| Season | 2020 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 21 February – 19 December 2020 |
| Champions | Kawasaki Frontale 3rd J1 title 3rdJapanese title |
| Relegated | None |
| Champions League | Kawasaki Frontale Gamba Osaka Nagoya Grampus Cerezo Osaka |
| Matches | 306 |
| Goals | 857 (2.8 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Michael Olunga (28 goals) |
| Biggest home win | Urawa Red Diamonds 6–0Vegalta Sendai (18 October 2020) |
| Biggest away win | Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo 1–6 Kawasaki Frontale (15 August 2020) |
| Highest scoring | Nagoya Grampus 6–2 Urawa Red Diamonds (8 August 2020) Yokohama F. Marinos 6–2 Urawa Red Diamonds (14 November 2020) |
| Longest winning run | 12 matches Kawasaki Frontale |
| Longest unbeaten run | 13 matches Kawasaki Frontale |
| Longest winless run | 17 matches Vegalta Sendai |
| Longest losing run | 7 matches Shimizu S-Pulse |
| Highest attendance | 34,521[1] Yokohama F. Marinos 1–2 Gamba Osaka (23 February 2020) |
| Lowest attendance | 1,948[1] Sanfrecce Hiroshima 4–1 Shimizu S-Pulse (9 September 2020) (excluding matches playedbehind closed doors) |
| Total attendance | 1,773,481[1] |
| Average attendance | 5,796[1] (including matches played behind closed doors) |
←2019 2021 → | |
The2020 J1 League, also known as the2020Meiji Yasuda J1 League (Japanese:2020 明治安田生命J1リーグ,Hepburn:2020 Meiji Yasuda Seimei J1 Rīgu) for sponsorship reasons, was the 28th season of theJ1 League, the top Japanese professional league for association football clubs, since its establishment in 1992. This was sixth season of J1 League as renamed from J. League Division 1. The league began on 21 February and eventually ended on 19 December 2020. The league was planned to have a season break to avoid clashing with the2020 Summer Olympics,[2] but the Olympics were postponed due to theCOVID-19 pandemic in Japan.[3]
Yokohama F. Marinos were the defending champions whileKashiwa Reysol andYokohama FC entered the league as promoted teams from the2019 J2 League, replacingJúbilo Iwata andMatsumoto Yamaga who were relegated to the2020 J2 League.
On 25 February, all J.League matches until 15 March were postponed in response to theCOVID-19 pandemic in Japan.[4] After that, it was announced that it would be postponed further until 29 March.[5] On 19 March, the J.League announced no relegation would take place for the 2020 season, with the J1 League expanding to 20 clubs for the 2021 season.[6] On 25 March, the league announced that it would be suspended again from 3 April to 6 May.[7]
On 3 April, theJapan Professional Football League decided to resume the league, gradually resumed J3 from 25 April, J2 from 2 May, and J1 from 9 May.[8] However, the league was postponed again.
On 29 May, the JPFL decided to resume the season on 27 June.[9] The season is projected to resume on 4 July.[10] On 9 June, the JPFL announced the new schedule of the 2020 season.[11] On 15 June, it was announced that the first 2 matches in each league (J1, J2, and J3) would be held without spectators. After 10 July, as a general rule, the maximum number of people allowed is 5,000. The stadiums with less than 10,000 capacity would have up to 50% of the capacity. Away supporters are not allowed. After August, the maximum stadium capacity was 50%, and there would be "high alert spectator matches".[12]
After the 11th J.League extraordinary executive committee meeting on 20 July, it was announced that the "super strict alert audience game" extended to 10 August in view of the spread of coronavirus infection.[13]
For the 2020 season, there were only two changes in the league.Kashiwa Reysol returned as the2019 J2 League champions andYokohama FC as runners-up after 13 seasons absence from the top tier of Japanese football. They replacedMatsumoto Yamaga (one season in J1) andJúbilo Iwata (four seasons in J1), who were relegated to the2020 J2 League.
Meanwhile,Shonan Bellmare remained in the J1 League after defeatingTokushima Vortis in the2019 J2 League play-off final.
| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Incoming manager | Date of appointment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vissel Kobe | Change of director | 21 September 2020[32] | 25 September 2020[33] | ||
| Shimizu S-Pulse | Sacked | 1 November 2020[34] | 1 November 2020[35] |
As of 2019 season, there are no more restrictions on a number of signed foreign players, but clubs can only register up to five foreign players for a single match-day squad.[36] Players from J.League partner nations (Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar, Malaysia, Cambodia, Singapore, Indonesia and Qatar) are exempt from these restrictions.
