The 2025 J1 League, also known as the for sponsorship reasons, is the 33rd season of J1 League, the top Japanese professional league for association football clubs, since its establishment in 1992. This is the 11th season of the league since its rebrand from J.League Division 1.
Vissel Kobe are the defending champions, having won their second league title in a row on the last matchday of the 2024 season.
Overview.
This is the last J.League season played in a whole calendar year from late winter to early winter, with the following season onwards played from summer to spring.
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.
This season is also the last with an annual format; starting with the 2026–27 season, the league will adopt the European calendar of September to May, with a special tournament held during the first half of 2026.
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.
Foreign players.
From the 2019 season, there are no limitations on signing foreign players, but clubs can only register up to five of them for a single matchday squad. Players from J.League partner nations (Thailand, Vietnam, Morocco, Malaysia, Cambodia, Singapore, Indonesia) were exempted from these restrictions.