2025 J.League Cup

2025 J.League Cup
2025 JリーグYBCルヴァンカップ
Tournament details
Country	Japan
Dates	20 March – TBC
Teams	60
Defending champions	Nagoya Grampus
Tournament statistics
Matches played	26
Goals scored	60 (2.31 per match)
Attendance	92,500 (3,558 per match)
Top goal scorer(s)	Shosei Usui; (3 goals)
	← 2024 2026 →; All statistics correct as of 26 March 2025.

The 2025 J.League Cup, known as the 2025 J.League YBC Levain Cup (Japanese: 2025 JリーグYBCルヴァンカップ) for sponsorship reasons, is the 33rd edition of J.League Cup, a Japanese association football cup competition.^[1] It will be the second season all 60 J.League clubs participates in the League Cup.

Format

All clubs from the 2025 season's J1, J2, and J3 League participates. The tournament is divided into three sections each with a different format: the first round, the play-off round and the prime round.^[2]

First round

55 clubs took part in the first round, split into 7 groups. Four clubs will be introduced in the prime round, including: Three clubs participating in the 2024–25 AFC Champions League Elite knockout stage (Kawasaki Frontale, Yokohama F. Marinos and Vissel Kobe) and one club participating in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup (Urawa Red Diamonds).^[2] Each group and their respective clubs participates in a single-elimination tournament, leaving seven clubs to advance to the play-off round, where they will be joined by 2024–25 AFC Champions League Two quarter-finalists Sanfrecce Hiroshima. The draw for the first round was based on rankings from the 2024 league season. As a general rule, the lower league club played their fixture at home. In the case of clubs being in the same league, the club with the lower ranking from the 2023 season served as the home team. In the case of a draw, games go to extra time and penalties to determine a winner if necessary.

The first round groups are as follows:

Teams participating in the first round of the 2025 J.League Cup
Group	Teams
1	Machida Zelvia (J1 3rd)	Yokohama FC (J2 2nd)	Fagiano Okayama (J2 5th)	Fujieda MYFC (J2 13th)	Ventforet Kofu (J2 14th)	Giravanz Kitakyushu (J3 7th)	FC Gifu (J3 8th)	–
2	Gamba Osaka (J1 4th)	Shimizu S-Pulse (J2 1st)	Júbilo Iwata (J1 18th)	Roasso Kumamoto (J2 12th)	Mito HollyHock (J2 15th)	FC Osaka (J3 6th)	SC Sagamihara (J3 9th)	Kochi United (JFL 2nd)
3	Kashima Antlers (J1 5th)	Kashiwa Reysol (J1 17th)	Consadole Sapporo (J1 19th)	Renofa Yamaguchi (J2 11th)	Oita Trinita (J2 16th)	Fukushima United (J3 5th)	Azul Claro Numazu (J3 10th)	Tochigi City (JFL 1st)
4	Tokyo Verdy (J1 6th)	Albirex Niigata (J1 16th)	Sagan Tosu (J1 20th)	Blaublitz Akita (J2 10th)	Ehime FC (J2 17th)	Matsumoto Yamaga (J3 4th)	Vanraure Hachinohe (J3 11th)	Nagano Parceiro (J3 18th)
5	FC Tokyo (J1 7th)	Shonan Bellmare (J1 15th)	Nagano Parceiro (J2 3rd)	Iwaki FC (J2 9th)	Omiya Ardija (J3 1st)	Thespa Gunma (J2 20th)	Zweigen Kanazawa (J3 12th)	Nara Club (J3 17th)
6	Cerezo Osaka (J1 10th)	Kyoto Sanga (J1 14th)	Montedio Yamagata (J2 4th)	Tokushima Vortis (J2 8th)	FC Imabari (J3 2nd)	Kagoshima United FC (J2 19th)	Gainare Tottori (J3 13th)	Kamatamare Sanuki (J3 16th)
7	Nagoya Grampus (J1 1st)	Avispa Fukuoka (J1 12th)	Vegalta Sendai (J2 6th)	JEF United Chiba (J2 7th)	Kataller Toyama (J3 3rd)	Tochigi SC (J2 18th)	FC Ryukyu (J3 14th)	Tegevajaro Miyazaki (J3 15th)

Notes

Teams in italic participated in their first J.League Cup tournament.

