# J.League Cup

> Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/J.League_Cup
> Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/J.League_Cup.md
> Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J.League_Cup
> Source revision: 1338601937
> License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)

This article needs more citations. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "J.League Cup" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (March 2017) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

Association football tournament in Japan

Football tournament

J.League Cup Organiser(s) J.League Founded 1992; 34 years ago (1992) Region Japan Teams 60 Current champions Sanfrecce Hiroshima (2nd title) Most championships Kashima Antlers (6 titles) Broadcaster(s) Fuji TV, SKY PerfecTV! (live matches) Website jleague.jp/cup 2026–27 J.League Cup

The **J.League Cup** ([Japanese](/source/Japanese_language): Jリーグカップ, [Hepburn](/source/Hepburn_romanization): *Jē-rīgu Kappu*), a.k.a. **J.League YBC Levain Cup** ([Japanese](/source/Japanese_language): JリーグYBCルヴァンカップ, [Hepburn](/source/Hepburn_romanization): *Jē-rīgu Waibīshī Ruvan Kappu*) or **YBC Levain Cup** ([Japanese](/source/Japanese_language): ルヴァンカップ、ルヴァン杯, [Hepburn](/source/Hepburn_romanization): *Ruvan Kappu*)[1] is a Japanese [football](/source/Association_football) knockout tournament organised by [J.League](/source/J.League), the men's association football league in [Japan](/source/Japan). It has been sponsored by Yamazaki Biscuits (YBC) of [Yamazaki Baking](/source/Yamazaki_Baking) (formerly Yamazaki Nabisco) since its inception in 1992. It was known as the **J.League Yamazaki Nabisco Cup** ([Japanese](/source/Japanese_language): Jリーグヤマザキナビスコカップ, [Hepburn](/source/Hepburn_romanization): *Jē-rīgu Yamazaki Nabisuko Kappu*) or **Nabisco Cup** ([Japanese](/source/Japanese_language): ナビスコカップ、ナビスコ杯, [Hepburn](/source/Hepburn_romanization): *Nabisuko Kappu*) until August 2016.

It is generally regarded as the Japanese equivalent to league cup competitions played in many countries, such as the [Football League Cup](/source/Football_League_Cup) in England, as complementary to the [Emperor's Cup](/source/Emperor's_Cup) competed between clubs from all divisions of professional football in Japan. Before the J. League Cup was created, the old [Japan Soccer League](/source/Japan_Soccer_League) had its own [Japan Soccer League Cup](/source/Japan_Soccer_League_Cup) since the 1976 season.

The tournament format varies almost each year largely depending on the schedule of international matches such as the Olympic Games and World Cup games (see the [Format](#Format) section below).

From 2007 to 2023, the winners qualified for the [J.League Cup / Copa Sudamericana Championship](/source/J.League_Cup_%2F_Copa_Sudamericana_Championship) held in the following summer, where they played against the winners of the [Copa Sudamericana](/source/Copa_Sudamericana). The tournament was cancelled in 2020 due to the [COVID-19 pandemic](/source/COVID-19_pandemic), but was not held for 2021 and 2022, before ultimately being cancelled in 2023.

## Format

### Early years (1992–1998)

**1992**
- The founding ten clubs of the J. League participated as a warm-up to the upcoming inaugural league season. At the group stage, each team played the other teams once. There was no draw and the [golden goal](/source/Golden_goal), extra time and penalty shootout was employed to decide a tie if necessary. A sudden death was applied to the penalty shoot-out from the first kicker. The winner of a game got four points. A team who scored two or more goals in a game also won one point. The top four teams of the group stage went on to the knock-out stage where the ties were single matches.

**1993**
- Thirteen teams (the ten J. League sides as well as the three JFL sides who had J. League associate membership) took part. At the group stage, the teams were divided into two groups, one consisting seven and the other consisting six. Each team played the other teams in the same group once. The top two teams of each group were qualified for the knock-out stage where the ties were single matches.

