2025 Japan Football League
| Season | 2025 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 8 March – 23 November 2025 |
| Champions | Honda FC |
| Promoted | Reilac Shiga FC |
| Relegated | Atletico Suzuka Asuka FC |
| Matches | 240 |
| Goals | 596 (2.48 per match) |
← 2024 2026–27 → | |
The 2025 Japan Football League (Japanese: 第27回日本フットボールリーグ[第27回 JFL 2025], Hepburn: Dai Nijūnana Nihon Futtobōru Rīgu [Dai Nijūnana JFL 2025]) was the 27th season of JFL, since its establishment in 1999. This was also the twelfth season of the league having a fourth-tier status in Japanese football since 2014.
Overview
This marked the final Japan Football League season scheduled within a single calendar year, running from late winter to early winter, as future seasons would shift to a summer-to-spring format.
The number of teams stayed the same at 16 for the 2025 season, just as it was in 2024.
The league's champion team earns automatic promotion to the J3 League, while the 2nd place team competes in a promotion/relegation play-off against the 19th-placed team from the J3 League.
As league champions, Honda FC were ineligible for promotion to the professional ranks because of their amateur status. This meant only the second-place team, Reilac Shiga, qualified for the promotion/relegation play-off, where they faced Azul Claro Numazu.
Schedule
The league and match format was revealed on 21 December 2024. The season kicked off on 8 March and wrapped up on 23 November. The format consists of a round-robin with 30 matches.
The J3/JFL play-offs were held over two legs, with the dates confirmed in December.
Changes from the previous season
Iwate Grulla Morioka and YSCC Yokohama were relegated from the 2024 J3 League after finishing 19th and 20th, respectively. Iwate played in the JFL for the first time in their history for this season while YSCC Yokohama returned to the fourth tier after 12 years' absence.
Asuka FC, 2024 Kansai Soccer League Division 1 champion, was the sole promoted team to the JFL as they won the 2024 Regional Champions League.[1][2] Asuka also played in the JFL for the first time in their history for this season.
Vonds Ichihara could have joined Briobecca Urayasu as Chiba's representatives in the JFL, had they won the 2024 JFL play-off against Minebea Mitsumi.
Sony Sendai withdrew from the JFL due to dissolution after financial troubles and ended 25 years in the fourth tier.[3]
On 1 January 2025, Briobecca Urayasu was renamed Briobecca Urayasu Ichikawa for this season due to aiming for the J.League.[4]
Participating clubs
The teams which possess (or are applicants of) promotion-enabling licenses are highlighted in green in the following table.
|
Kansai Region Japan Football League Teams |
Tokyo City Area Japan Football League Teams
|
| Club name | Home town | Stadium | Capacity | Position | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Asuka FC | Kashihara, Nara | Nara Prefectural Kashihara Park Athletics Stadium | 5,000 | JRCL (1st) | |
| Atletico Suzuka | Suzuka, Mie | AGF Suzuka Athletic Stadium | 1,450 | 11th | |
| Briobecca Urayasu Ichikawa | Urayasu, Chiba | Daiichi Cutter Field | 2,100 | 8th | |
| Criacao Shinjuku | Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo | Ajinomoto Field Nishigaoka | 7,258 | 14th | 100 Year Plan status J3 license holders |
| Honda FC | Hamamatsu, Shizuoka | Honda Miyakoda Soccer Stadium | 2,506 | 7th | |