Playoff round

The seven clubs that qualified from the first round alongside new entrant Sanfrecce Hiroshima, qualified to the round as a AFC Champions League Two club, will be drawn into four, two-legged fixtures and would play each other home and away. The remaining four clubs would advance to the prime round.

Prime round

A single-elimination tournament would be held between eight clubs: the four clubs that qualified from the playoff round plus the AFC Champions League Elite clubs — Kawasaki Frontale, Yokohama F. Marinos, and Vissel Kobe. Each round would be a two-legged home and away fixture, except the final which would be a one-game tie played at a neutral venue. The draw for the brackets will be held some time after the completion of previous rounds.

Schedule

The schedule was announced on 20 December 2024.^[3]^[4]

Stage	Round	Date
First round	Round 1	20–26 March
	Round 2	9–16 April
	Round 3	21 May
Playoff round		4 June (First leg) 8 June (Second leg)
Prime round	Quarter-finals	3 September (First leg) 7 September (Second leg)
	Semi-finals	10 October (First leg) 12 October (Second leg)
	Final	TBC

First round

Group 1

Round 1		Round 2	Round 3

26 March – Kofu

Ventforet Kofu	2
		9 April – Kofu
Fujieda MYFC	1
		Ventforet Kofu

		Machida Zelvia

			21 May – TBC


20 March – Gifu

FC Gifu	0
		16 April – Kitakyushu
Yokohama FC	2
		Giravanz Kitakyushu
20 March – Kitakyushu
		Yokohama FC
Giravanz Kitakyushu	1

Fagiano Okayama	0

26 March 2025 (2025-03-26) Round 1	Ventforet Kofu (2)	2–1	Fujieda MYFC (2)	Kofu
19:00	Tanaka 45' Naito 52'	Report	Anderson 90'	Stadium: JIT Recycle Ink Stadium Attendance: 3,535 Referee: Shu Kawamata

20 March 2025 (2025-03-20) Round 1	FC Gifu (3)	0–2	Yokohama FC (1)	Gifu
14:00		Report	Nakano 27' Komazawa 37'	Stadium: Gifu Nagaragawa Stadium Attendance: 2,846 Referee: Naoto Uehara

20 March 2025 (2025-03-20) Round 1	Giravanz Kitakyushu (3)	1–0	Fagiano Okayama (1)	Kitakyushu
14:03	Hirahara 19'	Report		Stadium: Mikuni World Stadium Kitakyushu Attendance: 4,638 Referee: Hiroyuki Kimura

9 April 2025 (2025-04-09) Round 2	Ventforet Kofu (2)	v	Machida Zelvia (1)	Kofu
19:00				Stadium: JIT Recycle Ink Stadium

16 April 2025 (2025-04-16) Round 2	Giravanz Kitakyushu (3)	v	Yokohama FC (1)	Kitakyushu
19:00				Stadium: Mikuni World Stadium Kitakyushu

21 May 2025 (2025-05-21) Round 3	Match 28 winner	v	Match 29 winner
--:--

Group 2

Round 1		Round 2	Round 3

20 March – Kochi

Kochi United	1
		16 April – Mito
Gamba Osaka	2
		Mito HollyHock
26 March – Mito
		Gamba Osaka
Mito HollyHock	1
			21 May – TBC
Roasso Kumamoto	0

26 March – Sagamihara

SC Sagamihara	1
		9 April – Iwata
Shimizu S-Pulse	3
		Júbilo Iwata
26 March – Higashiosaka
		Shimizu S-Pulse
FC Osaka	1

Júbilo Iwata	2

20 March 2025 (2025-03-20) Round 1	Kochi United (3)	1–2	Gamba Osaka (1)	Kochi
14:00	Kobayashi 77'	Report	Usami 13' Toyama 41'	Stadium: Kochi Haruno Athletic Stadium Attendance: 6,929 Referee: Futoshi Nakamura