**1994**
- Fourteen teams (the twelve J. League sides as well as the two JFL sides who had J. League associate membership) took part. There was no group stage. The ties were single matches all through the competition.

**1995**
- No competition

**1996**
- The sixteen J. League sides participated. J. League associate member teams did not take part due to the congested schedule. At the group stage, the teams were divided into two groups. Each team played the other teams in the same group twice (home and away). A tie was decided by the aggregate of two matches. The winner of a tie got three points and a draw earned one point. The top two teams of each group were qualified for the knock-out stage where the ties were single matches.

**1997**
- Twenty teams (all the J. League clubs and the JFL clubs with J. League associate membership) participated. At the group stage, the teams were divided into five groups. Each team played the other teams in the same group once. A win earned three points, a draw earned one point. There was no extra time at this stage. The top team of each group, as well as the three second-placed teams with the best records, were qualified for the knock-out stage where the ties were played over two matches (home and away). Although [Sagan Tosu](/source/Sagan_Tosu) had forfeited their associate membership because of the bankruptcy of their forerunner Tosu Futures, they were allowed to enter the competition as a special case.

**1998**
- Twenty teams (all the J. League clubs and the JFL clubs with J. League associate membership) participated. At the group stage, the teams were divided into four groups. Each team played the other teams in the same group once. The top team of each group was qualified for the knock-out stage where the ties were single matches.

### As tournaments for J1 and J2 (1999–2001)

**1999**
- All the twenty-six J1 and J2 clubs participated. There was no group stage. The ties were played over two matches (home and away) except the final where the winners were decided by a single game.

**2000**
- All the twenty-seven J1 and J2 clubs participated. There was no group stage. The ties were played over two matches (home and away) except the final where the winners were decided by a single game.

**2001**
- All the twenty-eight J1 and J2 clubs participated. There was no group stage. The ties were played over two matches (home and away) except the final where the winners were decided by a single game.

### As tournaments for only J1 (2002–2017)

**2002**
- All the sixteen J1 teams took part. At the group stage, the teams were divided into four groups. Each team played the other teams in the same group twice. The top two teams of the each group were qualified for the knock-out stage where the ties were single matches.

**2003**

The trophy awarded to Urawa Red Diamonds, 2003 winners

- All the sixteen J1 teams took part. [Kashima Antlers](/source/Kashima_Antlers) and [Shimizu S-Pulse](/source/Shimizu_S-Pulse) were exempted from the group stage because they participated in the [AFC Champions League](/source/AFC_Champions_League). The remaining fourteen teams were divided into four groups, two groups containing four teams and the other two groups containing three. The top team of the each group and the second placed teams of the groups containing four teams as well as Kashima and Shimizu were qualified for the knock-out stage. The ties were played over two matches (home and away) except the final where the winners were decided by a single game.

**2004**
- All the sixteen J1 teams took part. At the group stage, the teams were divided into four groups. Each team played the other teams in the same group twice. The top two teams of the each group were qualified for the knock-out stage where the ties were single matches.

**2005**
- All the eighteen J1 teams took part. [Yokohama F. Marinos](/source/Yokohama_F._Marinos) and [Jubilo Iwata](/source/Jubilo_Iwata) were exempted from the group stage because they participated in the [AFC Champions League](/source/AFC_Champions_League). The remaining sixteen teams were divided into four groups. Each team played the other teams in the same group twice. The top team of the each group and the two second-placed teams with the best records as well as Marinos and Iwata were qualified for the knock-out stage. The ties were played over two matches (home and away) except the final where the winners were decided by a single game. From this year's competition, the golden goal rule was abolished and the extra time was always played for thirty minutes.

