2025 J1 League

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Season2025
Dates14 February – 6 December
ChampionsKashima Antlers
9th J1 title
9th Japanese title
J1 League
Season2025
Dates14 February – 6 December
ChampionsKashima Antlers
9th J1 title
9th Japanese title
RelegatedYokohama FC
Shonan Bellmare
Albirex Niigata
Champions League EliteKashima Antlers
Kashiwa Reysol
Matches380
Goals911 (2.4 per match)
Top goalscorerLéo Ceará (21 goals)
Biggest home winKyoto Sanga 5–0 Fagiano Okayama
(30 August 2025)
Biggest away winGamba Osaka 0–5 Kashiwa Reysol
(18 October 2025)
Highest scoringShonan Bellmare 4–5 Gamba Osaka
(31 August 2025)
Longest winning run8 matches
Machida Zelvia
Longest unbeaten run15 matches
Kashima Antlers
Longest winless run19 matches
Albirex Niigata
Shonan Bellmare
Longest losing run7 matches
Shonan Bellmare
Yokohama FC
Yokohama F. Marinos
Highest attendance59,574
Kashima Antlers 2–1 Kawasaki Frontale
(11 May 2025)[1]
Lowest attendance6,157
Avispa Fukuoka 1–1 Fagiano Okayama
(25 April 2025)[1]
Total attendance8,073,557[1]
Average attendance21,246[1]
2024

The 2025 J1 League, also known as the 2025 Meiji Yasuda J1 League (Japanese: 2025 明治安田J1リーグ, Hepburn: 2025 Meiji Yasuda J1 Rīgu) for sponsorship reasons, was the 33rd season of J1 League, the top Japanese professional league for association football clubs, since its establishment in 1992. This was the 11th season of the league since its rebrand from J.League Division 1.

Vissel Kobe were the defending champions, having won their second league title in a row on the last matchday of the 2024 season.[2]

Kashima Antlers won a record-extending ninth J.League title on the last matchday; it was their record-breaking ninth top flight title, their first trophy since winning the 2018 AFC Champions League, and the first league title since 2016.[3]

This was the last J.League season played in a whole calendar year from late winter to early winter, with the following season onwards to be played from September to May, adopting the European football calendar.[4] As a part of the transition, the league would have a one-off special tournament called the J1 100 Year Vision League to be held during the first half of 2026.[5][6]

The tournament format and match format was announced on 25 November 2024, with the season starting on 14 February 2025 and concluding on 6 December 2025.[7]

Changes from the previous season

There were three teams relegated to the 2025 J2 League. Júbilo Iwata, Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo, and Sagan Tosu, were relegated as they finished 18th, 19th, and 20th respectively in the previous season, ending their one, eight, and 13-year stays in the top flight respectively.

Three teams were promoted from the 2024 J2 League: Shimizu S-Pulse, who won the title and returned to J1 after a two-year absence, Yokohama FC, who finished second, returning to the J1 after just a season playing in the J2 League, and Fagiano Okayama, who finished fifth and won the play-offs; they are playing in the top flight for the first time in their history.

