2026 JFL Cup
| Season | 2026 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 20 March – 7 June |
| Champions | Okinawa SV |
| Biggest home win | 4 games won by a 3 goal margin |
| Biggest away win | Azul Claro Numazu 0–4 ReinMeer Aomori (19 April 2026) |
| Highest scoring | Honda FC 4–2 Verspah Oita (4 April 2026) |
| Highest attendance | 13,472 Criacao Shinjuku 0–0 ReinMeer Aomori (20 March 2026) |
| Lowest attendance | 108 Minebea Mitsumi 2–1 Veertien Mie (19 April 2026) |
← 2025 2026–27 →
All statistics correct as of 22:12, 27 July 2026 (UTC). | |
The 2026 JFL Cup (Japanese: 2026ジェイエフエルカップ), was a one-off tournament organised by the JFA and Japan Football League and was part of the J.League's transition to an "autumn-spring system". All 16 clubs from the JFL (the fourth tier in the Japanese football pyramid) will participate.
Overview
As the Japan Football League transitioned to an "autumn-spring system" in 2026, the JFL Cup was a special tournament held during the transitional period. There was no promotion or relegation based on the results of the tournament.[1]
Format
Regional round (20 March – 16 May)
The 16 teams competing in the 2026–27 Japan Football League were divided geographically into two divisions (East and West), consisting of 8 teams each. Each division played a round-robin, for 7 matches (3 or 4 home and 4 away matches) each, for a total of 56 games. A win is worth 4 points, a penalty shoot-out win is worth 2 points and a penalty shoot-out defeat is worth 1 point.
Rules
- If the winners can not be decided within 90 minutes, a penalty shoot-out will be played to decide the winners. For this tournament, the usual points system is retained, but the winners of the shoot-out will receive an extra point.[2]
- Depending on the results, the following points will be awarded:
- Wins after 90 minutes: 3 points
- Penalty shootout wins: 2 points
- Losses in penalty shootout: 1 point
- Losses after 90 minutes: 0 points
Playoff round (30 May – 7 June)
Teams with the same placement in each group in the regional round competed over two legs on a home-and-away basis, consisting of four matches. The winners of each division contest the championship match, while the runners-up contest the third-place match to determine the top 4 teams. The first leg was held at the home ground of the East division club, and the second leg at the home ground of the West division club.
Points are awarded across both legs: three for a win, one for a draw, and none for a defeat. If the first leg ends level after 90 minutes, no extra time or penalty shoot-out is taken. After the second leg, the winner is determined by total points, then by goal difference if level on points. If the tie remains undecided, a penalty shoot-out is held, again without extra time.[3]
Prize money
The top four teams at the end of the tournament received prize money of ¥2 million (US$18,223.23) for the winners, ¥1 million (US$9,111.62) for runners-up, ¥500,000 (US$4,555.81) for third place and ¥300,000 (US$2,733.49) for fourth place. There is also prize money awarded for individuals throughout the tournament:
- MVP (Most Valuable Player): One player from the winning team will receive ¥50,000 (US$455.58).
- Outstanding Player Awards: One player each from the runners-up, third-placed and fourth-placed teams will receive ¥30,000 (US$273.35), ¥30,000 (US$273.35) and ¥20,000 (US$182.23) respectively.
Participating clubs
The 16 clubs participating in the Japan Football League in the 2026–27 season will participate.[4]
- Notes
Regional round
League table
East Region
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | PKW | PKL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ReinMeer Aomori | 7 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 14 | 3 | +11 | 23 | Final |
| 2 | Iwate Grulla Morioka | 7 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 13 | 9 | +4 | 17 | 3rd–4th place playoff |
| 3 | Azul Claro Numazu | 7 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 8 | 9 | −1 | 16 | |
| 4 | YSCC Yokohama | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 9 | 11 | −2 | 12 | |
| 5 | Yokogawa Musashino | 7 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 8 | −1 | 11 | |
| 6 | Vonds Ichihara | 7 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 7 | −3 | 11 | |
| 7 | Briobecca Urayasu Ichikawa | 7 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 5 | −2 | 9 | |
| 8 | Criacao Shinjuku | 7 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 12 | −6 | 5 |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Head-to-head.
West Region
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | PKW | PKL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Okinawa SV | 7 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 13 | 7 | +6 | 17 | Final |
| 2 | J-Lease | 7 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 5 | +2 | 15 | 3rd–4th place playoff |
| 3 | Minebea Mitsumi | 7 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 9 | −1 | 15 | |
| 4 | Tiamo Hirakata | 7 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 13 | 11 | +2 | 14 | |
| 5 | Honda FC | 7 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 5 | +2 | 14 | |
| 6 | Maruyasu Okazaki | 7 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 4 | +1 | 14 | |
| 7 | Verspah Oita | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 9 | 13 | −4 | 12 | |
| 8 | Veertien Mie | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 4 | 12 | −8 | 4 |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Head-to-head.
