2020 in Japanese football

This article summarize the Japanese football in the 2020 season.

Football in Japan
Season2020
Men's football
J1 LeagueKawasaki Frontale
J2 LeagueTokushima Vortis
J3 LeagueBlaublitz Akita
Japan Football LeagueVerspah Oita
Japanese Regional LeaguesTiamo Hirakata
Emperor's CupKawasaki Frontale
J.League CupFC Tokyo
Japanese Super CupVissel Kobe
Women's football
Nadeshiko Division 1Urawa Red
Nadeshiko Division 2Sfida Setagaya
Challenge LeagueJFA Academy
Empress's CupNTV Beleza
← 2019 Japan 2021 →

Men's football

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For this season, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, there will be no relegation in place for the professional J1, J2 and J3 League, with the J1 League expanding to 20 clubs for the 2021 season. The Japan Football League curtailed its season to play only the second half and will have no relegation, thus expanding to maximum 18 clubs for the 2021 season.

Promotion and relegation

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Teams relegated from J1 League

Teams promoted to J1 League

Teams relegated from J2 League

Teams promoted to J2 League

Teams relegated from J3 League

No relegation to the Japan Football League

Teams promoted to J3 League

Teams relegated from Japan Football League

Teams promoted to Japan Football League

J1 League

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
1 Kawasaki Frontale (C) 34 26 5 3 88 31 +57 83 Qualification for AFC Champions League group stage[a]
2 Gamba Osaka 34 20 5 9 46 42 +4 65
3 Nagoya Grampus 34 19 6 9 45 28 +17 63
4 Cerezo Osaka 34 18 6 10 46 37 +9 60 Qualification for AFC Champions League play-off round[a]
5 Kashima Antlers 34 18 5 11 55 44 +11 59
6 FC Tokyo 34 17 6 11 47 42 +5 57
7 Kashiwa Reysol 34 15 7 12 60 46 +14 52
8 Sanfrecce Hiroshima 34 13 9 12 46 37 +9 48
9 Yokohama F. Marinos 34 14 5 15 69 59 +10 47
10 Urawa Red Diamonds 34 13 7 14 43 56 −13 46
11 Oita Trinita 34 11 10 13 36 45 −9 43
12 Consadole Sapporo 34 10 9 15 47 58 −11 39
13 Sagan Tosu 34 7 15 12 37 43 −6 36
14 Vissel Kobe 34 9 9 16 50 59 −9 36
15 Yokohama FC 34 9 6 19 38 60 −22 33
16 Shimizu S-Pulse 34 7 7 20 48 70 −22 28
17 Vegalta Sendai 34 6 10 18 36 61 −25 28
18 Shonan Bellmare 34 6 9 19 29 48 −19 27
Source: Meiji Yasuda J1 League
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Head-to-head points; 4) Head-to-head goal difference; 5) Head-to-head goal scored; 6) Number of wins; 7) Goals scored; 8) Fair-play points.
(C) Champions
Notes:
  1. ^ a b Since the winners of the 2020 Emperor's Cup, Kawasaki Frontale, qualified for the Champions League group stage, the spot given to the Emperor's Cup winners (Champions League group stage) was passed to the third-placed team and the spot given to the third-place team (Champions League play-off round) was passed to the fourth-placed team.

J2 League

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Promotion, qualification or relegation
1 Tokushima Vortis (C, P) 42 25 9 8 67 33 +34 84 Promotion to 2021 J1 League
2020 Emperor's Cup quarter-finals
2 Avispa Fukuoka (P) 42 25 9 8 51 29 +22 84 Promotion to 2021 J1 League
3 V-Varen Nagasaki 42 23 11 8 66 39 +27 80
4 Ventforet Kofu 42 16 17 9 50 41 +9 65
5 Giravanz Kitakyushu 42 19 8 15 59 51 +8 65
6 Júbilo Iwata 42 16 15 11 58 47 +11 63
7 Montedio Yamagata 42 17 11 14 59 42 +17 62
8 Kyoto Sanga 42 16 11 15 47 45 +2 59
9 Mito HollyHock 42 16 10 16 68 62 +6 58
10 Tochigi SC 42 15 13 14 41 39 +2 58
11 Albirex Niigata 42 14 15 13 55 55 0 57
12 Tokyo Verdy 42 13 15 14 48 48 0 54
13 Matsumoto Yamaga 42 13 15 14 44 52 −8 54
14 JEF United Chiba 42 15 8 19 47 51 −4 53
15 Omiya Ardija 42 14 11 17 43 52 −9 53
16 FC Ryukyu 42 14 8 20 58 61 −3 50
17 Fagiano Okayama 42 12 14 16 39 49 −10 50
18 Zweigen Kanazawa 42 12 13 17 57 67 −10 49
19 Machida Zelvia 42 12 13 17 41 52 −11 49
20 Thespakusatsu Gunma 42 15 4 23 40 62 −22 49
21 Ehime FC 42 8 10 24 38 68 −30 34
22 Renofa Yamaguchi 42 9 6 27 43 74 −31 33
Source: Meiji Yasuda J2 League
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Head-to-head points; 4) Head-to-head goal difference; 5) Head-to-head goal scored; 6) Number of wins; 7) Goals scored; 8) Fair-play points
(C) Champions; (P) Promoted

