The J1 League, also known as the J.League or the Meiji Yasuda J1 League for sponsorship reasons, is the top level of the Japan Professional Football League system. 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 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.
Football is among the most popular sports in Japan, together with baseball, tennis, golf, sumo, and combat sports. Its nationwide organization, the Japan Football Association, administers the professional football leagues, including J.League, which is considered by many the most successful football league in Asia. Japan is also the country with the most comprehensively developed football in Asia in both men and women as well as in both futsal and beach soccer.
Urawa Red Diamonds, colloquially Urawa Reds, also known as Mitsubishi Urawa Football Club from April 1992 to January 1996, is a professional football club in the city of Saitama, part of the Greater Tokyo Area in Japan. The club plays in the J1 League, the top tier of football in the country. Its name comes from the former city of Urawa, now part of Saitama.
Tokyo Verdy is a Japanese professional football club based in Inagi, Tokyo. The club is set for a return to the J1 League for the 2024 J1 League, following promotion from the J2 League in 2023.
Kashiwa Reysol is a Japanese professional football club based in Kashiwa, Chiba Prefecture, part of the Greater Tokyo Area. The club plays in the J1 League, which is the top tier of football in the country. Their home stadium is Sankyo Frontier Kashiwa Stadium, also known as "Hitachidai". Reysol is a portmanteau of the Spanish words Rey and Sol, meaning "Sun King". The name alludes to their parent company Hitachi, whose name means "rising sun" in Japanese. The club was formed in 1940 and was a founding member. of the Japan Soccer League (JSL) in 1965. Since the league's inception, they have spent nice in the top tier of Japanese football. They have been Japanese League champions twice in 1972 and 2011, and have won three League Cups in 1976, 1999 and 2013, and three Emperor's Cups in 1972, 1975 and 2012.
The Emperor's Cup JFA All-Japan Football Championship Tournament, commonly known as The Emperor's Cup or Japan FA Cup, and rebranded as The JFA Emperor's Cup from 2024 onwards, is a Japanese football competition. It has the longest tradition of any football match in Japan, dating back to 1921, before the formation of the J.League, current JFL and their predecessor, Japan Soccer League.
Masakiyo Maezono is a former Japanese football player. He played for the Japan national team.
The J.League Cup is a Japanese football (soccer) competition organized by J.League. It has been sponsored by Yamazaki Biscuits (YBC) of Yamazaki Baking since its inception in 1992. It is also known as the J.League presents YBC Levain Cup " since 1992 " or YBC Levain Cup. It was known as the J.League Yamazaki Nabisco Cup or Nabisco Cup until August 2016.
The Japanese Super Cup, known as the Fujifilm Super Cup for sponsorship reasons, is an annual one-match association football competition in Japan organised by J.League and the Japan Football Association. This competition serves as the season opener and is played between the reigning J1 League champions and the Emperor's Cup winners. Fuji Xerox has sponsored the competition since its inception in 1994. The match is usually played annually every February.
The 2007 FIFA Club World Cup was a football tournament played in Japan from 7 to 16 December 2007. It was the fourth FIFA Club World Cup, a tournament organised by FIFA for the winners of each confederation's top continental club tournament.
The 2008 J.League Division 1 season is the 44th season of the top-flight club football in Japan and the 16th season since the establishment of J1 League. The season began on March 8 and ended on December 6.
The 2010 AFC Champions League was the 29th edition of the top-level Asian club football tournament organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), and the 8th under the current AFC Champions League title. The final was held at the National Stadium in Tokyo on 13 November 2010. The winner, Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma, qualified for the 2010 FIFA Club World Cup in UAE.
Nippon TV Tokyo Verdy Beleza is a women's football team which plays in Japan's WE League.
Japanese football in 2011
Emily Gielnik is an Australian professional soccer player who plays as a forward for Melbourne Victory and the Australia women's national team. She previously played for Aston Villa W.F.C. in England, Brisbane Roar and Melbourne Victory in her native Australia, Liverpool in England, Urawa Red Diamonds in Japan, Avaldsnes IL in Norway, Bayern Munich in Germany, and Vittsjö GIK in Sweden.
The 2016 Meiji Yasuda J1 League season was the 51st season of top-flight football in Japan and the 24th since the establishment of the J.League in 1992. This was second season of J1 League as renamed from J. League Division 1.
The 2017 J1 League was the 25th season of the J1 League, the top Japanese professional league for association football clubs, since its establishment in 1992. This was third season of J1 League as renamed from J. League Division 1. The season began on 25 February 2017 and ended on 2 December. Fixtures for the 2017 season were announced on 26 January 2017.
The 2020 J.League Cup, known as the 2020 J.League YBC Levain Cup for sponsorship reasons, was the 28th edition of J.League Cup, a Japanese association football cup competition. It began on 16 February 2020 and ended on 4 January 2021.
The 2022 Emperor's Cup was the 102nd edition of the annually contested cup, taking place from 21 May to 16 October. The final was played at the Nissan Stadium, in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture. It was the first time the stadium hosted an Emperor's Cup final since 2014.
Japan