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45-558: Currently, J1 League club Urawa Red Diamonds use this stadium for home games. It is the largest football-specific stadium in Japan and is one of the largest stadiums in Asia. It has hosted the semi-finals of both the 2002 FIFA World Cup and the football tournament at the 2020 Summer Olympics . It is also the home stadium of Japan national football team in almost every FIFA World Cup qualifying matches. Built by Azusa Sekkei to host matches of

90-672: 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 . 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

135-701: A notable fan base in Hong Kong, owing to their participation in the Asian Champions League during the 2007 season . 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

180-531: 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. League or status at 2023: Clubs in bold compete in top flight for the 2024 season . 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

225-513: 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

270-404: 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,

315-471: 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

360-645: Is the top level of the Japan Professional Football League ( 日本プロサッカーリーグ , Nihon Puro Sakkā Rīgu ) 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. Before

405-489: The 2002 FIFA World Cup , and held the following matches: 35°54′11.2″N 139°43′3.0″E  /  35.903111°N 139.717500°E  / 35.903111; 139.717500 J1 League The J1 League ( Japanese : J1リーグ , Hepburn : Jē-wan Rīgu ) , a.k.a. the J.League or the Meiji Yasuda J1 League ( Japanese : 明治安田J1リーグ , Hepburn : Meiji Yasuda Jē-wan Rīgu ) for sponsorship reasons,

450-648: The 2002 FIFA World Cup , construction was completed in September 2001. The stadium holds 63,700 people, although for segregation reasons league games hosted at the ground have a reduced capacity of 62,300. The Saitama Stadium hosted four matches during the 2002 FIFA World Cup, including co-host Japan 's first match against Belgium . Between 2005 and 2007, the Urawa Red Diamonds' local derby rival Omiya Ardija hosted matches here along with Urawa Komaba due to expansion of its home Ōmiya Park Soccer Stadium .The stadium

495-402: The 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers , scheduled to kick-off at 19:35, October 15, 2024. Australia , staying in the five-star Hotel Chinzanso Tokyo in downtown Bunkyō, Tokyo , took 2 hours 9 minutes (16:37-18:46) in their chartered coach to arrive the stadium. Ordinary driving time from Tokyo Station is estimated to be 40 minutes, according to the stadium. The stadium was one of the venues of

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540-476: 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

585-410: 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

630-448: 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. 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 (15th in J1 and 3rd in J2) competing in

675-475: 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

720-537: 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

765-574: 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. Twenty clubs play in double round-robin (home and away) format,

810-419: 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

855-474: 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

900-496: 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

945-448: 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

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990-466: 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

1035-612: The J2 playoff winner. 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. * Bold designates relegated clubs; † Won the Pro/rele Series or entry playoff; ‡ Lost the Pro/rele Series or entry playoff and relegated DAZN brought exclusive digital broadcasting rights for

1080-673: 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 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

1125-634: The JSL consisted of a single division, but in 1972 a Second Division was added. Clubs could join in by winning the All Japan Senior Football Championship cup competition and then winning a promotion/relegation series against the bottom teams in the JSL. From 1973 to 1980, both the champions and runners-up of the Second Division had to play the promotion/relegation series against the First Division's bottom clubs; afterwards and until 1984, only

1170-400: The Second Division and kept this distinction until 2009. JSL played its final season in 1991/92 and the J.League began play in 1993. Top nine JSL clubs, (along with the independent Shimizu S-Pulse ) became the original J.League members. The others except Yomiuri Junior who merged with their parent club Yomiuri Club joined the newly formed Japan Football League . All clubs are listed under

1215-496: The entire J.League matches (including J1 League itself) 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 (such as Tokyo MX , MBS TV , SBS Shizuoka , Saga TV , Sapporo TV , Mētele , TSS , NST , etc.) Selected matches are livestreamed globally (excluding

1260-527: 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

1305-426: 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. 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

1350-439: The following regions) via J.League International YouTube channel. Japan Soccer League Japan Soccer League ( 日本サッカーリーグ , Nihon Sakkā Rīgu ) ; JSL ) was the top flight association football league in Japan between 1965 and 1992, and was the precursor to the current professional league, the J.League . JSL was the second national league of a team sport in Japan after the professional Japanese Baseball League that

1395-532: 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

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1440-557: 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. 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,

1485-481: The names they were using in 1991–92, when the league ceased to exist. Clubs in italic no longer exist. All clubs are listed under the names they were using in 1991–92, when the league ceased to exist. Clubs in italic no longer exist. See JSL Cup . See Konica Cup (football) . Current J.League identity and/or standing in the Japanese football league system follows each name. In order of their promotion to

1530-403: The record on points. Furukawa Electric holds the record for most seasons, all 27 the JSL played, never been relegated. Name changes made outside First Division play and following the advent of the J.League system are not mentioned; see individual club pages for more information. All statistics are within JSL First Division play except for "Current division" and "Tier", which denote standing in

1575-413: 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 (16th) club had to play the Promotion/Relegation Series against the 3rd placed club from J2. Again, to determine

1620-400: The runners-up had to play the series. Top JSL teams included Hitachi , Furukawa Electric , Mitsubishi Heavy Industries , Nissan , Toyo Industries ( Mazda ) and Yomiuri Shimbun , which are now, respectively, Kashiwa Reysol , JEF United Chiba , Urawa Red Diamonds , Yokohama F. Marinos , Sanfrecce Hiroshima and Tokyo Verdy . Furukawa/JEF United was the only one never to be relegated to

1665-401: 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

1710-562: The stadium is 45 minutes by train plus 1.2 km walking on foot, or 40 minutes drive. A survey in 2017 found that on an international matchday, with typically 60,000 attendance, 60.5% (36,000) arrived by railway , 25.2% (15,000) drove cars, 8.7% (5,200) took intra-prefecture shuttle bus, and 3,300 (5.6%) arrived by bicycle, motorbikes or on foot. On a J. League club match typically with 40,000 attendance, railway usage dropped sharply to 40.6% while usage of all other modes of transport increased. The road congestion caught international attention in

1755-472: 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. Source for teams participating: Primary venues used in the J1 League: The all-time J1 League table is a cumulative record of all match results, points, and goals of every team that has played in

1800-458: The top flight since 1982 (43 seasons as of 2023). 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. 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

1845-414: 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

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1890-413: The top-flight: Yokohama Football Club Many of these clubs would only be promoted to the top-flight after the J.League was created. A total of 22 teams played in the JSL First Division between 1965 and 1991–92 . Fifteen of these became professional J.League clubs; the rest were relegated to the regional leagues and/or folded. Despite Mazda and Yomiuri 's record five titles, Mitsubishi holds

1935-416: 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 ,

1980-491: Was also featured in the remastered version of the anime Captain Tsubasa where in the middle school tournament the stadium was mostly shown as the main stadium. The ease of access of the stadium has been a problem known to the prefectural government, academics and the home team for years, mostly concerning the congested road traffic and the fact that it is 20-minute walk from the nearest station, Urawa-Misono . From Tokyo station ,

2025-508: Was founded in 1936. JSL was the first-ever national league of an amateur team sport in Japan. Each JSL team represented a corporation, and like Japanese baseball teams, went by the name of the company that owned the team. Unlike in baseball, however, promotion and relegation was followed, as J.League follows today. The players were officially amateur and were employees of the parent corporations, but especially in later years, top players were generally paid strictly to play soccer. Originally,

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