Japan Football(Soccer) Guide Blog

Tag: MUFG Stadium

  • J.League All-Stars Return After 17 Years: Everything You Need to Know About the J.LEAGUE ALL-STAR DAZN CUP

    Why Now? — A Historic Turning Point

    J.League is entering a major new era in 2026.

    For over 30 years, the J.League season ran from February to December. Starting from the 2026/27 season, J.League will switch to an autumn-to-spring calendar — beginning in August and ending in May the following year. This is the same structure used by most top European leagues.

    Because of this change, the first half of 2026 (February to June) has been designated a “Special Season.” J.League does not want this period to feel like a quiet off-season. Instead, it has planned a series of events to say thank you to everyone who has supported the league throughout its 33-year history.

    The grand finale of this Special Season is the J.LEAGUE ALL-STAR DAZN CUP.

    Basic Information

    ItemDetails
    Event NameJ.LEAGUE ALL-STAR DAZN CUP
    DateSaturday, June 13, 2026
    VenueMUFG Stadium (Japan National Stadium), Tokyo
    Title PartnerDAZN
    BroadcastDAZN (all matches live)
    Number of Matches7 matches in total
    Match Length30 minutes per match (no extra time) ※ The third-place and fifth-place playoff matches are 20 minutes

    What Does “17 Years” Mean?

    J.League held an All-Star Game every year from 1993 to 2007. The format was an East vs. West match between selected players from across the league. In 2008 and 2009, the format changed: a J.League All-Star XI faced an All-Star XI from South Korea’s K League.

    After 2009, the All-Star Game was discontinued. This year’s event marks its return — the first time in 17 years.

    There is another important point. In the past, only players from J1 — the top division — could participate in the All-Star Game. This time, players from all 60 clubs across J1, J2 (second division), and J3 (third division) are eligible. This has never happened before in the event’s history.

    A New Format — Regional All-Star Teams

    The biggest change in this tournament is how the teams are put together.

    There is no East vs. West format this time. Instead, six regional All-Star teams will compete in a knockout tournament. The six regions follow the same geographic groupings used in the Meiji Yasuda J.League Hyakunen Koso League — a special pre-season league competition held during the Special Season.

    The Six Teams

    J1 Division (Top Flight)

    • J1 EAST All-Stars Kashima Antlers, Mito HollyHock, Urawa Red Diamonds, Chiba, Kashiwa Reysol, FC Tokyo, Tokyo Verdy, Machida Zelvia, Kawasaki Frontale, Yokohama F·Marinos
    • J1 WEST All-Stars Shimizu S-Pulse, Nagoya Grampus, Kyoto Sanga, Gamba Osaka, Cerezo Osaka, Vissel Kobe, Fagiano Okayama, Sanfrecce Hiroshima, Avispa Fukuoka, V-Varen Nagasaki

    J2/J3 Division (Second and Third Divisions)

    • J2/J3 EAST-A All-Stars
    • J2/J3 EAST-B All-Stars
    • J2/J3 WEST-A All-Stars
    • J2/J3 WEST-B All-Stars

    How the Tournament Works

    1. Preliminary Round: The four J2/J3 teams play two matches. The two winners advance.
    2. Semi-finals: J1 EAST All-Stars vs. J2/J3 Winner A. J1 WEST All-Stars vs. J2/J3 Winner B.
    3. Final: The two semi-final winners play for the title.
    4. A third-place match and a fifth-place match are also held.

    The J1 sides are the top-flight teams, but the path to the title is open to J2 and J3 players too. And honestly, that alone makes this tournament worth watching — the chance of a real upset is built right into the format.

    How Are Players Selected? — The Power of Fan Voting

    Players are chosen through three methods.

    ① Fan Vote

    This is the most important selection method. Voting runs every week from February to May 2026. Fans can vote in three ways:

    • At the stadium on match days (in-stadium voting)
    • Through DAZN while watching matches (viewer voting via DAZN)
    • By registering for a J.League ID (the official J.League fan account)

    Fans from all over the world can vote through DAZN. This is what makes the event truly global.

