Japanese football and the J League
The J League is one of the strongest professional football leagues in Asia, with 20 teams from across Japan competing.
Three clubs from the J League have won the AFC Asian Champions League in the past, with Urawa Reds winning three times.
Many of the players from the League are members of the Japanese National Team, which usually have a strong FIFA World Cup tournament over the years.
According to FIFA, Japan is ranked 18th in the world.
They have a huge fan base with stadiums that often sell out. Yokohama Marinos stadium near Tokyo is the biggest, with a 72,000 seat capacity.
Australian football players in Japan
Over the years, many Australians have played and managed in Japan.
Goalkeeper Mitch Langerak broke the clean sheet record in 2020, and Josh Kennedy won the golden boot and the J League trophy.
Kevin Muscat and Ange Postecoglou have both managed teams to winning the J League.
Cerezo Osaka
Cerezo Osaka joined the League in 1995, have won the J League Cup and Emperor’s Cup once each.
The team has qualified for the Asian Champions League four times, with the QF being their best result.
Many highly-rated players have played at their club, including Shinji Kagawa (ex-Man Utd and Dortmund), Diego Forlán (ex-Villareal)
and Takumi Minamino (ex-Liverpool).
Vissel Kobe
Vissel Kobe are a highly successful club, winning their first J League title in 2023, after joining the League in 1997. They won the Emperor’s Cup in 2019 and reached the SF of the Asian Champions League in 2020.
In recent years, they have welcomed Andrés Iniesta, David Villa and Lukas Podolski.
English (Australia) 
日本語