Total yearly attendance for official J.LEAGUE matches

Exceeding the all-time high 2024 season total yearly attendance by 962,945

In the 2025 season, the total yearly attendance for official J.LEAGUE matches reached a record 13,503,210, surpassing the previous record set in the 2024 season (12,540,265) and marking the second consecutive year of record-breaking attendance.

Total yearly attendance for official J.LEAGUE matches

13,503,210
（Compared to previous year: 108%）

（MEIJI YASUDA J1 LEAGUE, MEIJI YASUDA J2 LEAGUE, MEIJI YASUDA J3 LEAGUE, J.LEAGUE YBC Levain CUP, FUJIFILM SUPER CUP, J1 Promotion Play-Offs, J2 Promotion Play-Offs, and J3/JFL Play-Offs）

Looking at attendance by category, total attendance was 8,073,557 for J1, 3,377,480 for J2, and 1,428,621 for J3. Average attendance compared to the previous year was 104% for J1, 115% for J2, and 111% for J3, exceeding the results from the previous year in all categories for the second consecutive year following on from the 2024 season.
In addition to significantly exceeding 2024 figures during peak attendance periods, namely the Golden Week period (April-May), summer holiday period (July-August), and final stage (November-December), a new mid-sized peak was created during the Silver Week period (September) by pairing invitation campaigns for children with Sanrio collaborations.
Partly driven by this momentum, a new record for highest attendance in league matches was set as of 9 November.

Furthermore, the FUJIFILM SUPER CUP 2025 set a new Super Cup attendance record, while the MEIJI YASUDA J.LEAGUE WORLD CHALLENGE 2025 presented by The Nippon Foundation set a new record for J.LEAGUE-hosted matches. The J.LEAGUE YBC Levain CUP 2025 Final recorded 62,466 attendees, marking the highest attendance for an official match in the 2025 season. Multiple attendance records were also broken for matches organised by J.LEAGUE.

To-C marketing initiatives contribute to new record for total yearly attendance

Role of to-C marketing

J.LEAGUE emphasises marketing strategy as the starting point for strengthening the football domain.
Through to-C marketing initiatives, first-time attendees become repeat and regular attendees, thereby expanding the fan base. As attendance increases, the value of to-B activities, such as sponsorship and broadcasting, also improves.
This leads to active investment in the football domain. In this way, it is important to create a cycle that raises the standard of football using to-C marketing initiatives as the starting point.

Specific initiatives

Initiative 1：Large-scale invitation campaigns and repeat attendance initiatives

J.LEAGUE views invitation campaigns not as mere “giveaways” but as “sampling” opportunities for acquiring new fans and implements initiatives in collaboration with clubs.
Besides the three large-scale promotional invitation campaigns during the start of the league/spring holiday period, Golden Week, and summer holidays, which were also held in the 2024 season, J.LEAGUE implemented new autumn invitation campaigns for elementary, junior high, and high school students. Furthermore, J.LEAGUE implemented several other invitation campaigns as well, including holding 10,000-person invitation initiatives for THE KOKURITSU DAY on 10 occasions.
The numerical impact of these initiatives was significant: approximately 2.82 million total applicants and approximately 146,000 new J.LEAGUE IDs acquired. In 2025, the cumulative total of J.LEAGUE IDs surpassed 5 million.
Based on the newly acquired J.LEAGUE IDs, J.LEAGUE implemented CRM initiatives such as email distribution and campaign announcements. As a result, the repeat attendance rate for first-time attendees exceeded 30%, contributing to sustained increases in attendance.

Initiative 2：Enhanced exposure on key TV stations

In the 2025 season, J.LEAGUE sought to enhance exposure on key TV stations, while continuing to maintain exposure on local TV stations as in the previous year. As a result, media exposure levels remained strong at 155% year-on-year for the cumulative period from January to November.
Additionally, Kerutomeru, a new programme on Fuji Television featuring Travis Japan, a Japanese boy band, began broadcasting on 6 October. The programme hashtag “#Kerutomeru” has been used in social media posts, primarily by female fans of the group, trending on X almost every week and generating buzz among the public.
Approximately 80% of the social media posters are women and J.LEAGUE’s reach among female audiences is steadily expanding.

Initiative 3：Merchandise-related initiatives

Merchandise sales for the 2025 season are projected to reach 21.3 billion yen (2024: 18.0 billion yen) as of the end of December. This represents growth of 118% year-on-year and exceeds the pace of attendance growth.
The contributing factors include the following:

Stadium merchandise

・Subsidies for improving stadium environments were again provided in 2025, following on from 2024, and they were utilised by clubs from J1 to J3, albeit on varying scales. ・Sales floor reforms at stadium merchandise outlets resulted in growth of approximately 150% year-on-year at some clubs. ・Effects of new stadium construction and promotion, among other factors, led to exceptional sales increases exceeding three times the previous year.

E-commerce
・E-commerce sales also grew, with uniform sales performing strongly across J1 clubs in particular.

Intellectual Property (IP) collaborations
・IP collaborations with Sanrio and brand collaborations with BALR and WIND AND SEA proved popular. ・Shimamura and FREAK’S STORE sold licensed products using J.LEAGUE club branding. These were also popular, with some products selling out.

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