Clubs

League table

Results

Home \ Away ANI AFU COS FOK GOS KSA KSR KWF KYS MCZ NGR SHI SHB SSP TOK TOV URD VKO YOK YFM
Albirex Niigata 0–1 2–2 1–1 3–3 1–2 1–3 1–1 1–2 0–4 0–0 0–2 2–1 0–1 2–3 2–2 1–1 2–2 0–0 1–0
Avispa Fukuoka 3–2 2–4 1–1 1–0 0–1 0–1 1–2 2–2 2–2 1–1 1–2 1–0 0–0 1–0 0–0 1–0 0–0 1–0 2–1
Cerezo Osaka 3–1 2–0 2–1 0–1 1–0 1–1 2–0 1–2 1–2 1–1 1–1 1–2 4–2 1–1 2–1 1–1 1–1 1–3 1–0
Fagiano Okayama 2–1 0–1 1–2 2–0 1–2 2–1 0–0 2–0 2–2 0–1 0–1 1–0 1–1 1–0 0–1 0–1 1–2 0–0 1–0
Gamba Osaka 4–2 2–1 2–5 0–3 0–1 0–5 2–1 2–1 0–1 2–0 0–1 4–0 1–0 2–0 4–1 1–0 1–1 3–2 3–1
Kashima Antlers 2–1 1–1 3–1 1–2 0–0 3–2 2–1 3–4 1–0 1–0 1–1 3–0 1–0 2–0 4–0 1–1 1–0 2–1 2–1
Kashiwa Reysol 1–1 2–1 2–1 2–0 1–0 1–3 1–1 3–3 1–0 1–0 0–0 2–0 1–0 1–0 0–0 4–2 1–3 2–0 1–0
Kawasaki Frontale 3–1 2–5 2–0 1–1 2–2 2–1 4–4 0–1 5–3 4–0 1–2 2–0 5–3 0–1 0–0 2–2 1–2 2–1 3–3
Kyoto Sanga 2–1 0–1 2–3 5–0 3–1 1–1 1–1 1–1 1–1 1–1 1–0 2–0 0–1 3–0 1–0 1–1 2–0 2–1 0–3
Machida Zelvia 1–0 0–0 3–0 1–0 3–1 2–1 3–0 2–2 1–2 3–1 1–2 0–1 3–0 0–1 0–1 0–2 2–0 1–1 0–3
Nagoya Grampus 3–0 1–0 2–1 0–0 0–2 0–4 1–2 3–4 1–2 1–2 2–1 3–1 1–1 1–1 0–0 2–1 2–2 2–1 2–0
Sanfrecce Hiroshima 0–1 2–1 2–1 0–1 1–0 1–0 1–1 1–2 1–1 2–1 1–2 2–1 0–0 0–0 2–1 3–0 0–1 1–0 1–0
Shonan Bellmare 5–2 0–0 3–3 1–1 4–5 1–0 0–1 1–2 1–1 1–2 2–1 0–1 1–0 2–2 0–1 2–1 1–2 0–1 1–1
Shimizu S-Pulse 2–0 3–1 1–4 1–2 0–0 1–1 0–2 1–1 1–2 2–2 0–3 1–1 3–0 1–1 1–0 0–0 3–2 2–0 1–3
FC Tokyo 1–1 1–0 2–2 3–1 3–0 0–1 1–1 0–3 0–4 0–1 3–1 0–3 0–0 0–2 1–0 3–2 1–0 2–1 2–3
Tokyo Verdy 1–0 0–0 1–0 4–2 0–1 0–1 0–3 1–0 1–0 0–1 2–1 0–3 0–2 0–1 2–2 0–0 0–1 2–0 1–0
Urawa Red Diamonds 1–0 0–0 0–0 1–0 0–1 0–1 0–2 4–0 2–1 0–0 2–1 1–0 4–1 2–1 3–2 2–0 1–0 2–1 3–1
Vissel Kobe 0–1 0–1 1–3 2–0 3–2 0–0 0–0 2–1 1–1 1–0 2–1 1–0 4–0 2–1 0–0 4–0 0–0 0–1 1–0
Yokohama FC 1–0 1–0 2–0 1–0 1–1 0–3 1–1 0–1 0–1 0–2 2–2 0–4 1–0 2–0 0–1 0–0 1–2 0–1 0–1
Yokohama F. Marinos 1–1 2–0 3–1 0–1 2–0 3–1 0–2 0–3 0–3 0–0 3–0 3–0 1–1 2–3 0–3 0–0 4–0 1–2 0–0
Source: J1 League
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

Season statistics

Top scorers

Rank Player Club Goals[33][34][35]
1 Brazil Léo Ceará Kashima Antlers 21
2 Brazil Rafael Elias Kyoto Sanga 18
Brazil Rafael Ratão Cerezo Osaka
4 Japan Tatsuya Ito Kawasaki Frontale 13
5 Brazil Erison Kawasaki Frontale 12
6 Japan Mao Hosoya Kashiwa Reysol 11
Japan Sho Inagaki Nagoya Grampus
Japan Taisei Miyashiro Vissel Kobe
9 Japan Koya Kitagawa Shimizu S-Pulse 10
Japan Yuma Suzuki Kashima Antlers