**2006**
- All the eighteen J1 teams took part. [Gamba Osaka](/source/Gamba_Osaka) were exempted from the group stage because they participated in the [2006 AFC Champions League](/source/2006_AFC_Champions_League). The remaining seventeen teams were divided into four groups, three of them containing four teams and the other containing five teams. Each team played the other teams in the same group twice but only one game was played between some pairs of teams in the group containing five teams. The top team of the each group and the three second placed teams with the best records as well as Gamba Osaka were qualified for the knock-out stage. The ties were played over two matches (home and away) except the final where the winners were decided by a single game. The away goal rule was employed for this year's competition but it was not applied to a goal in the extra time.

**2007**
- The format of the 2007 competition was similar to that of 2006's, but the number of clubs participating from the group stage has been decreased to 16 due to two clubs', [Kawasaki Frontale](/source/Kawasaki_Frontale) and [Urawa Red Diamonds](/source/Urawa_Red_Diamonds), participation in the [2007 AFC Champions League](/source/2007_AFC_Champions_League). See [2007 J. League Cup](/source/2007_J._League_Cup) for details.

**2008**

The [2008 Final](/source/2008_J._League_Cup)

- The format of the 2008 competition was similar to that of 2007's. See [2008 J. League Cup](/source/2008_J._League_Cup) for details.

**2009**
- The format of the 2009 group stage was changed due to the number of clubs participating [2009 AFC Champions League](/source/2009_AFC_Champions_League) increased from two to four. 14 remaining clubs were divided into two groups with seven clubs each, then two top clubs of each group were qualified for the knock-out stage. See [2009 J. League Cup](/source/2009_J._League_Cup) for more details.

**2010**
- The format of the 2010 competition was same as that of 2009's. See [2010 J. League Cup](/source/2010_J._League_Cup) for details.

**2011**
- Although the format of the 2011 competition is planned to be same as that of 2009's and 2010's, it was abandoned due to [2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami](/source/2011_T%C5%8Dhoku_earthquake_and_tsunami) and replaced by a format without group stage (five [knockout stages](/source/Tournament#Knockout_tournaments) only). See [2011 J. League Cup](/source/2011_J._League_Cup) for details.

**2012–2017**
- See [2012 J. League Cup](/source/2012_J._League_Cup), [2013 J. League Cup](/source/2013_J._League_Cup), [2014 J. League Cup](/source/2014_J._League_Cup), [2015 J. League Cup](/source/2015_J._League_Cup), [2016 J. League Cup](/source/2016_J._League_Cup), and [2017 J.League Cup](/source/2017_J.League_Cup) for details.

### As tournaments for J1 and J2 (2018–2023)

0 to 2 clubs (varies depending on the number of J1 teams participating in the [ACL](/source/AFC_Champions_League) group stage) that were relegated to J2 last year and all J1 clubs can now participate. This is last season of group stage format in 2023.

### As tournaments for J1, J2 and J3 (2024–present)

All of the 60 J. League clubs participated in a full knockout format which started from 2024.

For the 2024 season, the three Japanese clubs qualified for the [2023–24 AFC Champions League knockout stage](/source/2023%E2%80%9324_AFC_Champions_League_knockout_stage) (i.e. [Kawasaki Frontale](/source/Kawasaki_Frontale), [Yokohama F. Marinos](/source/Yokohama_F._Marinos) and [Ventforet Kofu](/source/Ventforet_Kofu)) received a bye to the knockout phase, while the remaining 57 J.League clubs were split into 10 groups of five or six for the first three rounds (known as the "first stage") based on their performance in the 2023 league season, with the winners of each single leg single-elimination group advanced to the two-legged play-off round. The five winners of the play-off round will join the three aforementioned clubs in the knockout stage (known locally as the "prime stage"), in which the format was unchanged.