J3 League

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Promotion
1 Blaublitz Akita (C, P) 34 21 10 3 55 18 +37 73 Promotion to 2021 J2 League
2020 Emperor's Cup quarter-finals
2 SC Sagamihara (P) 34 16 13 5 43 35 +8 61 Promotion to 2021 J2 League[a]
3 Nagano Parceiro 34 17 8 9 45 26 +19 59
4 Kagoshima United 34 18 4 12 55 43 +12 58
5 Gainare Tottori 34 17 6 11 47 37 +10 57
6 FC Gifu 34 16 8 10 50 39 +11 56
7 FC Imabari 34 15 10 9 39 27 +12 55
8 Roasso Kumamoto 34 16 6 12 56 47 +9 54
9 Kataller Toyama 34 15 5 14 52 43 +9 50
10 Fujieda MYFC 34 14 7 13 48 44 +4 49
11 Iwate Grulla Morioka 34 11 9 14 36 47 −11 42
12 Azul Claro Numazu 34 12 5 17 36 40 −4 41
13 Fukushima United 34 11 6 17 46 55 −9 39
14 Gamba Osaka U-23 34 9 8 17 43 55 −12 35 Folded
15 Vanraure Hachinohe 34 8 9 17 42 56 −14 33
16 Kamatamare Sanuki 34 7 10 17 33 52 −19 31
17 YSCC Yokohama 34 5 12 17 37 66 −29 27
18 Cerezo Osaka U-23 34 5 10 19 28 61 −33 25 Folded
19 FC Tokyo U-23 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Withdrew due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan
Updated to match(es) played on 20 December 2020. Source: 2020 MEIJI YASUDA J3 LEAGUE League table
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Head-to-head points; 4) Head-to-head goal difference; 5) Head-to-head goal scored; 6) Number of wins; 7) Goals scored; 8) Fair-play points
(C) Champions; (P) Promoted
Notes:
  1. ^ Only teams that hold a J2 licence are eligible for promotion.

Japan Football League

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Promotion
1 Verspah Oita (C) 15 10 2 3 27 16 +11 32
2 Tegevajaro Miyazaki (P) 15 8 4 3 26 15 +11 28 Promotion to 2021 J3 League[a]
3 Sony Sendai 15 8 2 5 25 22 +3 26
4 Honda FC 15 5 7 3 20 12 +8 22
5 Suzuka Point Getters 15 6 3 6 23 19 +4 21
6 Veertien Mie 15 6 3 6 17 16 +1 21
7 Iwaki FC 15 6 3 6 24 24 0 21
8 FC Osaka 15 6 2 7 24 24 0 20
9 MIO Biwako Shiga 15 6 2 7 23 27 −4 20
10 Matsue City FC 15 6 2 7 18 24 −6 20
11 Tokyo Musashino City 15 5 4 6 15 17 −2 19
12 Honda Lock 15 5 4 6 19 25 −6 19
13 Nara Club 15 5 3 7 21 21 0 18
14 Kochi United SC 15 4 4 7 17 20 −3 16
15 ReinMeer Aomori 15 4 4 7 17 26 −9 16
16 Maruyasu Okazaki 15 4 3 8 14 22 −8 15
Source: JFL website (in Japanese)
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Head-to-head results; 4) Goals scored; 5) Disciplinary points; 6) Number of wins; 7) Lottery [7]
(C) Champions; (P) Promoted
Notes:
  1. ^ To qualify for promotion, a club must hold a 100 Year Plan status, obtain J3 license (marked in bold in the table), and finish both in the top 4 of the JFL, and either 1st or 2nd among the promotion-eligible clubs.