Hat-tricks

PlayerForAgainstResultDateRef.
Brazil Léo Ceará Kashima Antlers Kashiwa Reysol 3–1 (A) 8 March 2025 [36]
Brazil Rafael Elias Kyoto Sanga Kashima Antlers 4–3 (A) 6 April 2025 [37]
FC Tokyo 4–0 (A) 24 August 2025 [38]
Japan Mao Hosoya Kashiwa Reysol Albirex Niigata 3–1 (A) 30 November 2025 [39]

Awards

Monthly awards

Month Manager of the Month Monthly MVP Goal of the Month Young Player of the Month Save of the Month References
ManagerClubPlayerClubPlayerClubPlayerClubPlayerClub
February/March Japan Toru Oniki Kashima Antlers Brazil Léo Ceará Kashima Antlers Japan Shunki Higashi Sanfrecce Hiroshima Japan Sōta Kitano Cerezo Osaka Japan Ryosuke Kojima Kashiwa Reysol [40]
April Poland Maciej Skorża Urawa Red Diamonds Brazil Rafael Elias Kyoto Sanga Japan Ryo Tabei Fagiano Okayama Japan Ryūnosuke Satō Fagiano Okayama Japan Tomoki Hayakawa Kashima Antlers [41]
May Australia Arthur Papas Cerezo Osaka Brazil Lucas Fernandes Cerezo Osaka Japan Taisei Miyashiro Vissel Kobe Japan Alexandre Pisano Nagoya Grampus Japan Kōki Fukui Cerezo Osaka [42]
June Spain Ricardo Rodríguez Kashiwa Reysol Japan Tojiro Kubo Kashiwa Reysol Japan Motoki Nagakura FC Tokyo Japan Kota Takai Kawasaki Frontale Germany Svend Brodersen Fagiano Okayama [43]
July Japan Takayuki Yoshida Vissel Kobe Japan Taisei Miyashiro Vissel Kobe Brazil Léo Ceará Kashima Antlers Japan Ryūnosuke Satō Fagiano Okayama Japan William Popp Shonan Bellmare [44]
August South Korea Cho Kwi-jae Kyoto Sanga Brazil Rafael Elias Kyoto Sanga Japan Yūta Nakayama Machida Zelvia Japan Sena Ishibashi Shonan Bellmare Japan Keisuke Ōsako Sanfrecce Hiroshima [45]
September Japan Toru Oniki Kashima Antlers Japan Tatsuya Ito Kawasaki Frontale Japan Taiki Arai Albirex Niigata Japan Homare Tokuda Kashima Antlers Japan Tomoki Hayakawa Kashima Antlers [46]
October Spain Ricardo Rodríguez Kashiwa Reysol Japan Tomoki Hayakawa Kashima Antlers Japan Yuma Suzuki Kashima Antlers Japan Ryūnosuke Satō Fagiano Okayama [47]
November/December Japan Toru Oniki Kashima Antlers Brazil Léo Ceará Kashima Antlers Japan Mao Hosoya Kashiwa Reysol Japan Harumi Minamino Gamba Osaka [48]

Annual awards

Award Winner Club
Manager of the Year Spain Ricardo Rodríguez[49] Kashiwa Reysol
Player of the Year Japan Tomoki Hayakawa[49] Kashima Antlers
Best Young Player Japan Ryūnosuke Satō[49] Fagiano Okayama
Goal of the Year Brazil Léo Ceará[49] Kashima Antlers
Best XI[49]
Goalkeeper Japan Tomoki Hayakawa (Kashima Antlers)
Defenders Japan Naomichi Ueda (Kashima Antlers) Japan Taiyo Koga (Kashiwa Reysol) Japan Hayato Araki (Sanfrecce Hiroshima)
Midfielders Japan Yoshio Koizumi (Kashiwa Reysol) Japan Sho Inagaki (Nagoya Grampus) Japan Satoshi Tanaka (Sanfrecce Hiroshima)
Forwards Brazil Léo Ceará (Kashima Antlers) Japan Yūki Sōma (Machida Zelvia) Japan Tatsuya Itō (Kawasaki Frontale) Brazil Rafael Elias (Kyoto Sanga)

See also

References

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