## Prizes

- Champions: J. League Cup, YBC Levain Cup, Champion medals and 150 million yen

- Runners-up: J. League Commemorative Plaque, Runner-up medals, and 50 million yen

- 3rd place (2 clubs): J. League Commemorative Plaque and 20 million yen to each 3rd placed club

## Trophy

The trophy has been produced by [Tiffany & Co.](/source/Tiffany_%26_Co.) since the third tournament in 1994. The sterling silver trophy, about 56cm tall, includes a soccer ball motif at the tip as a design feature. The tournament names "J.LEAGUE" and "YBC Levain CUP" are engraved on a silver plate attached to its ebony wood base.[2]

## Finals

Year Winners Score Runners-up Venue Attendance 1992 Verdy Kawasaki 1–0 Shimizu S-Pulse National Stadium 56,000 1993 Verdy Kawasaki 2–1 Shimizu S-Pulse National Stadium 53,677 1994 Verdy Kawasaki 2–0 Júbilo Iwata Kobe Universiade Memorial Stadium 37,475 1995 Not played 1996 Shimizu S-Pulse 3–3 (a.e.t.) (5–4 p) Verdy Kawasaki National Stadium 28,232 1997 Kashima Antlers 7–2 agg. 2–1 5–1 Júbilo Iwata First leg: Yamaha Stadium Second leg: Kashima Soccer Stadium First leg: 10,437 Second leg: 14,444 1998 Júbilo Iwata 4–0 JEF United Ichihara National Stadium 41,718 1999 Kashiwa Reysol 2–2 (a.e.t.) (5–4 p) Kashima Antlers National Stadium 35,238 2000 Kashima Antlers 2–0 Kawasaki Frontale National Stadium 26,992 2001 Yokohama F. Marinos 0–0 (a.e.t.) (3–1 p) Júbilo Iwata National Stadium 31,019 2002 Kashima Antlers 1–0 Urawa Red Diamonds National Stadium 56,064 2003 Urawa Red Diamonds 4–0 Kashima Antlers National Stadium 51,758 2004 FC Tokyo 0–0 (a.e.t.) (4–2 p) Urawa Red Diamonds National Stadium 53,236 2005 JEF United Chiba 0–0 (a.e.t.) (5–4 p) Gamba Osaka National Stadium 45,039 2006 JEF United Chiba 2–0 Kashima Antlers National Stadium 44,704 2007 Gamba Osaka 1–0 Kawasaki Frontale National Stadium 41,569 2008 Oita Trinita 2–0 Shimizu S-Pulse National Stadium 44,723 2009 FC Tokyo 2–0 Kawasaki Frontale National Stadium 44,308 2010 Júbilo Iwata 5–3 (a.e.t.) Sanfrecce Hiroshima National Stadium 39,767 2011 Kashima Antlers 1–0 (a.e.t.) Urawa Red Diamonds National Stadium 46,599 2012 Kashima Antlers 2–1 (a.e.t.) Shimizu S-Pulse National Stadium 45,228 2013 Kashiwa Reysol 1–0 Urawa Red Diamonds National Stadium 46,675 2014 Gamba Osaka 3–2 Sanfrecce Hiroshima Saitama Stadium 2002 38,126 2015 Kashima Antlers 3–0 Gamba Osaka Saitama Stadium 2002 50,828 2016 Urawa Red Diamonds 1–1 (a.e.t.) (5–4 p) Gamba Osaka Saitama Stadium 2002 51,248 2017 Cerezo Osaka 2–0 Kawasaki Frontale Saitama Stadium 2002 53,452 2018 Shonan Bellmare 1–0 Yokohama F. Marinos Saitama Stadium 2002 44,242 2019 Kawasaki Frontale 3–3 (a.e.t.) (5–4 p) Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo Saitama Stadium 2002 48,119 2020 FC Tokyo 2–1 Kashiwa Reysol National Stadium 24,219 2021 Nagoya Grampus 2–0 Cerezo Osaka Saitama Stadium 2002 17,933 2022 Sanfrecce Hiroshima 2–1 Cerezo Osaka National Stadium 39,608 2023 Avispa Fukuoka 2–1 Urawa Red Diamonds National Stadium 61,683 2024 Nagoya Grampus 3–3 (a.e.t.) (5–4 p) Albirex Niigata National Stadium 62,517 2025 Sanfrecce Hiroshima 3–1 Kashiwa Reysol National Stadium 62,466

