J2 League is a men’s league competition in Japan, formed in 1999. This page brings together live scores, fixtures, results, standings, and player and team statistics across its recorded seasons from 2012 to 2025 season coverage.
Upcoming matches, J2 League
Regular Season - 7
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- Regular Season - 7
Vanraure Hachinohe
Tegevajaro Miyazaki
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- Regular Season - 7
Consadole Sapporo
Oita Trinita
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- Regular Season - 7
Fujieda MYFC
Omiya Ardija
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- Regular Season - 7
Sagan Tosu
Iwaki
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- Regular Season - 7
Yokohama FC
Imabari
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- Regular Season - 7
Montedio Yamagata
Kataller Toyama
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- Regular Season - 7
Albirex Niigata
Jubilo Iwata
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- Regular Season - 7
Ventforet Kofu
Tokushima Vortis
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- Regular Season - 7
Shonan Bellmare
Blaublitz Akita
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- Regular Season - 7
Tochigi City
Vegalta Sendai
Latest played matches, J2 League
Regular Season - 6
J2 League Standings
| Rank | Club | MP | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Last 5 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
|
Omiya Ardija | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 10 | 5 | 5 | 12 | DDDWW |
| 2 |
|
Albirex Niigata | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 9 | -2 | 12 | WLWWW |
| 3 |
|
Vegalta Sendai | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 10 | 6 | 4 | 11 | DWWWD |
| 4 |
|
Shonan Bellmare | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 11 | WLDDW |
| 5 |
|
Tochigi City | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 13 | 7 | 6 | 10 | DWLWW |
| 6 |
|
Kataller Toyama | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 11 | 5 | 6 | 10 | DWLWW |
| 7 |
|
Yokohama FC | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 11 | 7 | 4 | 10 | LWDLW |
| 8 |
|
Fujieda MYFC | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 10 | 7 | 3 | 10 | LDWLW |
| 9 |
|
Jubilo Iwata | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 7 | 1 | 10 | WLWWL |
| 10 |
|
Montedio Yamagata | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 9 | LLWWL |
| 11 |
|
Blaublitz Akita | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 8 | 7 | 1 | 8 | WDLWL |
| 12 |
|
Sagan Tosu | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 8 | LWDLD |
| 13 |
|
Ventforet Kofu | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 9 | -4 | 7 | LWWLD |
| 14 |
|
Tokushima Vortis | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 8 | -4 | 7 | LWWLD |
| 15 |
|
Vanraure Hachinohe | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 8 | -5 | 7 | LDWLL |
| 16 |
|
Oita Trinita | 6 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 6 | DDLWD |
| 17 |
|
Iwaki | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 8 | 12 | -4 | 6 | WLLLL |
| 18 |
|
Tegevajaro Miyazaki | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 10 | -4 | 5 | WLLDD |
| 19 |
|
Consadole Sapporo | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 7 | 13 | -6 | 4 | DLLLL |
| 20 |
|
Imabari | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 13 | -8 | 4 | WDLLL |
J2 League Statistics
Top scorers 2026
| # | Player | Goals |
|---|
Top assists 2026
| # | Player | Assists |
|---|
Top key passes
Top tackles
Top yellow cards
Top red cards
J2 League teams participation since 2012
History
| Team | Nb participations |
|---|---|
| JEF United Chiba | 13 |
| Mito Hollyhock | 13 |
| Fagiano Okayama | 13 |
| Tokyo Verdy | 12 |
| Montedio Yamagata | 12 |
| V-varen Nagasaki | 11 |
| Tokushima Vortis | 11 |
| Tochigi SC | 11 |
| Ehime FC | 11 |
| Thespakusatsu Gunma | 11 |
| Kyoto Sanga | 10 |
| Yokohama FC | 10 |
| Roasso Kumamoto | 10 |
| Kanazawa | 9 |
| Machida Zelvia | 9 |
| Renofa Yamaguchi | 9 |
| FC Gifu | 8 |
| Oita Trinita | 8 |
| Matsumoto Yamaga | 8 |
| Ventforet Kofu | 8 |
| Avispa Fukuoka | 8 |
| Omiya Ardija | 7 |
| Kitakyushu | 7 |
| Jubilo Iwata | 5 |
| Albirex Niigata | 5 |
| Kamatamare Sanuki | 5 |
| Consadole Sapporo | 4 |
| FC Ryukyu | 4 |
| Blaublitz Akita | 4 |
| Shimizu S-pulse | 3 |
| Shonan Bellmare | 3 |
| Vegalta Sendai | 3 |
| Kataller Toyama | 3 |
| Cerezo Osaka | 2 |
| Kagoshima United | 2 |
| Fujieda MYFC | 2 |
| Gainare Tottori | 2 |
| Iwaki | 2 |
| Kashiwa Reysol | 1 |
| Nagoya Grampus | 1 |
| Vissel Kobe | 1 |
| Gamba Osaka | 1 |
| Grulla Morioka | 1 |
| Sagamihara | 1 |
J2 League top scorer teams
J2 League About
J2 League is Japan’s national second-tier men’s professional football competition, forming the central promotion and relegation link between the J1 League and J3 League within the J.League system. Also recorded as the Japanese J2 League, it is contested by clubs from across Japan and combines a full league programme with a route to the country’s top division.