26 March 2025 (2025-03-26) Round 1	Mito HollyHock (2)	1–0	Roasso Kumamoto (2)	Mito
19:00	Ando 30'	Report		Stadium: K's denki Stadium Mito Attendance: 1,998 Referee: Takuto Okabe

26 March 2025 (2025-03-26) Round 1	SC Sagamihara (3)	1–3	Shimizu S-Pulse (1)	Sagamihara
18:00	Takeuchi 90+4'	Report	Nakashio 30' Kitazume 83' Doi 85'	Stadium: Sagamihara Gion Stadium Attendance: 3,993 Referee: Naoto Uehara

26 March 2025 (2025-03-26) Round 1	FC Osaka (3)	1–2	Júbilo Iwata (2)	Higashiosaka
19:00	Nishimura 22'	Report	Sato 2' Kawai 52'	Stadium: Hanazono Rugby Stadium Attendance: 3,941 Referee: Atsushi Kamimura

16 April 2025 (2025-04-16) Round 2	Mito HollyHock (2)	v	Gamba Osaka (1)	Mito
19:00				Stadium: K's denki Stadium Mito

9 April 2025 (2025-04-09) Round 2	Júbilo Iwata (2)	v	Shimizu S-Pulse (1)	Iwata
19:00				Stadium: Yamaha Stadium

21 May 2025 (2025-05-21) Round 3	Match 30 winner	v	Match 31 winner
--:--

Group 3

Round 1		Round 2	Round 3

20 March – Tochigi

Tochigi City	0
		9 April – Yamaguchi
Kashima Antlers	1
		Renofa Yamaguchi
26 March – Oita
		Kashima Antlers
Oita Trinita	2
			21 May – TBC
Renofa Yamaguchi	3

20 March – Numazu

Azul Claro Numazu	0
		16 April – Fukushima
Kashiwa Reysol	1
		Fukushima United
26 March – Fukushima
		Kashiwa Reysol
Fukushima United	6

Consadole Sapporo	3

20 March 2025 (2025-03-20) Round 1	Tochigi City (3)	0–1	Kashima Antlers (1)	Tochigi
14:00		Report	Nono 69'	Stadium: City Football Station Attendance: 4,532 Referee: Koei Koya

26 March 2025 (2025-03-26) Round 1	Oita Trinita (2)	2–3	Renofa Yamaguchi (2)	Oita
19:00	Kim Hyun-woo 78' Yashiki 80'	Report	Suenaga 31' Furukawa 67', 69'	Stadium: Crasus Dome Oita Attendance: 3,164 Referee: Shuhei Ishimaru

20 March 2025 (2025-03-20) Round 1	Azul Claro Numazu (3)	0–1	Kashiwa Reysol (1)	Numazu
14:00		Report	Nakama 8'	Stadium: Ashitaka Park Stadium Attendance: 4,406 Referee: Atsushi Kamimura

26 March 2025 (2025-03-26) Round 1	Fukushima United (3)	6–3 (a.e.t.)	Consadole Sapporo (2)	Fukushima
19:00	Ishii 26' Mori 50' Uehata 74', 95' Jojo 91' Toma 111'	Report	Arano 8' Izuma 21' Nakashima 60'	Stadium: Toho Minna no Stadium Attendance: 945 Referee: Kazuyoshi Enomoto

9 April 2025 (2025-04-09) Round 2	Renofa Yamaguchi (2)	v	Kashima Antlers (1)	Yamaguchi
19:00				Stadium: Ishin Me-Life Stadium

16 April 2025 (2025-04-16) Round 2	Fukushima United (3)	v	Kashiwa Reysol (1)	Fukushima
19:00				Stadium: Toho Minna no Stadium