## Performances by team

Club Winners Runners-up Winning seasons Runners-up seasons Kashima Antlers 6 3 1997, 2000, 2002, 2011, 2012, 2015 1999, 2003, 2006 Tokyo Verdy 3 1 1992, 1993, 1994 1996 FC Tokyo 3 0 2004, 2009, 2020 Urawa Red Diamonds 2 5 2003, 2016 2002, 2004, 2011, 2013, 2023 Júbilo Iwata 2 3 1998, 2010 1994, 1997, 2001 Gamba Osaka 2 3 2007, 2014 2005, 2015, 2016 Sanfrecce Hiroshima 2 2 2022, 2025 2010, 2014 JEF United Chiba 2 1 2005, 2006 1998 Kashiwa Reysol 2 2 1999, 2013 2020, 2025 Nagoya Grampus 2 0 2021, 2024 Shimizu S-Pulse 1 4 1996 1992, 1993, 2008, 2012 Kawasaki Frontale 1 4 2019 2000, 2007, 2009, 2017 Cerezo Osaka 1 2 2017 2021, 2022 Yokohama F. Marinos 1 1 2001 2018 Oita Trinita 1 0 2008 Shonan Bellmare 1 0 2018 Avispa Fukuoka 1 0 2023 Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo 0 1 2019 Albirex Niigata 0 1 2024

## Most valuable players

Year Winner Club Nationality 1992 Kazuyoshi Miura Verdy Kawasaki Japan 1993 Bismarck Verdy Kawasaki Brazil 1994 Bismarck Verdy Kawasaki Brazil 1996 Santos Shimizu S-Pulse Brazil 1997 Jorginho Kashima Antlers Brazil 1998 Nobuo Kawaguchi Júbilo Iwata Japan 1999 Takeshi Watanabe Kashiwa Reysol Japan 2000 Koji Nakata Kashima Antlers Japan 2001 Tatsuya Enomoto Yokohama F. Marinos Japan 2002 Mitsuo Ogasawara Kashima Antlers Japan 2003 Tatsuya Tanaka Urawa Red Diamonds Japan 2004 Yoichi Doi FC Tokyo Japan 2005 Tomonori Tateishi JEF United Chiba Japan 2006 Koki Mizuno JEF United Chiba Japan 2007 Michihiro Yasuda Gamba Osaka Japan 2008 Daiki Takamatsu Oita Trinita Japan 2009 Takuji Yonemoto FC Tokyo Japan 2010 Ryoichi Maeda Júbilo Iwata Japan 2011 Yuya Osako Kashima Antlers Japan 2012 Gaku Shibasaki Kashima Antlers Japan 2013 Masato Kudo Kashiwa Reysol Japan 2014 Patric Gamba Osaka Brazil 2015 Mitsuo Ogasawara Kashima Antlers Japan 2016 Tadanari Lee Urawa Red Diamonds Japan 2017 Kenyu Sugimoto Cerezo Osaka Japan 2018 Daiki Sugioka Shonan Bellmare Japan 2019 Shota Arai Kawasaki Frontale Japan 2020 Leandro FC Tokyo Brazil 2021 Sho Inagaki Nagoya Grampus Japan 2022 Pieros Sotiriou Sanfrecce Hiroshima Cyprus 2023 Hiroyuki Mae Avispa Fukuoka Japan 2024 Mitchell Langerak Nagoya Grampus Australia 2025 Hayato Araki Sanfrecce Hiroshima Japan

## New Hero Award

This award is presented to an under-23 player who made the biggest contribution to his team in the competition. The winner is decided based on votes from football journalists.