    ② Regional Best XI

    The top-performing players from each regional group are selected.

    • J1 division: 11 players per group × 2 groups
    • J2/J3 division: 11 players per group × 4 groups

    ③ League Nominations

    J.League can add extra players to balance positions and squad numbers.

    Important note: Players selected for the 2026 FIFA World Cup (held in North America) will not be available for this event. Some of Japan’s biggest international stars may be absent. But that also gives other talented J.League players a chance to step into the spotlight.

    What to Expect on Match Day — The Stadium Experience

    The matches are just one part of the event. On June 13 at the Japan National Stadium, fans can also enjoy:

    • Player events and fan interaction activities
    • Live music performances by artists
    • A special stadium food festival

    J.League’s stadium food culture is one of its most loved features. At most J.League home grounds, you can eat local specialties from that club’s city or region — and the quality and variety are some of the best you will find at any football stadium in the world. A special all-star version, bringing together the best stadium food from clubs across Japan, is something to look forward to.

    Why 2026 Is Special — Two Football Celebrations at Once

    June 13, 2026 falls right in the middle of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America. DAZN plans to broadcast all 104 World Cup matches. Football excitement in Japan — and around the world — will be at its highest point.

    The J.League All-Star Game takes place right in the middle of all that energy. For football fans everywhere, this is a rare chance to enjoy both the world’s biggest tournament and one of Asia’s most exciting leagues at the same time.

    What This Means — J.League’s Next Chapter

    The J.LEAGUE ALL-STAR DAZN CUP is more than a celebration event.

    In a historic year when J.League moves to an autumn-to-spring calendar — matching the structure of major European leagues — the best players from all 60 clubs across all three divisions will come together in one place. Fans around the world can vote for the players they want to see. Anyone with DAZN can watch it live.

    This is the moment J.League takes a clear step from being “a Japanese league” to being “a league open to the world.”

  • What is the Emperor’s Cup?

    Introduction

    The Emperor’s Cup is the oldest football competition in Japan. Its full name is the Emperor’s Cup JFA Japan Football Championship. It is one of Japan’s three major domestic football titles, alongside the J1 League (Japan’s top professional football league) and the LEVAIN Cup (a domestic cup competition open only to J-League clubs).

    The Beginning: A Silver Cup from England

    The story of the Emperor’s Cup goes back to 1919. William Haigh, an assistant secretary at the British Embassy in Japan, put forward a special request. Thanks to his efforts, the Football Association (The FA) of England sent a solid silver cup to Japan. The idea was to create a national tournament in Japan, modelled on England’s FA Cup.

    This gift set things in motion. In 1921, the Dai-Nippon Football Association — now known as the Japan Football Association (JFA) — was founded. That same year, the first national tournament was held under the name “Association Football National Championship.” This was the birth of what we now call the Emperor’s Cup. The inaugural winners were Tokyo Football Club, and they received the trophy from the British Ambassador.

    In short, the Emperor’s Cup was born as Japan’s answer to England’s FA Cup. As of 2026, the competition is in its 106th edition — a record that speaks for itself.

    Why Is It Called the “Emperor’s Cup”?

    In 1947, Emperor Showa attended a football match between East and West Japan representative teams. This event led to a key decision. The Imperial Household Agency — the office that manages the Emperor’s affairs — agreed to present a cup to the JFA. From the 31st edition in 1951, the winning club officially received the Emperor’s Cup trophy, and the competition took on its current name.

    The name “Emperor’s Cup” also exists in other Japanese sports, such as rugby and judo. But the football Emperor’s Cup is the oldest, and it holds a special place in Japanese sport.

    How It Works: Why Upsets Happen So Often

    The Emperor’s Cup is a single-match knockout tournament. Lose once, and you are out. There are no draws — every game must produce a winner.

    This format is very different from a league competition, where teams play home and away matches across a full season, or from a two-legged tie such as those in the AFC Champions League Elite. In a one-game knockout, even a big gap in quality between two clubs does not guarantee the stronger side wins. Amateur teams and lower-league clubs can — and regularly do — beat big J1 clubs.

