J.League

Also known as Japan Professional Football League, J-League, Meiji Yasuda J.League

The , , and officially known as the for sponsorship with Meiji Yasuda Life, is the association football league in Japan. It is responsible for organizing Japan's major professional football competitions, including the J1, J2 and J3 leagues. Established in 1993 as Japan's first professional football league, it has been one of the most successful leagues in Asia. Originally founded as a single division, in 1999, the second division J2 League was established, followed by the third division J3 League in 2013.

Key facts

Football league.name: J.League
Football league.logo: J new logo.png
Football league.pixels: 120px
Football league.country: Japan
Football league.confed: AFC
Football league.first: 1993
Football league.teams: 60
Football league.levels: 1–3
Football league.divisions: J1 LeagueJ2 LeagueJ3 League
Football league.domest_cup: Emperor's CupFujifilm Super Cup
Football league.league_cup: J.League YBC Levain Cup
Football league.confed_cup: AFC Champions League EliteAFC Champions League Two
Football league.champions: J2: Mito HollyHock (1st title)J3: Tochigi City (1st title)
Football league.season: 2025 season
Football league.most_champs: J1: Kashima Antlers (9 titles)J2: Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo (3 titles)J3: Blaublitz Akita (2 titles) <!-- Page using Template:Infobox football league with unknown parameter???... "sponsor"
Football league.sponsor: Meiji Yasuda Life ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------->
Football league.tv: J1: DAZNJ2: DAZNJ3: DAZN/Lemino
Football league.current: 2026–27 J1 League;8–9 August 2026 – 5–6 June 20272026–27 J2 League;8–9 August 2026 – 22–23 May 20272026–27 J3 League;8–9 August 2026 – 22–23 May 2027

via Wikipedia infobox

Wikidata facts

Official website: www.jleague.jp

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Commons category: J. League
inception: 1992-00-00
social media followers: 914871

Sources (3)

via Wikidata · CC0

~39 min read

Article

28 sections

Contents

History
Before the professional league (pre-1992)
Inaugural season and J.League boom (1993–1995)
After the boom (1996–1999)
Change of infrastructure and game formats (1999–2004)
European League Format & AFC Champions League (2005–2008)
Modern phase (2009–2014)
Three-stage system (2015–present)
Timeline
Stance in the Japanese football pyramid
Crest
Clubs
Membership requirements
List of member clubs
Clubs with J3 licenses
J.League 100 Year Plan Club
Former clubs that were regular members of the J.League
Clubs that were former J.League associate members, associate members and Centennial Clubs
Champions
Promotion and relegation
Changes in the number of clubs promotion and relegation system
About the future
Branding
Awards
See also
Notes
References
External links