 2018– | 1981 | ||
| 1999 (J2) | 23 | Chōfu | 2000 | 23 | 2012– | – | ||
| 1993 | 14 | Tokyo | 1978 | 28 | 2024– | 1994 | ||
| 1993 | 30 | Saitama | 1965 | 56 | 2001– | 2006 | ||
| Vissel Kobe | 1997 | 25 | Kobe, Hyōgo | 1997 | 25 | 2014– | 2023 | |
| 1993 | 31 | Yokohama, Yokosuka & Yamato | 1979 | 43 | 1982– | 2022 |
Source for teams participating:[17]
See main article: List of football stadiums in Japan.
Primary venues used in the J1 League:
| 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JEF United Chiba | 1993 | 17 | Chiba & Ichihara, Chiba | 1965 | 44 | 1965–2009 | 1985/86 | J2 | |
| 2012 (J2) | 2 | Central cities/village in Nagano | 2015 | 2 | 2019 | – | J3 | ||
| Montedio Yamagata | 1999 (J2) | 4 | All cities/towns in Yamagata | 2009 | 4 | 2015 | – | J2 | |
| 1999 (J2) | 11 | All cities/towns in Ōita | 2003 | 11 | 2019–2021 | – | J2 | ||
| Omiya Ardija | 1999 (J2) | 12 | Saitama | 2005 | 12 | 2016–2017 | – | J3 | |
| Shimizu S-Pulse | 1993 | 28 | Shizuoka | 1993 | 28 | 2017–2022 | – | J2 | |
| 2005 (J2) | 2 | All cities/towns in Tokushima | 2014 | 2 | 2021 | – | J2 | ||
| V-Varen Nagasaki | 2013 (J2) | 1 | All cities/towns in Nagasaki | 2018 | 1 | 2018 | – | J2 | |
| Vegalta Sendai | 1999 (J2) | 14 | Sendai, Miyagi | 2002 | 14 | 2010–2021 | – | J2 | |
| Ventforet Kofu | 1999 (J2) | 8 | All cities/towns in Yamanashi | 2006 | 8 | 2013–2017 | – | J2 | |
| Yokohama FC | 1999 (J2) | 4 | Yokohama | 2007 | 4 | 2023 | – | J2 | |
| 1993 | 6 | Yokohama, Kanagawa | 1985/86 | 11 | 1988/89–1998 | – | Defunct |
The all-time J1 League table is a cumulative record of all match results, points, and goals of every team that has played in the J1 League. The table that follows is accurate as of the end of the 2022 season. Teams in bold are part of the 2023 J1 League.
Note: For statistical purposes, the traditional 3–1–0 points system is used for all matches. As in the season, 1993–1994 did not use the point system. In seasons 1995–1996 were using 3 pts for any win, 1 pt for PK loss, and 0 pts for regulation or extra time loss. In seasons 1997-1998 were using 3 pts for a regulation win, 2 pts for extra-time win, 1 pt for PK win, and 0 pts for any loss. And from seasons 1999–2002 were using 3 pts for a regulation win, 2 pts for an extra time win, and 1 pt for a tie.
| Club | Seasons | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kashima Antlers | 30 | 1024 | 561 | 155 | 308 | 1,749 | 1,211 | +538 | 1,838 | 1st |
| 2 | Yokohama F. Marinos | 30 | 1024 | 508 | 180 | 336 | 1,643 | 1,233 | +410 | 1,704 | 1st |
| 3 | Urawa Red Diamonds | 29 | 994 | 457 | 174 | 363 | 1,526 | 1,319 | +207 | 1,545 | 1st |
| 4 | Nagoya Grampus | 29 | 990 | 448 | 162 | 380 | 1,475 | 1,370 | +105 | 1,506 | 1st |
| 5 | Gamba Osaka | 29 | 990 | 445 | 155 | 390 | 1,640 | 1,459 | +181 | 1,490 | 1st |
| 6 | Shimizu S-Pulse | 29 | 990 | 421 | 167 | 402 | 1,415 | 1,459 | −44 | 1,430 | 2nd |
| 7 | Sanfrecce Hiroshima | 28 | 960 | 411 | 165 | 384 | 1,390 | 1,279 | +111 | 1,398 | 1st |
| 8 | Júbilo Iwata | 25 | 848 | 391 | 142 | 315 | 1,374 | 1,170 | +204 | 1,315 | 1st |
| 9 | Kashiwa Reysol | 25 | 842 | 363 | 144 | 335 | 1,261 | 1,217 | +44 | 1,233 | 1st |
| 10 | Kawasaki Frontale | 19 | 646 | 340 | 134 | 172 | 1,193 | 813 | +380 | 1,154 | 1st |
| 11 | FC Tokyo | 22 | 732 | 307 | 157 | 268 | 1,007 | 934 | +73 | 1,078 | 2nd |
| 12 | Cerezo Osaka | 22 | 744 | 306 | 133 | 305 | 1,117 | 1,120 | −3 | 1,051 | 3rd |
| 13 | Vissel Kobe | 24 | 794 | 266 | 163 | 365 | 1,056 | 1,250 | −194 | 961 | 3rd |
| 14 | JEF United Chiba | 17 | 578 | 227 | 70 | 281 | 874 | 980 | −106 | 751 | 3rd |
| 15 | Tokyo Verdy | 14 | 476 | 226 | 43 | 207 | 767 | 713 | +54 | 721 | 1st |
| 16 | Albirex Niigata | 14 | 472 | 156 | 115 | 201 | 557 | 679 | −122 | 583 | 6th |
| 17 | Shonan Bellmare | 15 | 532 | 166 | 83 | 283 | 663 | 908 | –245 | 581 | 5th |
| 18 | Vegalta Sendai | 14 | 472 | 144 | 122 | 206 | 561 | 686 | −125 | 554 | 2nd |
| 19 | Sagan Tosu | 11 | 378 | 133 | 107 | 138 | 443 | 479 | −36 | 506 | 5th |
| 20 | Omiya Ardija | 12 | 408 | 129 | 104 | 175 | 455 | 579 | −124 | 491 | 5th |
