 | |
| Founded | 1966; 59 years ago (1966) |
|---|---|
| Country | Japan |
| Confederation | AFC |
| Divisions | 2 |
| Number of clubs | Div 1: 8 Div 2: 8 |
| Level on pyramid | 5–6 |
| Promotion to | Japan Football League |
| Relegation to | Prefectural Leagues |
| Domestic cup(s) | Emperor's Cup Shakaijin Cup |
| League cup | Kansai Soccer League Cup |
| Current champions | Div 1:Asuka FC Div 2:AS Laranja Kyoto (2024) |
| Most championships | NTT West Kyoto SC (8 titles) |
| Website | kansaisl |
| Current:2025 Japanese Regional Leagues | |
Kansai Soccer League (関西サッカーリーグ,Kansai Sakkā Rīgu) is the Japanese fifth tier of league football, which is part of theJapanese Regional Leagues. It covers most of theKansai region, as well as the prefectures ofHyōgo,Kyōto,Nara,Osaka,Shiga andWakayama.Mie, usually considered part of Kansai in non-football usage, but is allotted to theTōkai Adult Soccer League.
The Kansai Soccer League commenced in 1966 as theKansai Adult Soccer League. The first tournament had eight clubs, these were: -
The tournament was played in a single division, until a second division commenced in 2005, this introduced promotion and relegation at this regional level. Team in the second tier get relegated to the provincial leagues. In 2005, the name was changed to "Kansai Soccer League" and scoreboards are required to be installed at every venue (if the stadium does not have this facility, the league will lend a portable scoreboard).
"SiMSEED" (formerly SiMS), which manages official records and posts information online, was jointly developed with NTT West Japan-Hyogo (formerly NTT Marketing Act Hyogo). Since 2012, the company commenced its official channel "KSLTV", which is now available on theKSLTV platform, where some of the matches are streamed live.
Since 2017, all clubs competing in both Division 1 and Division 2 of the Kansai Soccer League have been eligible to take part in theKSL Cup. Beginning in 2023, two youth sides from theKansai Club Youth Soccer Federation were also granted entry into the competition.[1]
The KSL Cup is a regional football tournament showcasing clubs from across Kansai. Ordinarily, 16 teams are split into four groups of four, each playing in a round-robin format. The top two teams from each group—eight in total—progress to a knockout stage, concluding with a final. However, in certain editions, the group stage is bypassed entirely, with the tournament held as a straight knockout competition from the first round.
The competition was put on hold between 2020 and 2022 due to theCOVID-19 pandemic. Upon its return in 2023, the format was expanded to include 20 teams. The 16 league sides continued to form the core of the tournament, divided into groups as usual, while the top four teams from the group stage—alongside the two best runners-up—advanced to the final stage. They were joined by two additional youth teams selected by the Kansai Club Youth Soccer Federation, making up a final eight for the knockout rounds, which also featured a third-place play-off.[2]
With the introduction of the revised structure, the tournament was rebranded as The KSL Ast Enji Cup, under the title sponsorship of Ast Enji Co., for both the 2023 and 2024 editions.[3]
| Teams | Hometown | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Arterivo Wakayama | Wakayama, Wakayama | |
| FC AWJ | Awaji, Hyōgo | |
| Basara Hyōgo | Akashi, Hyōgo | |
| Cento Cuore Harima | Kakogawa, Hyōgo | |
| Kobe FC 1970 | Kobe,Kobe | Promoted from Division 2, Runner-up |
| Laranja Kyoto | Kyoto, Kyoto | Promoted from Division 2, Champions |
| Moriyama Samurai 2000 | Moriyama, Shiga | |
| Velago Ikoma | Ikoma, Nara | Moved to Ikoma, Nara and renamed fromLagend Shiga |
| Teams | Hometown | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Hannan University SC | Matsubara, Osaka | Relegated from Division 1, 8th place |
| Kandai FC 2008 | Osaka,Osaka | |
| Kyoto Shiko Club | Kita-ku, Kyoto | |
| AC Middle Range | Higashiyodogawa,Osaka | |
| Ococias Kyoto | Kyoto, Kyoto | |
| Osaka Korean FC | Ikuno,Osaka | |
| Route 11 | Kishiwada, Osaka | Promoted by finishing 1st place in the Kansai Prefectural Final & winning in the playoff match |
| St. Andrew's FC | Izumi, Osaka |
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