21 May 2025 (2025-05-21) Round 3	Match 32 winner	v	Match 33 winner
--:--

Group 4

Round 1		Round 2	Round 3

20 March – Nagano

Nagano Parceiro	0
		16 April – Akita
Tokyo Verdy	0
		Blaublitz Akita
26 March – Matsuyama
		Tokyo Verdy
Ehime FC	0
			21 May – TBC
Blaublitz Akita	2

20 March – Hachinohe

Vanraure Hachinohe	1
		9 April – Matsumoto
Albirex Niigata	1
		Matsumoto Yamaga
26 March – Matsumoto
		Albirex Niigata
Matsumoto Yamaga	1

Sagan Tosu	0

20 March 2025 (2025-03-20) Round 1	Nagano Parceiro (3)	0–0 (a.e.t.) (4–5 p)	Tokyo Verdy (1)	Nagano
14:00		Report		Stadium: Nagano U Stadium Attendance: 5,976 Referee: Elliot Bell (England)
	Penalties
	Ando Hasegawa Ito Kondo Yamanaka Tomita Higuchi		Shirai Saito Meshino Onaga Taniguchi Matsuhashi Inami

26 March 2025 (2025-03-26) Round 1	Ehime FC (2)	0–2	Blaublitz Akita (2)	Matsuyama
19:00		Report	Suzuki 43' Scalese 82' (o.g.)	Stadium: Ningineer Stadium Attendance: 1,701 Referee: Keigo Sendachi

20 March 2025 (2025-03-20) Round 1	Vanraure Hachinohe (3)	1–1 (a.e.t.) (2–4 p)	Albirex Niigata (1)	Hachinohe
13:00	Chikaishi 44'	Report	Komi 8'	Stadium: Prifoods Stadium Attendance: 3,124 Referee: Yudai Yamamoto
	Penalties
	Nakano Senoo Sato Yukie		Takagi Ota Akiyama Miyamoto Horigome

26 March 2025 (2025-03-26) Round 1	Matsumoto Yamaga (3)	1–0 (a.e.t.)	Sagan Tosu (2)	Matsumoto
19:00	Tanaka 94'	Report		Stadium: Sunpro Alwin Attendance: 3,891 Referee: Daichi Shiino

16 April 2025 (2025-04-16) Round 2	Blaublitz Akita (2)	v	Tokyo Verdy (1)	Akita
19:00				Stadium: Soyu Stadium

9 April 2025 (2025-04-09) Round 2	Matsumoto Yamaga (1)	v	Albirex Niigata (1)	Matsumoto
19:00				Stadium: Sunpro Alwin

21 May 2025 (2025-05-21) Round 3	Match 34 winner	v	Match 35 winner
--:--

Group 5

Round 1		Round 2	Round 3

20 March – Nara

Nara Club	0
		16 April – Saitama
FC Tokyo	1
		RB Omiya Ardija
26 March – Saitama
		FC Tokyo
RB Omiya Ardija	3
			21 May – TBC
Iwaki FC	3

20 March – Kanazawa

Zweigen Kanazawa	0
		9 April – Nagasaki
Shonan Bellmare	1
		V-Varen Nagasaki
26 March – Maebashi
		Shonan Bellmare
Thespa Gunma	1

V-Varen Nagasaki	4

20 March 2025 (2025-03-20) Round 1	Nara Club (3)	0–1	FC Tokyo (1)	Nara
14:00		Report	Anzai 90+5'	Stadium: Rohto Field Nara Attendance: 4,497 Referee: Yoshiro Imamura

26 March 2025 (2025-03-26) Round 1	RB Omiya Ardija (2)	3–3 (a.e.t.) (7–6 p)	Iwaki FC (2)	Saitama
19:00	Sunday 40' Urakami 89' Tomiyama 99'	Report	Ishiwatari 16', 58' Kase 102'	Stadium: NACK5 Stadium Omiya Attendance: 4,850 Referee: Yoshikazu Matsuzawa
	Penalties
	Abe Fabián González Tomiyama Nakano Urakami Ishikawa Fukui Yasumitsu		Ishiwatari Kofie Shibata Sakagishi Yamada Yamauchi Sakamoto Kato

