F.League
Football league
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The F. League (in Japanese: F・リーグ, officially 日本フットサルリーグ, Nihon Futtosaru Rīgu) is the top league for Futsal in Japan. The winning team obtains the participation right to the AFC Futsal Club Championship.[1]
 | |
| Founded | 2007 |
|---|---|
| Country | Japan |
| Confederation | AFC |
| Number of clubs | 12 |
| Level on pyramid | 1 |
| Domestic cup(s) | All Japan Futsal Championship F.League Ocean Cup |
| International cup | AFC Futsal Club Championship |
| Current champions | Nagoya Oceans (16th title) (2023–24) |
| Most championships | Nagoya Oceans (16 titles) |
| Website | www.fleague.jp |
| Current: 2024–25 F.League | |
History
The league was formed in 2007 as a complement for the elimination tournament, which groups regional futsal champions into a final elimination phase.[2]
The league operates on a closed league model combined with promotion and relegation system that are only done within the league. The clubs are thus expansion teams. Fuchu Athletic F.C. and Espolada Hokkaido became the first expansion teams in 2009, which increased the number of clubs from 8 to 10. Since 2024[update], the league consists of 21 teams divided by two divisions based on the performance of the teams – 12 in Division 1 and 9 in Division 2.
In F. League play, the clubs battle each other three times: once at home, once away and once in a neutral venue (generally Yoyogi National Gymnasium in Tokyo). The season runs from August to February.
An elimination league cup, the Ocean Cup is played every season by the 12 F.League teams.
2022–23 season
Participating clubs
Division 1
| Team | City/Area | Ground | Founded |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bardral Urayasu | Urayasu, Chiba | Urayasu General Gymnasium | 1998 |
| Boaluz Nagano | Nagano, Nagano | White Ring | 2018 |
| Borkbullet Kitakyushu | Kitakyushu, Fukuoka | Kitakyushu City General Gymnasium | 2018 |
| Espolada Hokkaido | Sapporo, Hokkaido | Hokkaido Prefectural Sports Center | 2008 |
| Fugador Sumida | Sumida, Tokyo | Sumida City Gymnasium | 2001 |
| Nagoya Oceans | Nagoya, Aichi | Takeda Teva Ocean Arena | 2006 |
| Pescadola Machida | Machida, Tokyo | Machida Municipal General Gymnasium | 1999 |
| Shonan Bellmare | Hiratsuka, Kanagawa | Odawara Arena | 2007 |
| Shriker Osaka | Osaka, Osaka | Osaka Municipal Central Gymnasium | 2002 |
| Tachikawa Athletic | Fuchū, Tokyo | Fuchu Sports Center | 2000 |
| Vasagey Oita | Oita, Oita | Oozu Sports Park | 2003 |
| YSCC Yokohama | Yokohama, Kanagawa | Yokohama City Hiranuma Memorial Gymnasium | 2018 |
Division 2
| Team | City/Area | Ground | Founded |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agleymina Hamamatsu | Hamamatsu, Shizuoka | Hamamatsu Arena | 1996 |
| Deução Kobe | Kobe, Hyogo | Kobe Green Arena | 2007 |
| Hiroshima F DO | Hiroshima, Hiroshima | Hiroshima City Asakita-ku Sports Center | 2018 |
| Ligarevia Katsushika | Katsushika, Tokyo | Katsushika Ward Mizumoto Comprehensive Sports Center Gymnasium | 2022 |
| Malva Mito | Mito, Ibaraki | Adastria Mito Arena | 1996 |
| Porseid Hamada | Hamada, Shimane | Shimane Prefectural Gymnasium | 2018 |
| Shinagawa City Futsal Club | Shinagawa, Tokyo | Shinagawa Municipal General Gymnasium | 2018 |
| Vincedor Hakusan | Hakusan, Ishikawa | Matto General Sports Park Gymnasium | 2018 |
| Voscuore Sendai | Sendai, Miyagi | Sendai Gymnasium | 2012 |
Withdrawing clubs
| Team | City/Area | Ground | Founded | Withdraw |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| F.League selection | Nagoya, Aichi | Takeda Teva Ocean Arena | 2018 | 2019–20 |
| Stellamigo Iwate Hanamaki | Hanamaki, Iwate | Hanamaki Gymnasium Center | 2007 | 2011–12 |
Statistics
Champions
Most Valuable Player (MVP)
| Seasons | Player |
|---|---|
| 2007–08 |  Kaoru Morioka (Nagoya Oceans) |
| 2008–09 | Wataru Kitahara (Nagoya Oceans) |
| 2009–10 |  Higor Pires (Shriker Osaka) |
| 2010–11 |  Ricardinho (Nagoya Oceans) |
| 2011–12 | Kaoru Morioka (Nagoya Oceans) |
| 2012–13 | Ricardinho (Nagoya Oceans) |
| 2013–14 | Kaoru Morioka (Nagoya Oceans) |
| 2014–15 | Kaoru Morioka (Nagoya Oceans) |
| 2015–16 | Vinicius Crepaldi (Shriker Osaka) |
| 2016–17 | Nobuya Osodo (Shriker Osaka) |
| 2017–18 | Rafa Santos (Nagoya Oceans) |
| 2018–19 | Tomoki Yoshikawa (Nagoya Oceans) |
| 2019–20 | Pepita (Nagoya Oceans) |
| 2020–21 | Pepita (Nagoya Oceans) |
| 2021–22 | Rodrigo (Shonan Bellmare) |
| 2022–23 |  Andresito (Nagoya Oceans) |
| 2023–24 | Giovanni (Pescadola Machida) |
| 2024–25 | Higor Pires (Bardral Urayasu) |
| 2025–26 |
See also
- Sport in Japan
- Futsal in Japan
- Japan Football Association (JFA)
- Futsal Championship (Futsal National Open Cup)
- F.League Ocean Cup (Futsal League Cup)
- Women's F.League (Women's Futsal League)
- Futsal national teams
- Men's
- Women's