It was decided on 19 March to change the format regarding the rules for promotion/relegation for the end of the season for the J1, J2 and J3 leagues,[38] such that there would be no relegation this season, that two clubs from the J2 League would be promoted to the2021 J1 League, and that two clubs from the J3 League would be promoted to the2021 J2 League (subject to licensing regulations).
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kawasaki Frontale(C) | 34 | 26 | 5 | 3 | 88 | 31 | +57 | 83 | Qualification forAFC Champions League group stage[a] |
| 2 | Gamba Osaka | 34 | 20 | 5 | 9 | 46 | 42 | +4 | 65 | |
| 3 | Nagoya Grampus | 34 | 19 | 6 | 9 | 45 | 28 | +17 | 63 | |
| 4 | Cerezo Osaka | 34 | 18 | 6 | 10 | 46 | 37 | +9 | 60 | Qualification forAFC Champions League play-off round[a] |
| 5 | Kashima Antlers | 34 | 18 | 5 | 11 | 55 | 44 | +11 | 59 | |
| 6 | FC Tokyo | 34 | 17 | 6 | 11 | 47 | 42 | +5 | 57 | |
| 7 | Kashiwa Reysol | 34 | 15 | 7 | 12 | 60 | 46 | +14 | 52 | |
| 8 | Sanfrecce Hiroshima | 34 | 13 | 9 | 12 | 46 | 37 | +9 | 48 | |
| 9 | Yokohama F. Marinos | 34 | 14 | 5 | 15 | 69 | 59 | +10 | 47 | |
| 10 | Urawa Red Diamonds | 34 | 13 | 7 | 14 | 43 | 56 | −13 | 46 | |
| 11 | Oita Trinita | 34 | 11 | 10 | 13 | 36 | 45 | −9 | 43 | |
| 12 | Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo | 34 | 10 | 9 | 15 | 47 | 58 | −11 | 39 | |
| 13 | Sagan Tosu | 34 | 7 | 15 | 12 | 37 | 43 | −6 | 36 | |
| 14 | Vissel Kobe | 34 | 9 | 9 | 16 | 50 | 59 | −9 | 36 | |
| 15 | Yokohama FC | 34 | 9 | 6 | 19 | 38 | 60 | −22 | 33 | |
| 16 | Shimizu S-Pulse | 34 | 7 | 7 | 20 | 48 | 70 | −22 | 28 | |
| 17 | Vegalta Sendai | 34 | 6 | 10 | 18 | 36 | 61 | −25 | 28 | |
| 18 | Shonan Bellmare | 34 | 6 | 9 | 19 | 29 | 48 | −19 | 27 |
| Home \ Away | ANT | BEL | CER | CON | FMA | FRO | GAM | GRA | REY | RED | SAG | SFR | SSP | TOK | TRI | VEG | VIS | YFC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kashima Antlers | — | 1–0 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 4–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–4 | 4–0 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 0–2 | 2–1 | 2–2 | 3–2 |
| Shonan Bellmare | 1–0 | — | 0–1 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 0–1 | 3–2 | 2–3 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 0–3 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 |
| Cerezo Osaka | 1–2 | 1–0 | — | 2–0 | 4–1 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–0 | 3–0 | 1–2 | 0–1 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 1–0 |
| Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo | 1–0 | 2–1 | 1–3 | — | 3–1 | 1–6 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 3–4 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 5–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 3–3 | 2–3 | 3–0 |
| Yokohama F. Marinos | 2–3 | 3–2 | 1–2 | 4–1 | — | 1–3 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 6–2 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 3–0 | 1–3 | 4–0 | 3–1 | 2–3 | 4–0 |
| Kawasaki Frontale | 2–1 | 3–1 | 5–2 | 0–2 | 3–1 | — | 5–0 | 3–0 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 0–0 | 5–1 | 5–0 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 3–2 | 3–2 |
| Gamba Osaka | 2–0 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 0–1 | — | 2–1 | 2–1 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 0–2 | 1–3 | 2–1 | 0–4 | 1–0 | 2–1 |
| Nagoya Grampus | 1–3 | 3–1 | 1–0 | 3–0 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 2–2 | — | 0–1 | 6–2 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 3–1 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 0–0 |
| Kashiwa Reysol | 2–3 | 3–2 | 1–3 | 4–2 | 1–3 | 2–3 | 3–0 | 0–1 | — | 1–1 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 5–1 | 4–3 | 1–3 |
