| Season | 2018 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Honda FC 8th JFL title 4th D4 title |
| Promoted | Vanraure Hachinohe |
| Relegated | Cobaltore Onagawa |
| Matches | 240 |
| Goals | 674 (2.81 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Shogo Omachi Honda FC (18 goals) |
| Highest attendance | 5,241 FC Imabari vHonda Lock SC (18 November) |
| Lowest attendance | 111 ReinMeer Aomori v Honda Lock SC (14 July) |
| Average attendance | 907 |
←2017 2019 → | |
The2018Japan Football League (Japanese:第20回日本フットボールリーグ,Hepburn:Dai Nijikkai Nihon Futtobōru Rīgu) was the fifth season of the nationwide fourth tier ofJapanesefootball, and the 20th season since the establishment of Japan Football League. The season ran from 11 March to 18 November 2018.[1]
Sixteen clubs participated in this season of Japan Football League. The list was announced on 15 January 2018.[2]
| Club name | Home town | Position | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cobaltore Onagawa | Onagawa,Miyagi | RPS 1st | Promoted fromTSL after 1st place in 41st Regional Promotion Series |
| FC Imabari | Imabari,Ehime | 6th | J.League 100 Year Plan club status and J3 license holders |
| FC Osaka | All cities/towns inOsaka | 4th | |
| Honda FC | Hamamatsu,Shizuoka | 1st | Defending champions of2017 |
| Honda Lock | Miyazaki,Miyazaki | 8th | |
| Maruyasu Okazaki | Okazaki,Aichi | 9th | |
| MIO Biwako Shiga | Kusatsu,Shiga | 13th | |
| Nara Club | All cities/towns inNara[a] | 7th | J.League 100 Year Plan club status and J3 license holders |
| ReinMeer Aomori | Aomori,Aomori | 2nd | |
| Ryutsu Keizai Dragons | Ryūgasaki,Ibaraki | 10th | |
| Sony Sendai | Tagajō,Miyagi | 3rd | |
| Tegevajaro Miyazaki | Miyazaki,Miyazaki | RPS 2nd | Promoted fromKSL after 2nd place in 41st Regional Promotion Series |
| Tokyo Musashino City | Musashino,Tokyo | 11th | J.League 100 Year Plan club status |
| Vanraure Hachinohe | Eastern cities/towns inAomori[b] | 5th | J.League 100 Year Plan club status and J3 license holders |
| Veertien Mie | All cities/towns inMie[c] | 12th | |
| Verspah Oita | Yufu &Ōita,Ōita | 14th |
This season was the last to use thetwo-stage format, similar to the oneJ.League had in its early years and used in 2015 and 2016. Two single round-robin stages were held, and winners of each stage determined the champion in the post-season home and away championship playoffs. After five seasons, the JFL reverted to a one-stage double round-robin starting in 2019.[3]
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Honda FC(C) | 30 | 25 | 4 | 1 | 76 | 25 | +51 | 79 | |
| 2 | FC Osaka | 30 | 18 | 3 | 9 | 54 | 34 | +20 | 57 | |
| 3 | Vanraure Hachinohe(P) | 30 | 16 | 8 | 6 | 43 | 21 | +22 | 56 | Promotion to2019 J3 League[a] |
| 4 | Sony Sendai | 30 | 16 | 4 | 10 | 67 | 43 | +24 | 52 | |
| 5 | FC Imabari | 30 | 14 | 7 | 9 | 63 | 32 | +31 | 49 | |
| 6 | Tokyo Musashino City | 30 | 14 | 7 | 9 | 49 | 36 | +13 | 49 | |
| 7 | MIO Biwako Shiga | 30 | 13 | 7 | 10 | 38 | 35 | +3 | 46 | |
| 8 | Nara Club | 30 | 12 | 6 | 12 | 33 | 32 | +1 | 42 | |
| 9 | Verspah Oita | 30 | 11 | 6 | 13 | 29 | 38 | −9 | 39 | |
| 10 | ReinMeer Aomori | 30 | 10 | 7 | 13 | 38 | 48 | −10 | 37 | |
| 11 | Veertien Mie | 30 | 9 | 8 | 13 | 40 | 52 | −12 | 35 | |
| 12 | Tegevajaro Miyazaki | 30 | 9 | 5 | 16 | 43 | 60 | −17 | 32 | |
| 13 | Maruyasu Okazaki | 30 | 8 | 7 | 15 | 33 | 46 | −13 | 31 | |
| 14 | Honda Lock | 30 | 6 | 11 | 13 | 29 | 52 | −23 | 29 | |
| 15 | Ryutsu Keizai Dragons | 30 | 4 | 7 | 19 | 20 | 50 | −30 | 19 | |
| 16 | Cobaltore Onagawa(R) | 30 | 4 | 5 | 21 | 18 | 65 | −47 | 17 | Relegation to 2019 Regional Leagues |
| Pos | Team | Total | High | Low | Average | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | FC Imabari | 46,219 | 4,805 | 2,006 | 3,081 | +41.3%† |
| 2 | Vanraure Hachinohe | 33,114 | 4,075 | 1,107 | 2,208 | +4.8%† |
| 3 | Nara Club | 26,925 | 2,443 | 994 | 1,795 | +24.0%† |
| 4 | Veertien Mie | 12,732 | 1,263 | 594 | 849 | +7.2%† |
| 5 | Tokyo Musashino City | 12,657 | 1,413 | 495 | 844 | +19.5%† |
| 6 | Honda FC | 12,288 | 1,753 | 489 | 819 | −4.9%† |
| 7 | FC Osaka | 11,823 | 1,923 | 241 | 788 | +32.0%† |
| 8 | Verspah Oita | 8,734 | 1,414 | 236 | 582 | +43.0%† |
| 9 | Cobaltore Onagawa | 8,056 | 1,313 | 207 | 537 | n/a† |
| 10 | ReinMeer Aomori | 7,696 | 1,337 | 111 | 513 | −28.8%† |
| 11 | MIO Biwako Shiga | 7,674 | 1,526 | 182 | 512 | −21.4%† |
| 12 | Sony Sendai FC | 7,014 | 1,006 | 190 | 468 | +32.6%† |
| 13 | Ryutsu Keizai Dragons | 6,903 | 727 | 161 | 460 | +48.4%† |
| 14 | Tegevajaro Miyazaki | 6,052 | 831 | 203 | 403 | n/a† |
| 15 | Maruyasu Okazaki | 5,343 | 658 | 208 | 356 | −9.6%† |
| 16 | Honda Lock SC | 4,581 | 626 | 160 | 305 | −7.3%† |
| League total | 217,721 | 4,805 | 111 | 907 | +13.8%† |
Updated to games played on 18 November 2018
Source:JFL
Matsue City andSuzuka Unlimited
