The F. League (in Japanese: "F・リーグ", officially "日本フットサルリーグ", Nihon Futtosaru Rīgu) is the top league for
Futsal Futsal is a football-based game played on a hardcourt, hard court smaller than a football pitch, and mainly indoors. It has similarities to five-a-side football and Indoor soccer, indoor football.
Futsal is played between two teams of five players ...
in Japan. The winning team obtains the participation right to the
AFC Futsal Club Championship
The AFC Futsal Club Championship is the current highest Asian futsal club competition, hosted by the Asian Football Confederation. It is futsal equivalent to AFC Champions League.
For the inaugural edition, AFC Futsal Committee decided to make ...
.
History
The league was formed in 2007 as a complement for the elimination tournament, (the current ''Puma Cup'') which groups regional futsal champions into a final elimination phase.
The league operates on the
sports franchise
Professional sports leagues are organized in numerous ways. The two most significant types are one that developed in Europe, characterized by a tiered structure using promotion and relegation in order to determine participation in a hierarchy of ...
system, with no
promotion or relegation of clubs. The clubs are thus expansion teams. In 2009 the number of clubs was increased from 8 to 10 with the addition of Fuchu Athletic and Espolada Hokkaido.
In F. League play, the clubs battle each other three times: once at home, once away and once in a neutral venue (generally
Yoyogi National Gymnasium
Yoyogi National Gymnasium, officially is an indoor arena located at Yoyogi Park in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan, which is famous for its suspension roof design.
It was designed by Kenzo Tange and built between 1961 and 1964 to house swimming and d ...
in Tokyo). The season runs from August to February.
An elimination league cup, the ''Ocean Cup'' is played every season by the 12 F.League teams.
2022–23 season
Participating clubs
Division 1
Division 2
Withdrawing clubs
Statistics
Champions
Most Valuable Player (MVP)
See also
*
Sport in Japan
Sports in Japan are a significant part of Japanese culture. Both traditional sports such as sumo and martial arts, and Western imports like baseball, association football, basketball and tennis are popular with both participants and spectators.
S ...
**Futsal in Japan
*
Japan Football Association (JFA)
*
Futsal Championship (Futsal National Open Cup)
*
F.League Ocean Cup (Futsal League Cup)
*Women's F.League (Women's Futsal League)
;Futsal national teams
;Men's
*
Japan national futsal team
The represents Japan in international futsal competitions and is controlled by the Japan Football Association. It is one of the strongest futsal teams in Asia, the champions in the 2006, 2012, 2014 and 2022 AFC Futsal Asian Cup. Japan has also pl ...
*
Japan national under-20 futsal team
The Japan national under-20 futsal team for under 20 level represents Japan in international futsal competitions and is controlled by the Futsal Commission of the Japan Football Association.
Results and fixtures
;Legend
2019
Fixtures ...
;Women's
*
Japan women's national futsal team
The Japan women's national futsal team represents Japan in international women's futsal competitions and is controlled by the Japan Football Association. It is one of the strongest teams in Asia as the champions of the 2007, 2009 and 2013 Asian ...
References
External links
Official website
Futsal competitions in Japan
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 ...
Sports leagues established in 2007
2007 establishments in Japan
Futsal Futsal is a football-based game played on a hardcourt, hard court smaller than a football pitch, and mainly indoors. It has similarities to five-a-side football and Indoor soccer, indoor football.
Futsal is played between two teams of five players ...
Sports leagues in Japan
Professional sports leagues in Japan
{{Japan-sport-stub