The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be either a single game, a series of games, or a tournament, and may use a single-elimination system or one of several other different playoff formats. Playoff, in regard to international fixtures, is to qualify or progress to the next round of a competition or tournament.
The J1 League, a.k.a. 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. Vissel Kobe successfully defended their second consecutive title in the 2024 season, after previously winning it in the 2023 season.
Promotion and relegation is used by sports leagues as a process where teams can move up and down among divisions in a League system, based on their performance over a season. Leagues that use promotion and relegation systems are sometimes called open leagues. In a system of promotion and relegation, the best-ranked team(s) in a lower division are promoted to a higher division for the next season, and the worst-ranked team(s) in the higher division are relegated to the lower division for the next season. During the season, teams that are high enough in the league table that they would qualify for promotion are sometimes said to be in the promotion zone, and those at the bottom are in the relegation zone.
The English Football League Championship, known simply as the Championship and for sponsorship purposes as Sky Bet Championship, is a professional Association football league in England and Wales. EFL Championship is the highest division of the English Football League (EFL) and second-highest overall in the English football league system, after the Premier League, and is contested by 24 clubs.
The Rugby Football League Championship, is the second highest division of rugby league in Britain after the Super League.
The Russian Premier League, also written as Russian Premier Liga, is the top division professional association football league in Russia. It was established at the end of 2001 as the Russian Football Premier League and was rebranded with its current name in 2018. From 1992 through 2001, the top level of the Russian football league system was the Russian Football Championship.
The Primera División, known officially as Liga Profesional de Fútbol, or Torneo Betano for sponsorship reasons, is a professional football league in Argentina, organised by the Argentine Football Association (AFA).
The Persha Liha or Ukrainian First League is a level of national football competitions in Ukraine governed by the Professional Football League at the discretion of the Ukrainian Association of Football. Members of the league also participate in the Ukrainian Cup. The league is the intermediate level of competitions within the three-tiered "competition pyramid".
Professional sports leagues are organized in numerous ways. The two most significant types are one that developed in Europe, characterized by a tiered structure using promotion and relegation in order to determine participation in a hierarchy of leagues or divisions, and a North American originated model characterized by its use of franchises, closed memberships, and minor leagues. Both these systems remain most common in their area of origin, although both systems are used worldwide.
Chinese Taipei Football Association (CTFA) is the governing body for football in the Republic of China. Its official name in Chinese is the Republic of China Football Association, but due to the political status of Taiwan it is billed abroad as the "Chinese Taipei Football Association" and uses the English initials TPE on its badge.
The Japanese association football league system is organized in a pyramidal shape similar to football league systems in many other countries around the world. The leagues are bound by the principle of promotion and relegation; however, there are stringent criteria for promotion from the JFL to J3, which demands a club being backed by the town itself including the local government, a community of fans and corporate sponsors rather than a parent company or a corporation.
Liga MX, officially known as Liga BBVA MX for sponsorship reasons, is the top professional division of Mexican football. Formerly known as Liga Mayor (1943–1949) and then as Primera División de México (1949–2012). It has 18 participating clubs, the season is divided into two short tournaments, Apertura from July to December and Clausura from January to May. The champions are decided by a final phase called "liguilla". Since 2020, promotion and relegation has been suspended, which is to last until 2026.
The Maltese football leagues system of association football is made up of a set of leagues organised and controlled by the Malta Football Association. Malta has had a top level football division since 1909; and only the Premier League is considered Professional it continues on today with the current system.
Taiwan Football Premier League is the top-ranked division in the Taiwanese football league run by Chinese Taipei Football Association (CTFA).
The Football Queensland Premier League is a men's soccer league contested by clubs in Queensland, Australia that consists of two divisions; FQPL 1 and FQPL 2. It is administered by Football Queensland and runs as the second and third tiers of football in Queensland, operated by a system of promotion and relegation. The league is contested by 12 clubs in each division each season, the team that finishes at the top of the league is crowned premiers and they are promoted to the Queensland National Premier League for Division 1 clubs, whilst the bottom three teams are relegated to Division 2. The teams that finish in the top four qualify for a finals tournament, where the winners of the bracket are crowned FQPL champions.
The 2020 season of the Taiwan Football Premier League is the fourth season of top-flight association football competition in Taiwan under its current format. The Taiwan Football Premier League includes eight teams. The season began on 12 April 2020.
The 2020 Taiwan Football Challenge League is the first year of men's second division football in Taiwan.
The 2021 season of the Taiwan Football Premier League was the fifth season of top-flight association football competition in Taiwan under its current format. The Taiwan Football Premier League includes eight teams. The season began on 11 April 2021.
The 2022 season of the Taiwan Football Premier League is the sixth season of the top-flight association football competition in Taiwan under its current format. The season began on 17 April 2022.
Sunny Bank Athletic Club Taipei, previously known as Andy Chen Academy, Is a professional football club based in Taipei, Taiwan that competes in the Taiwan Football Premier League, starting in 2022.