Year Winner Club 1996 Hiroshi Nanami Júbilo Iwata Toshihide Saito Shimizu S-Pulse 1997 Atsuhiro Miura Yokohama Flügels 1998 Naohiro Takahara Júbilo Iwata 1999 Yukihiko Sato FC Tokyo 2000 Takayuki Suzuki Kashima Antlers 2001 Hitoshi Sogahata Kashima Antlers 2002 Keisuke Tsuboi Urawa Red Diamonds 2003 Tatsuya Tanaka Urawa Red Diamonds 2004 Makoto Hasebe Urawa Red Diamonds 2005 Yuki Abe JEF United Chiba 2006 Hiroyuki Taniguchi Kawasaki Frontale 2007 Michihiro Yasuda Gamba Osaka 2008 Mu Kanazaki Oita Trinita 2009 Takuji Yonemoto FC Tokyo 2010 Yojiro Takahagi Sanfrecce Hiroshima 2011 Genki Haraguchi Urawa Red Diamonds 2012 Hideki Ishige Shimizu S-Pulse 2013 Manabu Saitō Yokohama F. Marinos 2014 Takashi Usami Gamba Osaka 2015 Shuhei Akasaki Kashima Antlers 2016 Yosuke Ideguchi Gamba Osaka 2017 Takuma Nishimura Vegalta Sendai 2018 Keita Endo Yokohama F. Marinos 2019 Keito Nakamura Gamba Osaka 2020 Ayumu Seko Cerezo Osaka 2021 Zion Suzuki Urawa Red Diamonds 2022 Sota Kitano Cerezo Osaka 2023 Jumpei Hayakawa Urawa Red Diamonds 2024 Riku Yamane Yokohama F. Marinos 2025 Yotaro Nakajima Sanfrecce Hiroshima

## Broadcasters

### Japan

All matches of the competition is currently broadcast live by [Fuji TV](/source/Fuji_TV) and [SKY PerfecTV!](/source/SKY_PerfecTV!) respectively.

### Outside Japan

[YouTube](/source/YouTube) only broadcast live coverage in prime stage matches through J.League International channel (excluding China, Hong Kong, Thailand, and Brazil).

## See also

- [Association football portal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Association_football)
- [Women's association football portal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Women%27s_association_football)
- [Sports portal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Sports)
- [Games portal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Games)
- [Japan portal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Japan)

- [Sport in Japan](/source/Sport_in_Japan)

- [Football in Japan](/source/Football_in_Japan)

- [Japan Football Association (JFA)](/source/Japan_Football_Association)

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** ["2016 J.League Cup renamed to J.League YBC Levain Cup"](https://web.archive.org/web/20170804221110/https://www.jleague.jp/en/news/article/6192/). *JLeague.jp*. Japan Professional Football League. 22 June 2016. Archived from [the original](http://www.jleague.jp/en/news/article/6192/) on 4 August 2017. Retrieved 4 September 2016.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** ["2024 JリーグYBCルヴァンカップの優勝トロフィー【2024 JリーグYBCルヴァンカップ】"](https://www.jleague.jp/news/article/29241/). *JLeague.jp* (in Japanese). Japan Professional Football League. Retrieved 23 November 2024.

## External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to [J.League Cup](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:J.League_Cup).

- [Official website](https://www.jleague.jp/leaguecup/)

- [Japan - List of League Cup Winners](https://www.rsssf.org/tablesj/japleagcuphist.html), RSSSF.com

v t e J.League Cup Seasons 1992 1993 1994 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 Finals 1992 1993 1994 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025

v t e Football competitions involving Japanese clubs Leagues J1 League J2 League J3 League Japan Football League Japanese Regional Leagues promotion tournament Cups Emperor's Cup J.League Cup Japanese Super Cup Shakaijin Cup International FIFA Club World Cup AFC Champions League Defunct Suntory Championship Promotion/Relegation Series JOMO All-Star Soccer Asian Cup Winners' Cup Asian Super Cup Afro-Asian Club Championship Sanwa Bank Cup A3 Champions Cup Pan-Pacific Championship Toyota Premier Cup J.League Cup / Copa Sudamericana Championship

