J1 League
| Organising body | J.League |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1992 |
| Country | Japan |
| Confederation | AFC |
| Number of clubs | 20 |
| Level on pyramid | 1 |
| Relegation to | J2 League |
| Domestic cup(s) | Emperor's Cup Japanese Super Cup |
| League cup(s) | J.League Cup |
| International cup(s) | AFC Champions League Elite AFC Champions League Two |
| Current champions | Vissel Kobe (2nd title) (2024) |
| Most championships | Kashima Antlers (8 titles) |
| Most appearances | Yasuhito Endō (672) |
| Top goalscorer | Yoshito Ōkubo (179) |
| Broadcaster(s) | DAZN (including Abema de DAZN[1]) NHK General TV (selected matches) NHK BS (selected matches) YouTube (selected matches and markets) |
| Website | jleague.jp |
| Current: 2025 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,[2] 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 Japan Professional Football League (日本プロサッカーリーグ, Nihon Puro Sakkā Rīgu).[4][5][6][7][8][9][10]
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. Vissel Kobe successfully defended their second consecutive title in the 2024 season, after previously winning it in the 2023 season.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Abema de DAZNwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ The logo used in Japan is labeled 「明治安田 J1 LEAGUE」.
- ^ サッカー用語集 [Football glossary]. JFA (in Japanese). Japan Football Association. January 25, 2017. Archived from the original on February 13, 2019. Retrieved February 24, 2019. 「日本プロサッカーリーグ」の読みは、「にほんプロサッカーリーグ」。
- ^ "J-League History Part 5: Expansion, success, and a bright future". Goal.com. 9 September 2013. Archived from the original on 1 April 2019. Retrieved 12 December 2013.
- ^ "J-League History Part 4: Exporting Talent". Goal.com. 9 September 2013. Archived from the original on 3 April 2015. Retrieved 12 December 2013.
- ^ "J-League History Part 3: Growing pains emerge on the road to the 2002 World Cup". Goal.com. 9 September 2013. Archived from the original on 3 April 2015. Retrieved 12 December 2013.
- ^ "J-League History Part 2: Verdy Kawasaki dominates the early years". Goal.com. 9 September 2013. Archived from the original on 3 April 2015. Retrieved 12 December 2013.
- ^ "J-League History Part 1: Professional football begins in Japan". Goal.com. 9 September 2013. Archived from the original on 3 April 2015. Retrieved 12 December 2013.
- ^ "Tokyo Journal; Japan Falls for Soccer, Leaving Baseball in Lurch". The New York Times. 6 June 1994. Archived from the original on 7 August 2019. Retrieved 17 November 2013.
- ^ "Japan Wages Soccer Campaign". Christian Science Monitor. 11 June 1993. Archived from the original on 7 August 2019. Retrieved 17 November 2013.