Regional Leagues

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National team

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Results

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9 October 2020 Friendly Japan   0–0   Cameroon Utrecht, Netherlands
14:00 UTC+2 Report Stadium: Stadion Galgenwaard
Referee: Bas Nijhuis (Netherlands)
13 October 2020 Friendly Japan   1–0   Ivory Coast Utrecht, Netherlands
16:45 UTC+2
  • Ueda   90+1'
Report Stadium: Stadion Galgenwaard
Referee: Jochem Kamphuis (Netherlands)
13 November 2020 Friendly Japan   1–0   Panama Graz, Austria
15:15 UTC+1
Report Stadium: Liebenauer Stadium
Referee: Christian-Petru Ciochirca (Austria)
17 November 2020 Friendly Japan   0–2   Mexico Graz, Austria
21:00 UTC+1 Report
Stadium: Liebenauer Stadium
Referee: Manuel Schüttengruber (Austria)

Women's football

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Promotion and relegation

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Team(s) relegated from Nadeshiko Division 1

Teams at the Division 1 play-offs

Team(s) promoted to Nadeshiko Division 1

Team(s) relegated from Nadeshiko Division 2

Team(s) at the Division 2 play-offs

Nadeshiko League (Division 1)

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
1 Urawa Reds Ladies 18 14 2 2 37 17 +20 44 Champions, form WE League
2 INAC Kobe Leonessa 18 11 2 5 33 19 +14 35 Form WE League
3 NTV Beleza 18 9 4 5 45 22 +23 31
4 Cerezo Osaka 18 8 6 4 32 36 −4 30
5 Albirex Niigata 18 8 3 7 19 17 +2 27 Form WE League
6 JEF United Chiba 18 6 5 7 30 29 +1 23
7 Mynavi Vegalta Sendai 18 6 4 8 26 24 +2 22
8 Nojima Stella 18 4 3 11 18 30 −12 15
9 Iga Kunoichi 18 4 2 12 17 33 −16 14
10 Ehime 18 3 3 12 16 46 −30 12
Source: Soccerway
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored; 4) Head-to-head points; 5) Head-to-head goal difference; 6) Head-to-head away goals scored

Nadeshiko League (Division 2)

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Promotion or relegation
1 Sfida Setagaya 18 11 4 3 34 18 +16 37
2 Elfen Saitama 18 11 3 4 33 13 +20 36 Promoted to WE League
3 Kamogawa 18 10 4 4 37 18 +19 34
4 Yokohama 18 8 8 2 29 8 +21 32
5 Nagano Parceiro 18 8 4 6 22 13 +9 28 Promoted to WE League
6 Harima 18 8 2 8 25 22 +3 26
7 Yamato Sylphid 18 7 5 6 15 16 −1 26
8 Jumonji Ventus 18 3 4 11 15 40 −25 13 Promoted to WE League
9 Nittaidai 18 2 3 13 7 46 −39 9
10 Bunnys Kyoto 18 1 5 12 8 31 −23 8
Source: Soccerway

National team

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Results

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5 March 2020 SheBelieves Cup Japan   1–3   Spain Orlando, United States
16:15 ET
Report
Stadium: Exploria Stadium
Attendance: 7,528
Referee: Katja Koroleva (United States)
8 March 2020 SheBelieves Cup Japan   0–1   England Harrison, United States
14:15 ET Report
Stadium: Red Bull Arena
Attendance: 14,758
Referee: Katja Koroleva (United States)
11 March 2020 SheBelieves Cup United States   3–1   Japan Frisco, United States
19:00 CT
Report
Stadium: Toyota Stadium
Referee: Melissa Borjas (Honduras)
11 April 2020 MS&AD Cup 2020 Japan   Cancelled   New Zealand Sendai
15:00 Cancellation Stadium: Yurtec Stadium

Player statistics

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References

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  1. ^ "F. Marinos on the Brink of Glory, Matsumoto and Iwata Relegated". December 1, 2019.
  2. ^ "Reysol clinches return to top flight". November 16, 2019 – via Japan Times Online.
  3. ^ 2019.12.05 (Thu). "【English Report】FC Gifu vs Ventforet Kofu by Stuart Smith | FC岐阜オフィシャルサイト". Fc-gifu.com. Retrieved 2023-03-23.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  4. ^ "ギラヴァンツ北九州がJ3初優勝。ザスパクサツ群馬が2位に浮上して最終節へ". フットボールチャンネル. December 2019.
  5. ^ "2018シーズン J3クラブライセンス判定結果について (J3入会を希望するクラブ):Jリーグ.jp". jleague.jp. Retrieved 2 October 2017.
  6. ^ "[いわきFC OfficialSite] いわきFC Jリーグ百年構想クラブ申請書類を提出". いわきFC OfficialSite. December 2, 2019.
  7. ^ "第22回開催に伴う事項について" (Press release) (in Japanese). 日本フットボールリーグ. June 24, 2020. Retrieved July 5, 2020.