2024 Japan Football League
The 2024 Japan Football League (Japanese: 第26回日本フットボールリーグ[第26回 JFL 2024], Hepburn: Dai Nijūrokkai Nihon Futtobōru Rīgu [Dai Nijūrokkai JFL 2024]) is the eleventh season having a fourth-tier status in Japanese football and the 26th season since the establishment of the Japan Football League.[1]
| Season | 2024 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 10 March – 24 November |
| Matches played | 104 |
| Goals scored | 272 (2.62 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Takuya Hitomi (12 goals) |
| Biggest home win | Reilac Shiga 5–0 Minebea Mitsumi (5 May) |
| Biggest away win | Criacao Shinjuku 0–4 Okinawa SV (10 March) |
| Highest scoring | Veertien Mie 3–3 Okinawa SV (31 March) Atletico Suzuka 5–1 Tochigi City (15 June) |
| Highest attendance | 16,480 Criacao Shinjuku 1–4 Tiamo Hirakata (7 June) |
| Lowest attendance | 143 Minebea Mitsumi 0–2 Tochigi City (24 March) |
← 2023 2025 →
All statistics correct as of 23 June 2024. | |
Overview
Promoted from the JFL to the J3 League
No team was promoted from the JFL to the J3, since none of the top four clubs last season met the needed requirements for promotion, which includes (but not limited to) having a J3 license.[2]
Promoted from the Regional Leagues
Tochigi City, 2023 Kanto Soccer League runner-up, was the sole promoted team to the JFL as they won the 2023 Regional Champions League.[3]
Vonds Ichihara could join Briobecca Urayasu as Chiba's representatives in the JFL, had they won the 2023 JFL play-off against Okinawa SV.[4]
Promotion and relegation between J3 and JFL
This season is the second to feature promotion/relegation between the J3 League and the Japan Football League, enabling the possibility for teams to be relegated from the J3.[5] The system of promotion/relegation between the leagues can be determined by the eligibility (Promotion to J3 requires a J.League license) of the JFL's champions and runners-up for the season.
No changes were made from the previous season:
- If only the JFL champion holds a license, there will be automatic promotion/relegation with the J3's 20th-placed team.[6]
- If only the JFL runner-up holds a license, there will be promotion/relegation play-offs with the J3's 20th-placed team.
- If both the JFL champion and runner-up hold a license, there will be automatic promotion/relegation between the JFL champions and the J3's 20th-placed team, and promotion/relegation play-offs with the J3's 19th-placed team.
- If neither the JFL champion nor the runner-up holds a license, no promotion/relegation between J3 and JFL will take place.
- In addition, the J.League stated extra requisites for promotions, with teams needing to have an average attendance of at least 2,000 in home matches, and an annual admission revenue of at least 10 million yen.[7]
The dates and the host teams of the promotion/relegation play-off were pre-determined by the J.League. In case it happens: It will be played in two legs on 1 and 7 December, with the J3 team hosting the second leg; away-goals rule will not be applied; should the match be tied, it will require extra-time, and if the draw persists, penalty shoot-outs.[8]
Promotion and relegation between JFL and Regional Leagues
- The winner of the 2024 Regional Champions League (JFL promotion series) will be automatically promoted for the 2024 JFL.
- The 15th-placed team from the JFL will play a play-off match against the runners-up of the promotion series, with the winner earning a spot at the 2025 JFL. It will be held on 30 November or 1 December, at a stadium picked by the host team from the JFL.[9]
- The 16th-placed team will be automatically relegated to their respective Regional League.
Club name changes
Tokyo Musashino United FC returned to its former name Yokogawa Musashino FC,[10] and Suzuka Point Getters became Atletico Suzuka Club.[11]
Participating clubs
The teams which possess promotion-enabler licenses are highlighted in green in the following table.