    A total of 88 teams take part. These include 20 clubs from the J1 League (Japan’s top flight), 20 clubs from the J2 League (the second division), 47 regional representatives — one from each of Japan’s 47 prefectures, selected through local qualifying rounds — and a number of university teams chosen as amateur seeds. The mix of professional and amateur clubs on the same stage is one of the things that makes the Emperor’s Cup unique.

    Past Winners: A Mirror of Japanese Football History

    The list of Emperor’s Cup winners tells the story of Japanese football itself.

    From the first edition through the early 1960s, university teams and amateur clubs dominated the competition. When the Japan Soccer League — the forerunner of the J-League — was founded in 1965, company-backed teams began to take over. Toyo Kogyo (now Sanfrecce Hiroshima), Furukawa Electric (now JEF United Ichihara Chiba), Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (now Urawa Red Diamonds), and Nissan Motors (now Yokohama F. Marinos) all won the cup during this era.

    Since the J-League launched as Japan’s professional football league in 1993, every Emperor’s Cup has been won by a J-League club.

    The competition has also produced some unforgettable moments. In the 1998 edition (the 78th), Yokohama Flügels — a club that was set to be dissolved at the end of the season due to financial difficulties — won the title in their final match as a club. The scenes of joy and heartbreak that followed moved fans across the whole country. Then in the 2022 edition (the 102nd), Ventforet Kofu, who had just finished 18th in the J2 League, beat one top-flight J1 club after another and claimed the trophy — and it genuinely caught the whole country off guard.

    The New Year’s Day Final — And Its Return in 2027

    For many years, the Emperor’s Cup final was played on January 1st — New Year’s Day. Starting the new year by crowning Japan’s best club at the National Stadium was a tradition that football fans across the country looked forward to each year.

    Over time, however, the New Year’s Day final became harder to hold. In years when the AFC Asian Cup was scheduled in January, the timing clashed with the Japan national team’s schedule. There were also concerns about giving players enough rest, and the end of the J-League season had to be considered. As a result, the final was moved to late December. The most recent New Year’s Day final was the 100th edition in 2020, when Kawasaki Frontale beat Gamba Osaka 1–0. The winning goal was scored by midfielder Kaoru Mitoma, who would later go on to make his name in Europe.

    Now, the New Year’s Day final is coming back. The final of the 106th edition (which begins in 2026) is scheduled for January 1st, 2027, at MUFG Stadium (Japan National Stadium) in Tokyo — the first time in six editions.

    The reason for the return is clear. From the 2026/27 season, the J-League switched from a spring-to-autumn calendar to an autumn-to-spring calendar. This means the New Year period is no longer the off-season — it falls in the middle of the season instead. As a result, scheduling the final on New Year’s Day is possible again.

    What Winning Means: A Ticket to Asia

    The Emperor’s Cup winner earns a place in an Asian club competition.

    In the past, the winning club received a spot in the AFC Champions League (now called the AFC Champions League Elite, or ACLE) — Asia’s top club competition.

    However, the rules changed from the 2024 edition (the 104th). Now, the Emperor’s Cup winner enters the AFC Champions League Two (ACL2), not the ACLE. A place in the ACLE instead goes to the club that finishes third in the J1 League.

    The ACL2 follows in the tradition of the former AFC Cup Winners’ Cup — a competition for domestic cup winners across Asia, similar to the old UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup in Europe. The spirit of that format lives on in the ACL2 today.

    As a recent example, FC Machida Zelvia, who won the 2025 Emperor’s Cup, earned a place in the ACL2 2026/27.

    Summary

    The Emperor’s Cup was born in 1921, inspired by England’s FA Cup. With more than 100 years of history, it remains one of Japanese football’s most important competitions — an open knockout tournament where professional and amateur clubs compete on the same stage. The New Year’s Day final tradition was on hold for several years, but it returns in 2027. And beyond the trophy itself, the prize is a place on the Asian stage. If you are new to Japanese football, this is a competition worth following.