2025 J.League Cup
The 2025 J.League Cup, known as the 2025 J.League YBC Levain Cup for sponsorship reasons, was the 33rd edition of J.League Cup, a Japanese association football cup competition. It was the second season all 60 J.League clubs participate in the League Cup. Defending champions Nagoya Grampus, having won their second title in 2024, were eliminated in the Group 7 second round.
Format
All clubs from the 2025 season's J1, J2, and J3 League participated. The tournament was divided into three sections each with a different format: the first round, the play-off round and the prime round.;First round
A total of 55 clubs took part in the first round, split into 7 groups. Four clubs were introduced in the prime round; three clubs participating in the 2024–25 AFC Champions League Elite knockout stage and one club participating in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup. Each group and their respective clubs participates in a single-elimination tournament, leaving seven clubs to advance to the play-off round, where they were joined by 2024–25 AFC Champions League Two quarter-finalists Sanfrecce Hiroshima. The draw for the first round was based on rankings from the 2024 league season.
As a general rule, the lower league club played their fixture at home. In the case of clubs being in the same league, the club with the lower ranking from the 2023 season served as the home team. In the case of a draw, games go to extra time and penalties to determine a winner if necessary.
The first round groups were as follows:
;Notes
;Playoff round
The seven clubs that qualified from the first round alongside new entrant Sanfrecce Hiroshima, qualified to the round as a AFC Champions League Two club, will be drawn into four, two-legged fixtures and would play each other home and away. The remaining four clubs would advance to the prime round.
;Prime round
A single-elimination tournament would be held between eight clubs: the four clubs that qualified from the playoff round plus the AFC Champions League Elite clubs — Kawasaki Frontale, Yokohama F. Marinos, and Vissel Kobe. Each round would be a two-legged home and away fixture, except the final which would be a one-game tie played at a neutral venue. The draw for the brackets will be held some time after the completion of previous rounds.
Schedule
The schedule was announced on 20 December 2024.First round
Group 1
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Group 2
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Group 3
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Group 4
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Group 5
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Group 6
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Group 7
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Playoff round
Sanfrecce Hiroshima joined the other seven group winners in this round, having earned a direct entry via qualification for the 2024–25 AFC Champions League 2. The match pairings were revealed shortly after the completion of the previous round, on 21 May.Matches
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Prime round
The match pairings for the prime round were announced on 16 June.Quarter-finals
The four play-off round winners were joined by four new entrants: 2025 FIFA Club World Cup participants Urawa Red Diamonds and 2024–25 AFC Champions League Elite participants Yokohama F. Marinos, Kawasaki Frontale and Vissel Kobe.Matches
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