| Club name | Home town | Stadium | Capacity | Position | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ReinMeer Aomori | Aomori, Aomori | Kakuhiro Group Athletic Stadium | 20,809 | JFL (5th) | J3 license holders[12] |
| Sony Sendai | Tagajō, Miyagi | Miyagi Co-op Megumino Soccer Field | 10,000 | JFL (4th) | |
| Briobecca Urayasu | Urayasu, Chiba | Daiichi Cutter Field | 2,100 | JFL (2nd) | |
| Criacao Shinjuku | Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo | Ajinomoto Field Nishigaoka | 7,258 | JFL (11th) | 100 Year Plan status J3 license holders[12] |
| Yokogawa Musashino | Musashino, Tokyo | Musashino Municipal Athletic Stadium | 5,188 | JFL (13th) | |
| Tochigi City | Tochigi, Tochigi | City Football Station | 5,085 | JRCL (1st) | |
| Honda FC | Hamamatsu, Shizuoka | Honda Miyakoda Soccer Stadium | 2,506 | JFL (1st) | |
| Maruyasu Okazaki | Okazaki, Aichi | Maruyasu Okazaki Ryuhoku Stadium | 5,000 | JFL (8th) | |
| Atletico Suzuka | Suzuka, Mie | AGF Suzuka Athletic Stadium | 1,450 | JFL (9th) | |
| Veertien Mie | All cities/towns in Mie[lower-alpha 1] | La Pita Toin Stadium | 5,077 | JFL (10th) | J3 license holders[12] |
| Tiamo Hirakata | Hirakata, Osaka | Tamayura Athletic Stadium | 2,500 | JFL (12th) | |
| Reilac Shiga | Kusatsu, Shiga | Heiwado HATO Stadium | 15,000 | JFL (3rd) | 100 Year Plan status applicants J3 license holders |
| Kochi United | Kōchi, Kōchi | Kōchi Haruno Athletic Stadium | 25,000 | JFL (7th) | |
| Verspah Oita | Yufu, Beppu & Ōita, Ōita | Resonac Soccer/Rugby Field | 4,700 | JFL (6th) | J3 license holders[12] |
| Minebea Mitsumi | Miyazaki, Miyazaki | Hinata Athletic Stadium | 20,000 | JFL (14th) | |
| Okinawa SV | All cities/towns in Okinawa[lower-alpha 2] | Tapic Kenso Hiyagon Stadium | 10,189 | JFL (15th) | |
- centering on Kuwana & Yokkaichi
- centering on Tomigusuku, Uruma, and Okinawa
Personnel and kits
| Club | Manager | Kit manufacturer | Main shirt sponsor |
|---|---|---|---|
| ReinMeer Aomori | Kei Shibata | Umbro | Towa |
| Sony Sendai | Jun Suzuki | Adidas | Sony |
| Briobecca Urayasu | Satoshi Tsunami | soccer junky | Urata |
| Criacao Shinjuku | Hideaki Kitajima | Mitsubishi Fashion | Assetlead |
| Yokogawa Musashino | Toshihiro Ishimura | Puma | Yokogawa Electric |
| Tochigi City | Naoki Imaya | Luxperior | Nippon Rika |
| Honda FC | Hidekazu Kobayashi | Umbro | Honda |
| Maruyasu Okazaki | Hiroyasu Ibata | Athleta | Maruyasu |
| Atletico Suzuka | Noboru Saito | Athleta | Topia |
| Veertien Mie | Shuichi Mase | Sfida | Cosmo Oil |
| Tiamo Hirakata | Takahiro Futagawa | Jogarbola | Izawa Towel |
| Reilac Shiga | Toshimi Kikuchi | DEZ | Rei Beauty Dermatology Clinic |
| Kochi United | Takafumi Yoshimoto | Athleta | None |
| Verspah Oita | Takashi Yamahashi | Yasuda | Hoyo Group |
| Minebea Mitsumi | Yosuke Miyaji | Umbro | MinebeaMitsumi |
| Okinawa SV | Rei Onogi | XF | Nescafé |
Managerial changes
No mid-season change was made so far.
Foreign players
| Club | Player 1 | Player 2 | Player 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| ReinMeer Aomori | Bessa | Eduardo | Vinícius |
| Sony Sendai | |||
| Briobecca Urayasu | |||
| Criacao Shinjuku | Hwang Song-su | ||
| Yokogawa Musashino | |||
| Tochigi City | Carlos Eduardo | Pedro Henrique | |
| Honda FC | |||
| Maruyasu Okazaki | |||
| Atletico Suzuka | |||
| Veertien Mie | Kim Song-sun | Ryang Hyon-ju | |
| Tiamo Hirakata | Willian | Emeka Basil | Park Kwang-gyu |
| Reilac Shiga | |||
| Kochi United | Park Jong-seok | ||
| Verspah Oita | |||
| Minebea Mitsumi | |||
| Okinawa SV | |||
League table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion, qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kochi United | 13 | 11 | 0 | 2 | 25 | 8 | +17 | 33 | |
| 2 | Tiamo Hirakata | 13 | 8 | 1 | 4 | 23 | 19 | +4 | 25 | |
| 3 | Tochigi City | 13 | 7 | 2 | 4 | 25 | 19 | +6 | 23 | |
| 4 | Honda FC | 13 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 15 | 8 | +7 | 22 | |
| 5 | Veertien Mie | 13 | 5 | 6 | 2 | 18 | 14 | +4 | 21 | |
| 6 | ReinMeer Aomori | 13 | 4 | 7 | 2 | 16 | 10 | +6 | 19 | |
| 7 | Okinawa SV | 13 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 23 | 21 | +2 | 19 | |
| 8 | Reilac Shiga | 13 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 17 | 12 | +5 | 18 | |
| 9 | Verspah Oita | 13 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 16 | 18 | −2 | 17 | |
| 10 | Atletico Suzuka | 13 | 5 | 1 | 7 | 19 | 18 | +1 | 16 | |
| 11 | Maruyasu Okazaki | 13 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 17 | 19 | −2 | 16 | |
| 12 | Sony Sendai | 13 | 4 | 3 | 6 | 15 | 18 | −3 | 15 | |
| 13 | Briobecca Urayasu | 12 | 3 | 2 | 7 | 13 | 16 | −3 | 11 | |
| 14 | Yokogawa Musashino | 13 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 21 | −11 | 12 | |
| 15 | Criacao Shinjuku | 13 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 8 | 23 | −15 | 10 | Qualification for relegation playoffs |
| 16 | Minebea Mitsumi | 12 | 1 | 3 | 8 | 8 | 24 | −16 | 6 | Relegation to the Regional Leagues |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Head-to-head points; 5) Head-to-head goal difference; 6) Head-to-head goal scored; 7) Fair-play points.
