J1 League


The J1 League, the J.League or the Meiji Yasuda J1 League for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Japan and the highest level of the Japanese football league system.
Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the J2 League. Both the J1 and J2 leagues are operated by the J.League.
Founded in 1992, it is one of the most successful leagues in Asian professional club football history. It was known as the J.League from 1993 to 1998 before becoming a two-division league, and as J.League Division 1 from 1999 to 2014. The current champions are Kashima Antlers, who won a record-extending ninth J.League title and a record-breaking ninth top flight title in the 2025 season.

History

Before the professional league (pre-1993)

Before the inception of the J.League, the highest level of club football was the Japan Soccer League, which was formed in 1965 and consisted of amateur clubs. Despite being well-attended during the boom of the late 1960s and early 1970s, 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 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 now-defunct Japan Football League, a semi-professional league. Although the J.League did not officially launch until 1993, the J.League Cup 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 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.

Change of infrastructure and game formats (1999–2004)

The league's management 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.
The format 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 with 16 clubs while the J.League Division 2 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, 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.

European league format and AFC Champions League (2005–2008)

For the 2005 season, the J1 League was increased to 18 clubs 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.
Three Japanese sides made the quarter-finals in the 2008 ACL.
The league and the clubs increasingly paid more attention to Asian competitions. 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. There was success for Urawa Red Diamonds in 2007 and Gamba Osaka in 2008. The J.League obtained the highest league ranking and a total of four competition slots, starting from the 2009 season. This included the previous Emperor's Cup Winner. The league took this as an opportunity to sell TV broadcasting rights to foreign countries, especially in Asia.
Other changes affecting the competition from the 2009 season included increasing the number of relegation slots to three, introducing a dedicated AFC Player slot as one of the four allowable foreign players. From 2012, having the J.League Club Licence became a requirement of being a member of the Asian Football Confederation, and one of the criteria of whether a club was permitted to be promoted to a higher tier in professional level leagues.
In 2015, the J.League Division 1 was renamed J1 League. 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 team with the most points in each stage and the top three team with the most points overall 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.

Current (2017–2025)

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. 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. 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 also intercontinentally. 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.

Future (2026–27 season onwards)

The J-League will transition to a season that follows the European football calendar, to be played from August to May. This will include a winter break between December and February.
As a part of the transition, the league will have a one-off special tournament to be held during the first half of 2026.

Timeline

Past logos

2026–27 season

League format

Twenty clubs play in double round-robin 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:
  • 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 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.
;Prize money
  • Champions: 300,000,000 yen
  • Second place: 120,000,000 yen
  • Third place: 60,000,000 yen
In addition to the prize, the top 4 clubs are awarded with the following funds.
;J league funds distributed to top 4 clubs
  • Champions: 1,550,000,000 yen
  • Second place: 700,000,000 yen
  • Third place: 350,000,000 yen
  • Fourth place: 180,000,000 yen

    Participating clubs

Source for teams participating:
  • Pink background denotes club was most recently promoted from J2 League.
  • "Year joined" is the year the club joined the J.League.
  • ''"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 (2026–27)

Primary venues used in the J1 League:

Former clubs

  • Grey background denotes club was most recently relegated to J2 League.
  • "Year joined" is the year the club joined the J.League.
  • ''"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

All-time J1 League table

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.
ClubSeasons
1Kashima Antlers3010245611553081,7491,211+5381,8381st
2Yokohama F. Marinos3010245081803361,6431,233+4101,7041st
3Urawa Red Diamonds299944571743631,5261,319+2071,5451st
4Nagoya Grampus299904481623801,4751,370+1051,5061st
5Gamba Osaka299904451553901,6401,459+1811,4901st
6Shimizu S-Pulse299904211674021,4151,459−441,4302nd
7Sanfrecce Hiroshima289604111653841,3901,279+1111,3981st
8Júbilo Iwata258483911423151,3741,170+2041,3151st
9Kashiwa Reysol258423631443351,2611,217+441,2331st
10Kawasaki Frontale196463401341721,193813+3801,1541st
11FC Tokyo227323071572681,007934+731,0782nd
12Cerezo Osaka227443061333051,1171,120−31,0513rd
13Vissel Kobe247942661633651,0561,250−1949613rd
14JEF United Chiba1757822770281874980−1067513rd
15Tokyo Verdy1447622643207767713+547211st
16Albirex Niigata14472156115201557679−1225836th
17Shonan Bellmare1553216683283663908–2455815th
18Vegalta Sendai14472144122206561686−1255542nd
19Sagan Tosu11378133107138443479−365065th
20Omiya Ardija12408129104175455579−1244915th
21Oita Trinita1137010888174387512−1254124th
22Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo1137011068192472653−1813984th
23Kyoto Sanga1235211253221428678−2503895th
24Yokohama Flügels62281170111375373+23513rd
25Avispa Fukuoka113609451215384642–2583338th
26Ventforet Kofu82726973130255404–14928013th
27Montedio Yamagata4136303670108199−9112613th
28Yokohama FC310619196889203−1147615th
29Matsumoto Yamaga2681320355194−435916th
30Tokushima Vortis27213114850129–795017th
31V-Varen Nagasaki13486203959−203018th