v t e Football in Japan Records Trophies and awards Venues History National association Japan Football Association (JFA) National teams (2026) Men Japan results footballers managers B U-23 footballers managers U-20 U-17 Futsal U-23 U-20 Beach soccer FIFAe Women Japan results footballers managers B U-23 results footballers managers U-20 U-17 Futsal U-23 U-20 Beach soccer Leagues (2026) Men J.League J1 League J2 League J3 League Japan Football League (JFL) Regional Leagues Prince Takamado Cup U-18 Premier League U-18 Prince Leagues Women WE League Nadeshiko League Division 1 Division 2 Cups (2026) Men Emperor's Cup YBC Levain Cup Fujifilm Super Cup Shakaijin Cup Club Teams Cup Intercollegiate Cup All Japan High School Cup Inter-High Club Youth Cup Women Empress's Cup WE League Cup Intercollegiate International cups Men Kirin Cup Soccer (Senior) Kirin Challenge Cup (Senior / U-23) SBS Cup (U-18) Ibaraki Next Generation Cup (U-18) International Youth Soccer in Niigata (U-17) U-16 International Dream Cup Women MS&AD Cup (Senior) JENESYS U-17 Women’s Football Memorial Cup Culture Historical matches Japan v Iraq (1994 FIFA World Cup qualification) Anime and Manga Aoashi Blue Lock Captain Tsubasa Days Giant Killing Inazuma Eleven Rivalries National teams Japan–South Korea Australia–Japan China–Japan North Korea–Japan Football in Japan by prefecture Tokyo Osaka by populated place Competitions

v t e J.League Cup champions 6 titles Kashima Antlers 1997 2000 2002 2011 2012 2015 3 titles Tokyo Verdy 1992 1993 1994 FC Tokyo 2004 2009 2020 2 titles Júbilo Iwata 1998 2010 Gamba Osaka 2007 2014 JEF United Chiba 2005 2006 Kashiwa Reysol 1999 2013 Nagoya Grampus 2021 2024 Sanfrecce Hiroshima 2022 2025 Urawa Red Diamonds 2003 2016 1 title Shimizu S-Pulse 1996 Yokohama F. Marinos 2001 Oita Trinita 2008 Cerezo Osaka 2017 Shonan Bellmare 2018 Kawasaki Frontale 2019 Avispa Fukuoka 2023

v t e Domestic football league cups Current Bahrain Cambodia Canada (women) Chile England men women Egypt Finland France (women) Hong Kong League Cup Senior Shield Iceland Israel Japan men women Jordan Kazakhstan Kuwait Crown Prince Cup Lebanon (Federation Cup) Malaysia Challenge Cup Maldives Mauritius Northern Ireland Oman League Cup Crown Prince Cup Portugal (now an expended supercup) Qatar QSL League Cup Stars Cup FA Cup Scotland men women Senegal South Africa Thailand Trinidad and Tobago SuperLeague Cup United Arab Emirates League Cup Federation Cup United States (USL) Uruguay Uzbekistan Wales Defunct Algeria Argentina LPF SAF Bahrain FA Cup Crown Prince Cup Belgium Bhutan Bolivia (2023 season only) China Denmark League Cup Viasat Cup Egypt (EFA) France Germany Gibraltar Greece Kuwait Federation Cup Hungary Japan men women Korea Republic Latvia Lebanon Elite Cup Challenge Cup Philippines UFL Copa Paulino Alcantara (now a national cup) Poland Ekstraklasa Cup League Cup Portugal Taça Ribeiro dos Reis Taça FPF Republic of Ireland Romania Russia Singapore Soviet Union Spain Switzerland Tunisia Turkey United States (women) (now a supercup)

---
Adapted from the Wikipedia article [J.League Cup](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J.League_Cup) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J.League_Cup?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.