20 March 2025 (2025-03-20) Round 1	Zweigen Kanazawa (3)	0–1	Shonan Bellmare (1)	Kanazawa
19:00		Report	Mori 75' (o.g.)	Stadium: Ishikawa Athletics Stadium Attendance: 3,318 Referee: Harrison Blair (England)

26 March 2025 (2025-03-26) Round 1	Thespa Gunma (3)	1–4	V-Varen Nagasaki (2)	Maebashi
19:00	Onozeki 43'	Report	Marcos Guilherme 84', 112' Nose 97' (o.g.) Masuyama 109'	Stadium: Shoda Shoyu Stadium Gunma Attendance: 1,440 Referee: Reo Tanaka

16 April 2025 (2025-04-16) Round 2	RB Omiya Ardija (2)	v	FC Tokyo (1)	Saitama
19:00				Stadium: NACK5 Stadium Omiya

9 April 2025 (2025-04-09) Round 2	V-Varen Nagasaki (2)	v	Shonan Bellmare (1)	Nagasaki
19:00				Stadium: Peace Stadium connected by SoftBank

21 May 2025 (2025-05-21) Round 3	Match 36 winner	v	Match 37 winner
--:--

Group 6

Round 1		Round 2	Round 3

20 March – Marugame

Kamatamare Sanuki	1
		16 April – TBC
Cerezo Osaka	5

TBA – Imabari
		Cerezo Osaka
FC Imabari
			21 May – TBC
Tokushima Vortis

20 March – Tottori

Gainare Tottori	0
		9 April – Yamagata
Kyoto Sanga	2
		Montedio Yamagata
26 March – Kagoshima
		Kyoto Sanga
Kagoshima United	0

Montedio Yamagata	2

20 March 2025 (2025-03-20) Round 1	Kamatamare Sanuki (3)	1–5	Cerezo Osaka (1)	Marugame
14:00	Hatanaka 48' (o.g.)	Report	Thiago Andrade 21' Rafael Ratão 59' Lucas Fernandes 74' Vitor Bueno 77' Uejo 84'	Stadium: Pikara Stadium Attendance: 5,434 Referee: Hayato Shimizu

Postponed Round 1	FC Imabari (2)	v	Tokushima Vortis (2)	Imabari
TBA				Stadium: ASICS Satoyama Stadium
Note: Postponed due a forest fire in Imabari.

20 March 2025 (2025-03-20) Round 1	Gainare Tottori (3)	0–2	Kyoto Sanga (1)	Tottori
19:00		Report	Nakano 18' Rafael Elias 71'	Stadium: Axis Bird Stadium Attendance: 3,166 Referee: Akihiko Ikeuchi

26 March 2025 (2025-03-26) Round 1	Kagoshima United (3)	0–2	Montedio Yamagata (2)	Kagoshima
19:00		Report	Fujimoto 15' Issaka 35'	Stadium: Shiranami Stadium Attendance: 3,479 Referee: Toshihiro Nakai

16 April 2025 (2025-04-16) Round 2	Cerezo Osaka (1)	v	Match 21 winner	TBD
19:00

9 April 2025 (2025-04-09) Round 2	Montedio Yamagata (2)	v	Kyoto Sanga (1)	Yamagata
19:00				Stadium: ND Soft Stadium Yamagata

21 May 2025 (2025-05-21) Round 3	Match 38 winner	v	Match 39 winner
--:--

Group 7

Round 1		Round 2	Round 3

20 March – Shintomi

Tegevajaro Miyazaki	0
		16 April – Toyama
Nagoya Grampus	3
		Kataller Toyama
26 March – Toyama
		Nagoya Grampus
Kataller Toyama	4
			21 May – TBC
JEF United Chiba	2

20 March – Okinawa

FC Ryukyu	0
		16 April – Utsunomiya
Avispa Fukuoka	2
		Tochigi SC
26 March – Utsunomiya
		Avispa Fukuoka
Tochigi SC	0