| Iwate Grulla Morioka | Morioka, Iwate | Iwagin Stadium | 9,892 | J3 (20th) | J1 license holders |
| Maruyasu Okazaki | Okazaki, Aichi | Maruyasu Okazaki Ryuhoku Stadium | 5,000 | 13th | |
| Minebea Mitsumi | Miyazaki, Miyazaki | Hinata Athletic Stadium | 20,000 | 16th | |
| Okinawa SV | All cities/towns in Okinawa[a] | Tapic Kenso Hiyagon Stadium | 10,189 | 9th | |
| Reilac Shiga | Kusatsu, Shiga | Heiwado HATO Stadium | 15,000 | 4th | 100 Year Plan status applicants J3 license holders |
| ReinMeer Aomori | Aomori, Aomori | Kakuhiro Group Athletic Stadium | 20,809 | 10th | J3 license holders |
| Tiamo Hirakata | Hirakata, Osaka | Tamayura Athletic Stadium | 2,500 | 3rd | |
| Veertien Mie | All cities/towns in Mie[b] | La Pita Toin Stadium | 5,077 | 5th | J3 license holders |
| Verspah Oita | Yufu, Beppu & Ōita, Ōita | Resonac Soccer/Rugby Field | 4,700 | 6th | J3 license holders |
| Yokogawa Musashino | Musashino, Tokyo | Musashino Municipal Athletic Stadium | 5,188 | 15th | |
| YSCC Yokohama | Yokohama, Kanagawa | Nippatsu Mitsuzawa Stadium | 15,454 | J3 (19th) | J2 license holders |
Personnel and kits
| Club | Manager | Kit manufacturer | Main shirt sponsor |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asuka FC | Naohiko Minobe | Squadra | Maru Industry |
| Atletico Suzuka | Fujio Yamamoto | Athleta | Topia |
| Briobecca Urayasu Ichikawa | Satoshi Tsunami | soccer junky | Urata |
| Criacao Shinjuku | Hideaki Kitajima | Mitsubishi Fashion | Assetlead |
| Honda FC | Shota Itokazu | Umbro | Honda |
| Iwate Grulla Morioka | Kei Hoshikawa | Kelme | Nova |
| Maruyasu Okazaki | Hiroyasu Ibata | Athleta | Maruyasu |
| Minebea Mitsumi | Yōsuke Miyaji | Umbro | MinebeaMitsumi |
| Okinawa SV | Rei Onogi | XF | Nescafé |
| Reilac Shiga | Makoto Kakuda | DEZ | Rei Beauty Dermatology Clinic |
| ReinMeer Aomori | Masato Harasaki | Umbro | Towa |
| Tiamo Hirakata | Takahiro Futagawa | Jogarbola | Izawa Towel |
| Veertien Mie | Shuichi Mase | Sfida | Cosmo Oil |
| Verspah Oita | Gen Nakamura | Yasuda | Hoyo Group |
| Yokogawa Musashino | Takanori Kanamori | Puma | Yokogawa Electric |
| YSCC Yokohama | Tsuyoshi Omatsu | Penalty | My Basket |
Managerial changes
| Team | Outgoing | Manner | Exit date | Position in table | Incoming | Incoming date | Ref. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Announced on | Departed on | Announced on | Arrived on | ||||||
| YSCC Yokohama | Hiroaki Nagamine | Contract terminated | 11 July 2025 | 10 July 2025 | 13th | Yuya Shiga (Interim) | 11 July 2025 | 10 July 2025 | [5] |
| Yuya Shiga (Interim) | Full time coach appointed | 17 July 2025 | 17 July 2025 | 14th | Tsuyoshi Omatsu | 17 July 2025 | 17 July 2025 | [6] | |
Foreign players
| Club | Player 1 | Player 2 | Player 3 | Player 4 | Former players |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Asuka FC | |||||
| Atletico Suzuka | Diego Washington | Mohammed Lamine | |||
| Briobecca Urayasu Ichikawa | |||||
| Criacao Shinjuku | |||||
| Honda FC | |||||
| Iwate Grulla Morioka | Sillas | Cédric Toussaint | Ryu Se-gun | Won Tae-rang | Kim Sung-kon |
| Maruyasu Okazaki | |||||
| Minebea Mitsumi | |||||
| Okinawa SV | |||||
| Reilac Shiga | |||||
| ReinMeer Aomori | Arthur Bessa | Luiz Fernando | Han Yong-gi | Park Yong-ji | |
| Tiamo Hirakata | Kim Sung-kon | Thanakrit Laorkai | Kim Ji-myung Thitipat Ekarunpong | ||
