The 2021 J1 League, also known as the for sponsorship reasons, was the 29th season of the

J1 League The , known as the for sponsorship reasons, is the top level of the system. Founded in 1992, it is one of the most successful leagues in Asian club football. Contested by 18 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the J ...

, the top Japanese professional league for association football clubs, since its establishment in 1993. The league began on 26 February and ended on 4 December 2021.

Kawasaki Frontale is a Japanese professional football club based in Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture, south of Tokyo. The club plays in the J1 League, which is the top tier of football in the country. Their home stadium is Kawasaki Todoroki Stadium, in Nakahara ...

were the reigning champions, having won their third title in

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...

with four rounds to play. They successfully retained the title, again with four rounds to play. On 20 November 2021,

Oita Trinita is a Japanese football club currently playing in J2 League, having been relegated after the 2021 season after a three-year stint in J1 League. The club's home town is Ōita, Ōita, Ōita city, but the club draws support from Beppu, Ōita, Beppu, ...

Vegalta Sendai is a Japanese professional football club, currently playing in J2 League. The team is located in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture. History Founded in 1988 as ''Tohoku Electric Power Co., Inc. Soccer Club'', Vegalta joined the J-League in 1999 after p ...

, and

Yokohama FC is a Japanese professional football club based in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, part of the Greater Tokyo Area. The club currently plays in the J1 League, which is the first tier of football in the country. The club was formed by fans of Yokoh ...

were relegated to J2 League with two games to play. On the final matchday

Tokushima Vortis is a Japanese professional football club, currently playing in the J2 League. The team is located in Tokushima, Tokushima Prefecture. Their home stadium is Naruto Otsuka Sports Park Pocari Sweat Stadium, in Naruto, Tokushima. The name, "Vorti ...

was relegated back to J2 League after just one season.

Changes from the previous season

There were no teams relegated last season due to impacts related to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

. Instead, four relegation places were applied for the current season to reduce the total number of teams from 20 back to 18. Two teams were promoted from the 2020 J2 League:

won the title and clinched a second promotion to J1 (the first came in

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...

), while

Avispa Fukuoka is a Japanese professional football club, currently competing in the J1 League. The team is located in Hakata, Fukuoka. "Avispa" means " wasp" in Spanish. They were originally called Fujieda Blux and based in Fujieda, Shizuoka before moving ...

came second, returning to J1 after five seasons.

Clubs

Personnel and kits

Managerial changes

Foreign players

As of 2021 season, there were no more restrictions on a number of signed foreign players, but clubs could only register up to five foreign players for a single match-day squad. Players from J.League partner nations (Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar, Malaysia, Cambodia, Singapore, Indonesia and Qatar) were exempted from these restrictions. *Players name in bold indicates the player is registered during the mid-season transfer window. *Player's name in ''italics'' indicates the player has Japanese nationality in addition to their FIFA nationality, or is exempt from being treated as a foreign player due to having been born in Japan and being enrolled in, or having graduated from an approved type of school in the country.

League table

Results table

Season statistics

Scoring

Top scorers

Hat-tricks

Top assists

Discipline

Player

*Most yellow cards: 9 ** Douglas Grolli (Avispa Fukuoka) *Most red cards: 2 **

Takumi Kamijima is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a centre back for club Yokohama F. Marinos. Career Kamijima started his professional career as a specially designated player for Kashiwa Reysol, from Chuo University in the 2018 J1 League sea ...

(Kashiwa Reysol) ** Kim Min-tae (Nagoya Grampus) ** Takaaki Shichi (Avispa Fukuoka)

Club

*Most yellow cards: 49 **Avispa Fukuoka **Kashima Antlers *Most red cards: 3 **FC Tokyo **Kashima Antlers **Sagan Tosu **Yokohama F. Marinos

References

External links

Official website
JLeague.co {{Japanese Club Football, group=first J1 League seasons

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...