League or status at 2023:
2023 J1 League teams
2023 J2 League teams
2023 J3 League teams
Defunct teams

Championship history

YearChampionsRunners-up
1993Verdy KawasakiKashima Antlers
1994Verdy KawasakiSanfrecce Hiroshima
1995Yokohama MarinosVerdy Kawasaki
1996Kashima AntlersNagoya Grampus Eight
1997Júbilo IwataKashima Antlers
1998Kashima AntlersJúbilo Iwata
1999Júbilo IwataShimizu S-Pulse
2000Kashima AntlersYokohama F. Marinos
2001Kashima AntlersJúbilo Iwata
2002Júbilo IwataYokohama F. Marinos
2003Yokohama F. MarinosJúbilo Iwata
2004Yokohama F. MarinosUrawa Red Diamonds
2005Gamba OsakaUrawa Red Diamonds
2006Urawa Red DiamondsKawasaki Frontale
2007Kashima AntlersUrawa Red Diamonds
2008Kashima AntlersKawasaki Frontale
2009Kashima AntlersKawasaki Frontale
2010Nagoya GrampusGamba Osaka
2011Kashiwa ReysolNagoya Grampus
2012Sanfrecce HiroshimaVegalta Sendai
2013Sanfrecce HiroshimaYokohama F. Marinos
2014Gamba OsakaUrawa Red Diamonds
2015Sanfrecce HiroshimaGamba Osaka
2016Kashima AntlersUrawa Red Diamonds
2017Kawasaki FrontaleKashima Antlers
2018Kawasaki FrontaleSanfrecce Hiroshima
2019Yokohama F. MarinosFC Tokyo
2020Kawasaki FrontaleGamba Osaka
2021Kawasaki FrontaleYokohama F. Marinos
2022Yokohama F. MarinosKawasaki Frontale
2023Vissel KobeYokohama F. Marinos
2024Vissel KobeSanfrecce Hiroshima
2025Kashima AntlersKashiwa Reysol

Most successful clubs

Clubs in bold compete in top flight for the 2025 season.
ClubChampionsRunners-upWinning seasonsRunners-up seasons
Kashima Antlers931996, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2016, 20251993, 1997, 2017
Yokohama F. Marinos551995, 2003, 2004, 2019, 20222000, 2002, 2013, 2021, 2023
Kawasaki Frontale442017, 2018, 2020, 20212006, 2008, 2009, 2022
Júbilo Iwata331997, 1999, 20021998, 2001, 2003
Sanfrecce Hiroshima332012, 2013, 20151994, 2018, 2024
Gamba Osaka232005, 20142010, 2015, 2020
Tokyo Verdy211993, 19941995
Vissel Kobe202023, 2024
Urawa Red Diamonds1520062004, 2005, 2007, 2014, 2016
Nagoya Grampus1220101996, 2011
Kashiwa Reysol1120112025
Shimizu S-Pulse011999
Vegalta Sendai012012
FC Tokyo012019

Relegation history

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. 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.
;The 1998 season
When the league introduced the two-division system in 1999, they also reduced number of Division 1 clubs from 18 to 16. At the end of 1998 season, they ran the J.League Promotion Tournament to determine the two relegated clubs.
;Split-season era
Throughout 1999 to 2003 seasons, the two bottom clubs were relegated to Division 2. To accommodate the split-season format, combined overall standings were used to determine the relegated clubs. This created a confusing situation, where for the championship race stage standings 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, the last-placed 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.
;Single season era
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 competing in the Promotion/Relegation Series.
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.
;Single season era
No teams descended to J2 after the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan and its effects. Instead, four relegations were in place for the 2021 season to bring back the number of teams from 20 to 18.

Summary

  • 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
;International tournaments
;Defunct tournament

Players

Japan

brought exclusive digital broadcasting rights for the entire J.League matches until 2033. The league was also available to stream on Abema through Abema de DAZN subscription plan.
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

Outside Japan

Selected matches are livestreamed globally via J.League International YouTube channel.
Country/regionBroadcaster
Stan Sport
Sportdigital
Sportdigital
Sportdigital
Canal GOAT and Xsports
K-Ball
TVB
Indian subcontinentFancode
PSJ TV
TDM
Sporty TV
Siam Sport, BG Sports, and PPTV
SCTV, HTV

Sponsorship

Title Partner

Ticketing Partner

EC Platform Partner