| Veertien Mie | Kim Song-sun | Ryang Hyon-ju | |||
| Verspah Oita | |||||
| Yokogawa Musashino | Kim Tae-uk | Park Kwan-gyu | |||
| YSCC Yokohama | Onye Ogochukwu | Kim Yong-u | Park Si-eon | Lee Yoon-sung |
League table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion, qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Honda FC (C) | 30 | 17 | 9 | 4 | 51 | 28 | +23 | 60 | |
| 2 | Reilac Shiga (O, P) | 30 | 16 | 8 | 6 | 47 | 35 | +12 | 56 | Qualification for promotion playoffs |
| 3 | Briobecca Urayasu Ichikawa | 30 | 14 | 10 | 6 | 35 | 25 | +10 | 52 | |
| 4 | Tiamo Hirakata | 30 | 15 | 5 | 10 | 58 | 42 | +16 | 50 | |
| 5 | ReinMeer Aomori | 30 | 14 | 8 | 8 | 40 | 33 | +7 | 50 | |
| 6 | Verspah Oita | 30 | 14 | 7 | 9 | 41 | 33 | +8 | 49 | |
| 7 | Veertien Mie | 30 | 11 | 12 | 7 | 38 | 25 | +13 | 45 | |
| 8 | Okinawa SV | 30 | 12 | 7 | 11 | 39 | 41 | −2 | 43 | |
| 9 | Iwate Grulla Morioka | 30 | 11 | 6 | 13 | 45 | 49 | −4 | 39 | |
| 10 | Minebea Mitsumi | 30 | 9 | 7 | 14 | 40 | 41 | −1 | 34 | |
| 11 | Maruyasu Okazaki | 30 | 9 | 7 | 14 | 29 | 38 | −9 | 34 | |
| 12 | Criacao Shinjuku | 30 | 8 | 9 | 13 | 29 | 34 | −5 | 33 | |
| 13 | YSCC Yokohama | 30 | 8 | 6 | 16 | 35 | 56 | −21 | 30 | |
| 14 | Yokogawa Musashino | 30 | 7 | 8 | 15 | 17 | 37 | −20 | 29 | |
| 15 | Atletico Suzuka (R) | 30 | 7 | 7 | 16 | 30 | 46 | −16 | 28 | Qualified for relegation playoffs |
| 16 | Asuka FC (R) | 30 | 4 | 12 | 14 | 22 | 33 | −11 | 24 | Relegation to 2026–27 Japanese 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.
(C) Champions; (O) Play-off winners; (P) Promoted; (R) Relegated
J3/JFL Play-offs
The play-offs, officially called the 2025 J3/JFL Play-offs (Japanese: 2025 J3・JFL入れ替え戦[A]), took place on 7 and 14 December 2025. If the two teams had been level after 180 minutes, the second match would have gone to extra time and penalties if required. The away goals rule wouldn't be in effect.
Overview
| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reilac Shiga(JFL) | 4 - 3 | Azul Claro Numazu (J3) | 3 – 2 | 1 - 1 |
Matches
JFL/Regional Leagues promotion/relegation playoff
The play-off (Japanese: 2025年度JFL·地域入れ替え戦) took place on 30 November 2025.
| Atletico Suzuka (2025 JFL 15th) | 0–1 (a.e.t.) | Vonds Ichihara (2025 JRFCL runners-up) |
|---|---|---|
| Match report (in Japanese) | Kato 98' |
Atletico Suzuka relegated to the Tōkai Soccer League Division 1; Vonds Ichihara promoted to the JFL.
Top scorers
See also
- 2025 Japanese Super Cup
- 2025 Emperor's Cup
- 2025 J.League Cup
- 2025 J1 League
- 2025 J2 League
- 2025 J3 League
- 2025 Japanese Regional Football Champions League
- 2025 Japanese Regional Leagues
Footnotes
- ^ The logo and signage say 2025 J.League J3・JFL入れ替え戦
References
- ^ "第27回日本フットボールリーグ新入会チームについて" (Press release). 日本フットボールリーグ. 2024-12-05. Retrieved 2024-12-21.
- ^ "お知らせ「第27回日本フットボールリーグ新入会チームについて」（2）" (Press release). 日本フットボールリーグ. 2024-12-07. Retrieved 2024-12-21.
- ^ ソニー仙台FC、JFLからの退会と来季の編成について - JFLオフィシャルサイト 2024年10月3日
- ^ "「ブリオベッカ浦安・市川」にチーム名を変更～併せてパーパス（存在意義）を策定～" (Press release). ブリオベッカ浦安. 2024-12-06. Retrieved 2024-12-21.
- ^ "Director Hiroaki Nagamine's Contract Cancellation Notice". www.yscc1986.net. Retrieved 17 July 2025.
- ^ "Announcement of the appointment of Mr. Tsuyoshi Omatsu as Head Coach". www.yscc1986.net. Retrieved 17 July 2025.
External links
- Official website (in Japanese)