What J.LEAGUE Aims For

1.World-class standard football

Strength and depth of physical contact
・Demonstrating technical skills amid intense battles for the ball ・Distinguishing from “dangerous play”

Actual Playing Time (APT)
・Enhancing continuity and tempo of play ・Extending playing time as entertainment by professional players

By focusing on these points, the league aims for “world-class standard football” and “attractive entertainment.”

Specific Measures

1.Raise the standard for refereeing decisions (bring criteria for judging fouls closer to world-class standards)
2.Play appropriate advantages
3.Urge quick restarts and avoid stopping the match excessively

2025 Season Review

Average APT in the MEIJI YASUDA J1 LEAGUE

2024 Season	2025 Season	Difference
52m 50s	53m 01s	+11s

While APT in Europe’s top five leagues is showing a declining trend, it is on the rise in the J1 LEAGUE

	2023/2024 Season	2024/2025 Season	Difference
Premier League	58m 11s	56m 59s	-1m 12s
Bundesliga	57m 15s	56m 20s	-55s
LaLiga	55m 11s	55m 17s	+6s
Serie A	55m 14s	54m 49s	-25s
Ligue 1	57m 27s	57m 24s	-3s

Source: Stats Perform

Highlighted Match

The 2025 YBC Levain Cup Final is cited as a good example of the ideal that J.LEAGUE should aim for, for the following reasons:

Key Points
APT：62m 53s 【Physical Intensity】 Total distance covered: 124.0km (league average: 114.8km) Number of sprints: 154.5 (league average: 122.4) High-intensity distance covered: 9.26km (league average: 8.45km) ※Distance covered at speeds over 20km/h

Other factors include the highly assured refereeing, attendance of 62,466, which met J.LEAGUE’s definition of capacity (stadium occupancy of 80% or more), and the tactical sophistication displayed by both clubs.

POINT

Continuous intense contact in midfield, with possession switching rapidly between attack and defence. Play that symbolises the speed and high intensity of J.LEAGUE.

POINT

A situation where the referee plays appropriate advantage for contact that occurred in the attacking team’s own half, leading to a scoring opportunity. Quick transitions between attack and defence by both clubs are enabled.

POINT

Quick restarts enable high-tempo matches to be played.

Upcoming Initiatives

To achieve world-class competitive standards, it is essential to enhance referees’ understanding of football. Therefore, from the 2026 season, former players will be dispatched to matches to exchange views with referees regarding refereeing decisions.

Key Topics of the 2025 Season

Changes to Coach License Standards for J3 Clubs

Background and Objectives

・The roles of managers and coaches are extremely important for improving footballing standards. ・J.LEAGUE recognises that it is often difficult to take a chance and appoint new talent compared to the world-class leagues. ・By relaxing the manager license standards for J3 clubs, J.LEAGUE hopes to expand opportunities to create professional manager experience for promising individuals from a broader pool of candidates. ※Reference: Pro license holders: 584 / A-Grade General license holders: 2,350 (as of March 2025)

Changes

【Before Change】 J3 clubs must appoint a manager for the top team who holds a valid JFA Pro license (or a person recognised by the JFA Technical Committee as equivalent to holding a JFA Pro license). 【After Change】 J3 clubs must appoint a manager for the top team who holds a valid JFA A-Grade General license or higher (or a person recognised by the JFA Technical Committee as equivalent to holding a JFA A-Grade General license or higher). ※JFA Pro license is required if a J3 club participates in AFC club competitions. ※Special measures will be established for promotion to J2. Continued consideration will be given to handling cases where a manager with an A-Grade General license is promoted from the J3 LEAGUE to the J2 LEAGUE.

Establishment of J.LEAGUE U-21 League

Objectives and Background of Establishing the U-21 J.LEAGUE

In the Japanese football community, continuous playing opportunities are secured for players up to age 18 through J Youth and high school football, but from age 19 onwards (after high school graduation), there is difficulty in securing appropriate playing environments for them within the limited options of either proceeding to university football, etc., or entering professional leagues. For players aged 19 to 21, which are important ages for enhancing their potential as professional players, J.LEAGUE has decided to establish the “U-21 J.LEAGUE” to secure appropriate playing environments such as “opportunities to play full 90-minute matches throughout the year,” “match → rest → training → match cycles,” and “serious competition in matches with spectators,” in order to maximise the potential of Japanese football as a whole.

Participating Clubs (11 clubs total)
Urawa Reds / FC Tokyo / Tokyo Verdy / Kawasaki Frontale / Shimizu S-Pulse / Júbilo Iwata / Nagoya Grampus / Gamba Osaka / Vissel Kobe / Fagiano Okayama / V-Varen Nagasaki

Competition Structure (as of 27 May 2025 / subject to change)

(1) Overview Name: U-21 J.LEAGUE (provisional title) Held with spectators and all matches streamed online Various less restrictive measures (player age, match venues, etc.) to be established until around the 2027/28 season. (2) Competition Period Start in the 2026/27 season Opening around August to September, closing around April Matches held from Saturday to Monday, in principle (3) Competition Format Two-league system: East and West Home and away (two matches) within the same league + home or away (one match) against the other league Play-offs held between top teams from each league (4) Competition Regulations Entry limit: 18 players (substitution limit: 7 players) Foreign player quota: 3 players (however, players with the nationalities of countries designated as J.LEAGUE Partner Countries are not treated as foreign players, as is the case with clubs’ top teams) Manager license: JFA A-Grade General license coach required Over-age (OA) quota Two types set: OA with no age restriction and U-23 OA for ages 22 and 23 Ideal format is up to three OA players + up to three U-23 OA players, with the aim to achieve this by the third season (2028/29 season) For the first season (2026/27 season), the following applies: Recommended standard: Up to three OA players + up to four U-24 OA players (clubs aim for this standard when forming their team) Mandatory standard: Up to six OA players + up to four U-24 OA players (standard that must be met) ※In matches that do not meet the recommended standard, the team must field four U-21 players among the starting members

※The information published is current as of December 22, 2025.