Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo are in a fight for their top-flight lives and that puts full pressure on the team on Saturday at 14:00 JST when they host Albirex Niigata in a match that will be shown live on JLeague.co and broadcasters around the world.Consadole are bottom of the table with just 11 points from 20 matches, but they are still only six points from …

It was a massive Matchweek 20 as the top four teams squared off, but there was no movement after both matches ended in draws. Let’s check in on that and the rest of the action from around the Meiji Yasuda J1 League:Vissel Kobe 0, FC Machida Zelvia 0Last year’s champions had the bulk of the chances, but they couldn’t find a way through as Zelvia held on for …

It's been an absolute dream start to life in the top flight for FC Machida Zelvia, who sit top of the Meiji Yasuda J1 League at the halfway mark of the season.To be champions, though, will require continuing their form into a strong summer, including in their upcoming midweek clash with reigning champions Vissel Kobe.It will be a gargantuan challenge f…

Nagoya Grampus and Urawa Reds are two of the J.League’s most storied clubs but both have struggled as of late and fallen into the middle of the table.A midweek clash on Wednesday at 19:00 JST, shown live on JLeague.co and broadcasters around the world, offers up a chance for both clubs to leap up the standings and change their fortunes this season. Na…

Léo Ceará is still top of the Meiji Yasuda J1 League scoring chart after scoring yet again, but he has a new man on his heels in Anderson Lopes after the Yokohama F·Marinos striker scored twice last week.Léo Ceará headed home from a corner kick to earn Cerezo Osaka a 1-1 draw in Matchweek 19, taking him to 14 goals on the season. Anderson Lopes had tw…

The top of the Meiji Yasuda J1 League is getting very tight, with three teams separated by a mere two points. How did we get here?Let’s check in on all the Matchweek 19 action, which gave us this close fight at the upper reaches of the table:FC Machida Zelvia 0, Avispa Fukuoka 0Kosei Tani and Masaaki Murakami kept clean sheets as top-of-the-table Zelvia and…

Vissel Kobe and Gamba Osaka are two of the Meiji Yasuda J1 League’s best teams, with both in the top four and eager to fight for the title.The stakes are huge on Saturday at 18:30 JST when these two clubs meet in a Kansaid Derby match that will be shown live on JLeague.co and broadcasters around the world.Vissel are the reigning champions and currently sit …

FC Machida Zelvia are the surprise package of the Meiji Yasuda J1 League, sitting top of the table near the halfway point of their first-ever top-flight season. But the rest of the first division is now on the chase and would love nothing more than to take them down.That includes Avispa Fukuoka, a team in the midst of a terrific season, who will look to upe…

The top of the Meiji Yasuda J1 League stood tall in Matchweek 18. The first through ninth place teams went undefeated, with each taking at least a point in a strong week for the league’s best teams.Let’s see how they all got it done:Yokohama F·Marinos 1, FC Machida Zelvia 3The Tricolor scored first, but Zelvia stormed back with three goals after the break t…

At different points this season, Cerezo Osaka and Urawa Reds have been near the top of the table and fighting for the title. Slip-ups have seen them slide, but they have talent that can stand up to any in the league and are hoping for a summer surge that can put them back among the best teams in J1.Their attempt to rise back to the top kicks off on Saturday…

The international break is over and the Meiji Yasuda J1 League is ready to hit full steam this summer. That means it’s time for teams to make moves, beginning with FC Tokyo and Júbilo Iwata on Sunday at 18:00 JST when they meet in a match that will be streamed live on JLeague.co and broadcasters around the world.The capital club are in sixth place and part …

Japan wrapped up the second round of 2026 FIFA World Cup Asian Qualifiers with a 5-0 victory over Syria, giving them a perfect record of six wins from six matches in the competition.Ayase Ueda got the Samurai Blue off to a flying start. The former Kashima Antlers man now at Feyenoord in the Netherlands headed home a cross after just 13 minutes to give Japan…

Yuma Suzuki has been named Konami Monthly MVP after a marvelous May that saw him lead Kashima Antlers up the table and into the title race.Suzuki netted four goals and added two assists in the month as Antlers took 16 of a possible 18 points in an undefeated May.Suzuki began the month with a two-goal, one-assist performance in a 3-1 win over Shonan Bellmare…

Kashima Antlers had a stellar May, taking 16 of a possible 18 points to move into the title race, and Ranko Popović has been named Manager of the Month for leading that outstanding effort.Kashima began the month in sixth place, but finished it in second after winning five and drawing another in May. They outscored opponents by a combined 15-6 on the month a…

Kota Tawaratsumida has been awarded Young Player of the Month for May as the FC Tokyo man shone brightest among the #NextGenJLEAGUE crop.FC Tokyo are a haven for bright young talent, but they began May a bit shorthanded with multiple players at the U-23 Asian Cup. Tawaratsumida stepped up in their absence, contributing a goal and assist, while making an imp…

Tomoya Inukai scored one of the most memorable goals of the 2024 Meiji Yasuda J1 League season when he ripped a 35-yard rocket that pierced the top corner of the net. Now, that amazing goal has an award too - the J1 Goal of the Month for May.Inukai’s Matchweek 13 goal came with his Kashiwa Reysol side trailing 3-1 at FC Tokyo. He picked up the ball acres fr…

Lower-division giantkillers Kataller Toyama and V-Varen Nagasaki had phenomenal runs at the 2024 J.League YBC Levain Cup, but their dreams were extinguished in the second leg of the play-off round as both were eliminated from the tournament.Toyama were impressive throughout their run, as the longest-lasting J3 side in the competition beat two J2 sides in ad…

Koki Ogawa and Keito Nakamura each netted braces as Japan cruised past Myanmar, 5-0, in 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying.The Samurai Blue entered the match in Yangon having already clinched a place in the next round of qualifying and, with their win, have now guaranteed themselves first place in their group.It took 17 minutes for Nakamura to put Japan on the …

The Meiji Yasuda J.League’s introduction of The Kokuritsu Day for the 2024 season has been a smashing success in the early going.Massive crowds have filled the Japan National Stadium for games featuring reigning J1 champions Vissel Kobe, traditional giants Yokohama F·Marinos, Kashima Antlers and Urawa Reds, and capital clubs FC Machida Zelvia, FC Tokyo, and…

The first leg of the J.League YBC Levain Cup play-off round brought goals. Lots of them.All 10 teams scored at least one goal in the opening foray of their knockout-stage ties, setting the stage for what should be thrilling second legs.Kataller Toyama, the J3 side that won three games to reach this round, acquitted themselves well in their play-off round op…