Promotion is conditional on holding a valid J3 license (marked in bold in the table). If two clubs with J3 license finish in the top two of the JFL, the 1st-placed JFL club is automatically promoted to the J3 League and the 20th-placed J3 club is relegated to the JFL. The 2nd-placed JFL club will play the 19th-placed J3 club in the J3 and JFL promotion/relegation playoffs, and the winner will be in the J3 League.
If there is only one club with a J3 license in the top two places in the JFL, the licensed club will be automatically promoted to J3 if the licensed club is ranked 1st in the JFL, and the club ranked 20th in J3 will be automatically relegated; if the licensed club is ranked 2nd in the JFL, it will play off with the club ranked 20th in J3. In this case, the club ranked 19th in J3 will remain in the J3 League. If the 1st- and 2nd-placed clubs in the JFL do not both have J3 license, there will be no swap between J3 and JFL.JFL/Regional Leagues promotion/relegation playoff
| 2024 JFL 15th-placed team | v | 2024 JRFCL runners-up |
|---|---|---|
Top scorers
- As of 23 June 2024
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals[13] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Takuya Hitomi | Atletico Suzuka | 12 |
| 2 | Atsushi Yoshida | Tochigi City | 9 |
| 3 | Bessa | ReinMeer Aomori | 6 |
| Kokoro Kobayashi | Kochi United | ||
| 5 | Kakeru Aoto | Okinawa SV | 5 |
| Shuri Arita | Okinawa SV | ||
See also
- National association
- League
- Cup
- 2024 FUJIFILM Super Cup (Super Cup)
- 2024 Emperor's Cup (national open cup)
- 2024 J.League YBC Levain Cup (League Cup)
References
- "ＪＦＬチャンネル及び今季の放送について". Retrieved 3 April 2024.
- "第２６回日本フットボールリーグ参加チーム". jfl.or.jp (in Japanese). Retrieved 3 April 2024.
- "第２６回日本フットボールリーグ新入会チームについて". jfl.or.jp (in Japanese). Retrieved 3 April 2024.
- "2023年度ＪＦＬ・地域入れ替え戦「沖縄がＪＦＬ残留を決める！」". jfl.or.jp (in Japanese). Retrieved 3 April 2024.
- "2023シーズン以降のＪ３クラブ・ＪＦＬクラブの入れ替えについて". jleague.jp (in Japanese). Japan Professional Football League. 6 January 2023. Retrieved 6 January 2023.
- "２０２４Ｊ３・ＪＦＬ入れ替え戦 大会方式および試合方式について". jleague.jp (in Japanese). Retrieved 3 April 2024.
- "Ｊリーグ入会要件の改定について". jleague.jp (in Japanese). Retrieved 3 April 2024.
- "Promotion and Relegation between J3 and JFL from 2023 season". jleague.co. Retrieved 16 January 2023.
- "第２６回 日本フットボールリーグ(2024)". www.jfl.or.jp (in Japanese). Retrieved 3 April 2024.
- "チーム名・エンブレム変更のお知らせ". fc.yokogawa-musashino.jp (in Japanese). Retrieved 3 April 2024.
- "新チーム名決定、及び記者会見を実施致しました". suzuka-un.co.jp (in Japanese). Retrieved 3 April 2024.
- "２０２４シーズンＪ３クラブライセンス判定結果について （Ｊ３入会を希望するクラブ）". jleague.jp (in Japanese). 26 September 2023. Retrieved 26 September 2023.
- "第２６回 日本フットボールリーグ(2024)". jfl.or.jp (in Japanese). Retrieved 3 April 2024.
External links
- Official website (in Japanese)