Role in Japanese football
Established in 1999, the J2 League was created to extend professional football beyond the established top-level clubs and to give teams throughout Japan a sustainable route into the national game. It has developed into an important competitive and developmental environment, supporting clubs that are building professional structures while challenging for promotion to J1.
The competition is governed by the Japan Professional Football League, commonly known as the J.League, under the broader framework of the Japan Football Association. Its purpose is therefore both sporting and structural: J2 provides meaningful national competition, encourages professional standards outside the elite division and maintains a functioning football pyramid across Japan’s prefectures.
Xtra-Stats records J2 League coverage from the 2012 season through 2025, spanning 14 recorded seasons. The competition’s first recorded event in this dataset is dated 23 February 2020, while the league itself dates from 1999.
How clubs enter J2
Clubs can reach J2 through sporting performance or by moving down from the division above. Teams relegated from J1 enter J2 for the following campaign, while successful J3 clubs may be promoted when they finish in the required positions and satisfy the applicable J.League licensing conditions.
Licensing is a fundamental part of access to the professional divisions. Eligible clubs must hold the relevant J.League licence and meet requirements covering areas such as financial stability, stadium facilities, organisation and youth development. A strong finish alone is therefore not always sufficient to secure promotion: sporting achievement must be matched by the standards required for professional participation.
Competition format and progression
J2 is a league competition played on a double round-robin basis. Each club normally meets every other team twice, once at home and once away. Results are accumulated in a single table throughout the regular season, with the final positions determining promotion, survival and relegation.
The leading clubs compete for promotion to J1. Under the promotion-playoff structure described for the competition, the highest finishers earn automatic promotion, while clubs immediately below the automatic places can enter a knockout playoff for the remaining promotion position. Regular-season ranking is important in this phase: the higher-ranked team generally receives home advantage, and a tied playoff match is resolved in favour of the higher-ranked side rather than through a conventional penalty shoot-out. Exact promotion and playoff arrangements can be set by the regulations for the relevant season.
At the other end of the table, the lowest-ranked clubs face relegation to J3. The number of promoted and relegated teams, and the precise application of playoffs, can vary under season regulations, so individual editions should be read alongside their published competition rules.
Points and decisive criteria
The standard league scoring system is straightforward:
- a win earns 3 points;
- a draw earns 1 point for each team; and
- a defeat earns 0 points.
When clubs finish level on points, the table is separated using the competition’s prescribed criteria. The recorded order is goal difference, goals scored, head-to-head results and disciplinary points. These measures can become decisive in a tightly contested promotion race or in the fight to avoid relegation. Regular-season matches finish after normal playing time; knockout-stage procedures are governed separately by the applicable playoff regulations.
Season calendar and sporting stakes
J2 traditionally follows Japan’s spring-to-autumn football calendar, generally running from February to November. This scheduling pattern helps clubs operate around Japan’s severe winter conditions, particularly in northern regions, and allows the campaign to progress from an early-season league programme towards its decisive late-season fixtures.
Promotion is the competition’s principal sporting prize. Reaching J1 brings a club into Japan’s highest domestic division and can substantially change its competitive profile, commercial prospects and ability to attract players and supporters. Relegation to J3 carries the opposite risk, placing pressure on sporting performance, finances, facilities and long-term professional status.
For that combination of access, development and consequence, the J2 League is more than a second division. It is the principal national proving ground for clubs seeking to establish themselves at the top of Japanese football, while its licensing framework and promotion routes help preserve the depth and sustainability of the wider J.League structure.