Vegalta Sendai	0

20 March 2025 (2025-03-20) Round 1	Tegevajaro Miyazaki (3)	0–3 (a.e.t.)	Nagoya Grampus (1)	Shintomi
14:00		Report	Kikuchi 98' Asano 112', 120+1'	Stadium: Ichigo Miyazaki Shintomi Football Stadium Attendance: 2,466 Referee: Masuya Ueda

26 March 2025 (2025-03-26) Round 1	Kataller Toyama (2)	4–2	JEF United Chiba (2)	Toyama
19:00	Sueki 5' Usui 22', 52', 66'	Report	Taguchi 15' Mae 62'	Stadium: Toyama Stadium Attendance: 3,208 Referee: Genki Tawara

20 March 2025 (2025-03-20) Round 1	FC Ryukyu (3)	0–2	Avispa Fukuoka (1)	Okinawa
19:00		Report	Kitajima 58' Konno 90'	Stadium: Tapic Kenso Hiyagon Stadium Attendance: 3,686 Referee: Koichiro Fukushima

26 March 2025 (2025-03-26) Round 1	Tochigi SC (3)	0–0 (a.e.t.) (4–3 p)	Vegalta Sendai (2)	Utsunomiya
19:00		Report		Stadium: Tochigi Green Stadium Attendance: 2,128 Referee: Yoshito Nakagawa
	Penalties
	Yano Igarashi Kobori Kawana Omori		Takada Nishimaru Nakada Onaiwu Matsui

16 April 2025 (2025-04-16) Round 2	Kataller Toyama (2)	v	Nagoya Grampus (1)	Toyama
19:00				Stadium: Toyama Stadium

16 April 2025 (2025-04-16) Round 2	Tochigi SC (3)	v	Avispa Fukuoka (1)	Utsunomiya
19:00				Stadium: Tochigi Green Stadium

21 May 2025 (2025-05-21) Round 3	Match 40 winner	v	Match 41 winner
--:--

Top scorers

As of 26 March 2025.

Rank	Player	Club	Goals^[5]
1	Shosei Usui	Kataller Toyama	3
2	Yuya Asano	Nagoya Grampus	2
	Daigo Furukawa	Renofa Yamaguchi
	Nelson Ishiwatari	Iwaki FC
	Marcos Guilherme	V-Varen Nagasaki
	Uheiji Uehata	Fukushima United

References

^ "更新情報". JLeague.jp. Japan Professional Football League. Retrieved 18 March 2025.
^ ^a ^b "２０２５ＪリーグYBCルヴァンカップ　大会方式および試合方式について". JLeague.jp. Japan Professional Football League. 25 November 2024. Retrieved 18 March 2025.
^ "２０２５ＪリーグYBCルヴァンカップ日程発表！". JLeague.jp. Japan Professional Football League. 20 December 2024. Retrieved 18 March 2025.
^ "２０２５ＪリーグYBCルヴァンカップ試合日程一覧". JLeague.jp. Japan Professional Football League. Retrieved 18 March 2025.
^ "All Positions | Goals | All clubs | J.LEAGUE YBC Levain CUP | 2025 Player Stats". J.League. Retrieved 18 March 2025.

External links

Official website (in Japanese)

[1] "更新情報". JLeague.jp. Japan Professional Football League. Retrieved 18 March 2025.

[251124outline-2] "２０２５ＪリーグYBCルヴァンカップ　大会方式および試合方式について". JLeague.jp. Japan Professional Football League. 25 November 2024. Retrieved 18 March 2025.

[3] "２０２５ＪリーグYBCルヴァンカップ日程発表！". JLeague.jp. Japan Professional Football League. 20 December 2024. Retrieved 18 March 2025.

[4] "２０２５ＪリーグYBCルヴァンカップ試合日程一覧". JLeague.jp. Japan Professional Football League. Retrieved 18 March 2025.

[5] "All Positions | Goals | All clubs | J.LEAGUE YBC Levain CUP | 2025 Player Stats". J.League. Retrieved 18 March 2025.

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