| Urawa Red Diamonds | 1–0 | 0–0 | 3–1 | 0–2 | 0–0 | 0–3 | 1–2 | 0–1 | 0–4 | — | 2–2 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 2–1 | 6–0 | 1–2 | 0–2 |
| Sagan Tosu | 0–2 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 0–1 | — | 0–0 | 1–1 | 3–0 | 2–2 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 3–0 |
| Sanfrecce Hiroshima | 3–0 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 0–2 | 1–2 | 2–0 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 3–0 | — | 4–1 | 3–3 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 1–1 |
| Shimizu S-Pulse | 1–2 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 3–4 | 2–2 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 2–3 | — | 1–3 | 4–2 | 2–3 | 3–1 | 2–3 |
| FC Tokyo | 1–2 | 3–0 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 0–4 | 0–4 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 1–3 | 2–0 | 2–3 | 1–0 | 3–1 | — | 2–3 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2–1 |
| Oita Trinita | 1–4 | 2–2 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 0–3 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 2–1 | 0–1 | — | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–0 |
| Vegalta Sendai | 1–3 | 0–0 | 2–3 | 2–2 | 0–1 | 2–3 | 1–4 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–2 | 0–3 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 2–2 | 0–3 | — | 2–3 | 0–0 |
| Vissel Kobe | 1–3 | 0–2 | 0–1 | 4–0 | 3–3 | 2–2 | 0–2 | 1–0 | 2–3 | 0–1 | 4–3 | 0–3 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 1–2 | — | 1–1 |
| Yokohama FC | 1–0 | 4–2 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 3–1 | 1–5 | 0–2 | 3–2 | 0–3 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–3 | 1–0 | 2–3 | 1–1 | 2–1 | — |
| Player | Club | Against | Result | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kashiwa Reysol | Vegalta Sendai | 5–1 (H) | 26 July 2020 | |
| Kashima Antlers | Oita Trinita | 4–1 (A) | 1 August 2020 | |
| Nagoya Grampus | Urawa Red Diamonds | 6–2 (H) | 8 August 2020 | |
| Vegalta Sendai | Gamba Osaka | 4–0 (A) | 14 November 2020 | |
| Yokohama F. Marinos | Urawa Red Diamonds | 6–2 (H) | 14 November 2020 | |
| Kawasaki Frontale | Gamba Osaka | 5–0 (H) | 25 November 2020 |
| Pos | Team | Total | High | Low | Average | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kawasaki Frontale | 77,587 | 21,117 | 0 | 6,466 | −72.2%† |
| 2 | Yokohama F. Marinos | 90,196 | 34,521 | 0 | 6,443 | −76.1%† |
| 3 | Nagoya Grampus | 67,997 | 11,854 | 0 | 6,182 | −77.6%† |
| 4 | Cerezo Osaka | 72,310 | 15,535 | 0 | 6,026 | −72.0%† |
| 5 | Vissel Kobe | 69,243 | 25,059 | 0 | 5,476 | −74.5%† |
| 6 | Urawa Red Diamonds | 66,463 | 9,831 | 0 | 5,113 | −85.0%† |
| 7 | Gamba Osaka | 47,042 | 9,313 | 0 | 4,863 | −82.4%† |
| 8 | Shimizu S-Pulse | 55,698 | 17,549 | 0 | 4,642 | −69.1%† |
| 9 | Sanfrecce Hiroshima | 50,669 | 18,713 | 0 | 4,606 | −66.8%† |
| 10 | Oita Trinita | 54,196 | 8,570 | 0 | 4,516 | −70.6%† |
| 11 | FC Tokyo | 53,887 | 8,166 | 0 | 4,491 | −85.8%† |
| 12 | Shonan Bellmare | 48,734 | 13,071 | 0 | 4,430 | −63.4%† |
| 13 | Kashima Antlers | 33,760 | 6,982 | 0 | 3,943 | −80.8%† |
| 14 | Sagan Tosu | 40,780 | 8,574 | 0 | 3,722 | −75.3%† |
| 15 | Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo | 47,111 | 5,359 | 2,039 | 3,624 | −80.7%† |
| 16 | Vegalta Sendai | 36,113 | 13,968 | 0 | 3,611 | −75.9%† |
| 17 | Kashiwa Reysol | 36,144 | 12,468 | 0 | 3,012 | −68.2%† |
| 18 | Yokohama FC | 32,184 | 5,163 | 0 | 2,926 | −58.6%† |
| League total | 1,003,539 | 34,521 | 0 | 4,711 | −77.3%† |
Updated to games played on 18 October 2020
Source:J. League Data
Notes:
† Promoted from J2
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