| 21 | Oita Trinita | 11 | 370 | 108 | 88 | 174 | 387 | 512 | −125 | 412 | 4th |
| 22 | Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo | 11 | 370 | 110 | 68 | 192 | 472 | 653 | −181 | 398 | 4th |
| 23 | Kyoto Sanga | 12 | 352 | 112 | 53 | 221 | 428 | 678 | −250 | 389 | 5th |
| 24 | Yokohama Flügels | 6 | 228 | 117 | 0 | 111 | 375 | 373 | +2 | 351 | 3rd |
| 25 | Avispa Fukuoka | 11 | 360 | 94 | 51 | 215 | 384 | 642 | –258 | 333 | 8th |
| 26 | Ventforet Kofu | 8 | 272 | 69 | 73 | 130 | 255 | 404 | –149 | 280 | 13th |
| 27 | Montedio Yamagata | 4 | 136 | 30 | 36 | 70 | 108 | 199 | −91 | 126 | 13th |
| 28 | Yokohama FC | 3 | 106 | 19 | 19 | 68 | 89 | 203 | −114 | 76 | 15th |
| 29 | Matsumoto Yamaga | 2 | 68 | 13 | 20 | 35 | 51 | 94 | −43 | 59 | 16th |
| 30 | Tokushima Vortis | 2 | 72 | 13 | 11 | 48 | 50 | 129 | –79 | 50 | 17th |
| 31 | V-Varen Nagasaki | 1 | 34 | 8 | 6 | 20 | 39 | 59 | −20 | 30 | 18th |
League or status at 2023:
| 2023 J1 League teams | ||
| 2023 J2 League teams | ||
| 2023 J3 League teams | ||
| Defunct teams |
See main article: List of Japanese football champions.
Clubs in bold compete in top flight for the 2024 season.
| Club | Champions | Runners-up | Winning seasons | Runners-up seasons | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kashima Antlers | 1996, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2016 | 1993, 1997, 2017 | |||
| Yokohama F. Marinos | 1995, 2003, 2004, 2019, 2022 | 2000, 2002, 2013, 2021, 2023 | |||
| Kawasaki Frontale | 2017, 2018, 2020, 2021 | 2006, 2008, 2009, 2022 | |||
| Júbilo Iwata | 1997, 1999, 2002 | 1998, 2001, 2003 | |||
| Sanfrecce Hiroshima | 2012, 2013, 2015 | 1994, 2018 | |||
| Gamba Osaka | 2005, 2014 | 2010, 2015, 2020 | |||
| Tokyo Verdy | 1993, 1994 | 1995 | |||
| Urawa Red Diamonds | 2006 | 2004, 2005, 2007, 2014, 2016 | |||
| Nagoya Grampus | 2010 | 1996, 2011 | |||
| Kashiwa Reysol | 2011 | ||||
| Vissel Kobe | 2023 | ||||
| Shimizu S-Pulse | 1999 | ||||
| Vegalta Sendai | 2012 | ||||
| FC Tokyo | 2019 |
Only four clubs have never been relegated from J1. Among those, only two clubs – Kashima Antlers and Yokohama F. Marinos – have participated 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 from the establishment of JSL in 1965 and ended with their relegation in 2009. The longest ongoing top flight streak belongs to Yokohama F. Marinos who have played in the top flight since 1982 (43 seasons as of 2023).
At end of the 2004 season, Division 1 again expanded from 16 to 18 clubs. No clubs were relegated; however, the last-placed (16th) club had to play the Promotion/Relegation Series against the 3rd placed club from J2. Again, to determine the 16th placed club, the overall standing was used instead of stage standings.
For two seasons starting in 2015, the three bottom clubs were relegated based on overall standings.
In 2009, the promotion/relegation series was abandoned and three teams were directly exchanged between divisions. In 2012, promotion playoffs were introduced in J2, allowing teams that finished from 3rd to 6th to compete for the last J1 promotion place. For the 2018, 2019 and 2022 seasons, the bottom two teams are relegated and the entry playoff has the 16th team play the J2 playoff winner.
See main article: List of J.League awards.
DAZN brought exclusive digital broadcasting rights for the entire J.League matches (including J1 League itself) until 2033.[20] The league was also available to stream on Abema through Abema de DAZN subscription plan.[21]
Linear broadcast for 2024 season was limited to selected matches aired on NHK General TV and NHK BS, in addition to some regional network based on their team regions (such as Tokyo MX, MBS TV, SBS Shizuoka, Saga TV, Sapporo TV, Mētele, TSS, NST, etc.)
Selected matches are livestreamed globally (excluding the following regions) via J.League International YouTube channel.[22]
| Country/region | Broadcaster[23] |
|---|---|
| Optus Sport[24] | |
| Sportdigital | |
K-Ball
| |
| TVB | |
| PSJTV | |
| TDM | |
| Astro SuperSport | |
| Sporty TV | |
| Siam Sport (via AIS Play) and PPTV (terrestrial only) | |
| Disney+ | |