Football in Japan is officially back this weekend.

Vissel Kobe and Kawasaki Frontale will go head-to-head in the Fujifilm Super Cup 2024 this Saturday and you can catch all the action live, no matter where you are on the planet.

Vissel earned their place in this showpiece event as the 2023 Meiji Yasuda J1 League champions. They were the most complete team in the league, led by the J1 MVP Yuya Osako and were completely deserving winners of the first top-flight title in club history.

Frontale’s spot was earned by winning the 2023 Emperor’s Cup. They defeated clubs from four different divisions to reach the final before prevailing on penalty kicks thanks to a marvelous performance by goalkeeper Jung Sung-ryong.

Both Vissel and Frontale have big ambitions for 2024, with both clubs playing in the AFC Champions League Elite in the fall, and hoping to get off to a fast start in the league as winter turns to spring.

Vissel will be looking to repeat as J1 champs, while Frontale are hoping to win their fourth crown in eight years after finishing a disappointing eighth last season.

Kobe have every reason to be confident; they are bringing back the core of the team that won the league, with Osako signing a contract extension, and have added the likes of Yosuke Ideguchi, Rikuto Hirose and Taisei Miyashiro, giving them added firepower and depth as their fixture load increases.

Frontale also have reason to believe that 2024 will bring a return to league form. They featured the fourth-best attack in the league and have signed a trio of Brazilians in Erison, Zé Ricardo and Patrick Verhon, plus proven J1 talent Yuki Yamamoto. Add in some better injury luck at the back and Frontale can be back among the best.

While Frontale lost mainstays like Miki Yamane and Leandro Damião in the offseason, they return much of their core, including 2023 Best Eleven selection Yasuto Wakizaka and Emperor's Cup hero Jung between the sticks.

Saturday represents a chance for these two ambitious clubs to win an early piece of silverware and prove why 2024 is going to be their year.

It's going to be an exciting day at the National Stadium and fans around the world can either catch the match on their domestic broadcaster or live on the J.League International YouTube Channel. We'll see you there at 13:35 JST.