Results
East Region
West Region
Play-off round
Final
| Team 1 | Agg. Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ReinMeer Aomori | 1–4 | Okinawa SV | 0–0 | 1–4 |
Matches
| ReinMeer Aomori | 0–0 | Okinawa SV |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
| Okinawa SV | 4–1 | ReinMeer Aomori |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
|
3rd place play-off
| Team 1 | Agg. Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iwate Grulla Morioka | 4–2 | J-Lease | 2–1 | 2–1 |
Matches
| Iwate Grulla Morioka | 2–1 | J-Lease |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
|
| J-Lease | 1–2 | Iwate Grulla Morioka |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
|
Final standings
Okinawa SV were crowned champions, with ReinMeer Aomori finishing runners-up.[6][7]
| Pos. | Team |
|---|---|
| 1 | Okinawa SV |
| 2 | ReinMeer Aomori |
| 3 | Iwate Grulla Morioka |
| 4 | J-Lease |
Awards
Four individual awards were presented at the end of the tournament.[8]
| Award | Player | Club |
|---|---|---|
| MVP (Most Valuable Player) | Kenshi Irigaki | Okinawa SV |
| Outstanding Players | Genichi Endo | ReinMeer Aomori |
| Jukiya Fujishima | Iwate Grulla Morioka | |
| Takayuki Takayasu | J-Lease |
Season statistics
Top scorers
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals[9][10] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jukiya Fujishima | Iwate Grulla Morioka | 5 |
| 2 | Kenshi Irigaki | Okinawa SV | 4 |
| Ryuki Yamaguchi | FC Tiamo Hirakata | ||
| Mu Kanazaki | Verspah Oita | ||
| Kenta Oka | ReinMeer Aomori | ||
| 6 | Shota Fujisaki | Verspah Oita | 3 |
| Sasuga Kiyokawa | FC Tiamo Hirakata | ||
| Yuma Mori | Azul Claro Numazu | ||
| Yosuke Suzuki | Minebea Mitsumi FC | ||
| Reoto Kodama | ReinMeer Aomori | ||
| Yuto Tsumura | J-Lease FC | ||
| Yu Machida | Iwate Grulla Morioka |
See also
References
- ↑ "【ＪＦＬオフィシャルサイト】2026-2027年 日本フットボールリーグ開催期間のお知らせ". www.jfl.or.jp (in Japanese). Retrieved 27 July 2026.
- ↑ "日本フットボールリーグオフィシャルWebサイト". www.jfl.or.jp. Retrieved 28 May 2026.
- ↑ "【ＪＦＬオフィシャルサイト】2026ＪＦＬ ＣＵＰプレーオフラウンドについて". www.jfl.or.jp (in Japanese). Retrieved 28 May 2026.
- ↑ "公益社団法人 日本プロサッカーリーグ（Ｊリーグ）". 公益社団法人 日本プロサッカーリーグ（Ｊリーグ） (in Japanese). Retrieved 30 January 2026.
- ↑ "大分市のホームタウン追加について | ヴェルスパ大分 公式サイト | VERSPAH OITA OFFICIAL WEBSITE | JFL サッカースクール | レディース アカデミー". Verspah Oita (in Japanese). 28 June 2022. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
- ↑ "【速報】沖縄SV、JFL優勝 4－1で青森下す サッカーJFLカップ プレーオフ第2戦" [Okinawa SV wins JFL title, defeating Aomori 4-1 in the JFL Cup playoff second leg.]. 47NEWS (in Japanese). Retrieved 27 July 2026.
- ↑ "沖縄SVがJFLカップ優勝 青森に4―1 プレーオフラウンド第2戦" [Okinawa SV wins JFL Cup, defeating Aomori 4-1 in the second leg of the playoff round.]. 沖縄タイムス＋プラス (in Japanese). 7 June 2026. Retrieved 27 July 2026.
- ↑ "【ＪＦＬオフィシャルサイト】2026ＪＦＬ ＣＵＰ プレーオフラウンド第2戦「2026ＪＦＬ ＣＵＰ 優勝は沖縄！」". www.jfl.or.jp (in Japanese). Retrieved 27 July 2026.
- ↑ "2026 JFL CUP Player Stats". Soccer D.B. Japan. Retrieved 27 July 2026.
- ↑ "日本フットボールリーグオフィシャルWebサイト【得点Ｒ】". www.jfl.or.jp. Retrieved 27 July 2026.