governing body
A governing body is a group of people that has the authority to exercise governance over an organization or political entity. The most formal is a government, a body whose sole responsibility and authority is to make binding decisions in a taken ...
responsible for the administration of
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
,
futsal Futsal is a football-based game played on a hard court smaller than a football pitch, and mainly indoors. It has similarities to five-a-side football and indoor football.
Futsal is played between two teams of five players each, one of whom is ...
efootball
''eFootball'' is an association football simulation video game developed and published by Konami. It is a free-to-play game after being completely rebranded from the original ''Pro Evolution Soccer'' (known as ''Winning Eleven'' in Japan) ser ...
in
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 ...
. It is responsible for the
national team
A national sports team (commonly known as a national team or a national side) is a team that represents a nation, rather than a particular club or region, in an international sport.
The term is most commonly associated with team sports, for exa ...
, as well as club competitions.
History
The organisation was founded in 1921 as the , and became affiliated with
FIFA
FIFA (; stands for ''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'' ( French), meaning International Association Football Federation ) is the international governing body of association football, beach football and futsal. It was found ...
in 1929. In 1945, the name of the organisation was changed to the ; its
Japanese
Japanese may refer to:
* Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia
* Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan
* Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture
** Japanese diaspor ...
name was changed to the current title in 1975. This reflected common use of the word ''sakkā'' (サッカー), derived from "soccer", rather than the older Japanese word ''shūkyū'' (蹴球; literally "kick-ball"). The word ''sakkā'' gained popularity during the post-World War II occupation of Japan by the United States-led Allied powers. The association generally translates its name to "Japan Football Association" in English, though "Japan Soccer Association" is also used.
Source JFA
''Only includes tournaments organized by the JFA.''
International competitions
Senior
''Last updated: 20 September 2022''
Youth
''Last updated: 21 September 2022''
Domestic competitions
Senior
''Last updated: 27 November 2022''
''Last updated: 31 October 2022''
Youth
''Last updated: 31 October 2022''
''Last updated: 31 October 2022''
Over-age
League system
Japanese clubs' placements at each league may determine the JFA-organized competition the club will participate in, or if they will be qualified to one at all.
Men's
As of the 2023 season, all clubs in the top two tiers ( J1 and J2) enter the
Emperor's Cup
, commonly known as or also Japan FA Cup is a Japanese football competition. It has the longest tradition of any football match in Japan, dating back to 1921, before the formation of the J.League, Japan Football League and their predecessor, J ...
directly, with the clubs below it having to qualify to the tournament through prefectural tournaments.
''Last updated: 10 December 2022''
Women's
As of 2022–23 season, all clubs in the top two tiers enter the
Empress's Cup
, since 2018 renamed "Empress's Cup JFA Japan Women's Football Championship" ( ja, 皇后杯 JFA 全日本女子サッカー選手権大会) or The Empress's Cup, is a Japanese Women's football competition. As an elimination tournament, it can be ...
directly, with the clubs below having to qualify through regional tournaments. The top tier clubs also qualify to the WE League Cup.
''Last updated: 15 October 2022''
Branding
The symbol of the JFA is the
Yatagarasu
Yatagarasu (Yatagarasu, Yata no Karasu) is a mythical crowThe Book of Ancient Matters, The Book of Ancient Matters, Gakken, pp. 130, 138, 139. and a guiding Kami, god in Shinto mythology. During Emperor Jimmu#Migration, Emperor Jimmu's Eastern E ...
, a mythical three-legged raven that guided Emperor
Jimmu
was the legendary first emperor of Japan according to the '' Nihon Shoki'' and ''Kojiki''. His ascension is traditionally dated as 660 BC.Kelly, Charles F"Kofun Culture"Kumano. Yatagarasu is also the messenger of the supreme
Shinto
Shinto () is a religion from Japan. Classified as an East Asian religion by scholars of religion, its practitioners often regard it as Japan's indigenous religion and as a nature religion. Scholars sometimes call its practitioners ''Shintois ...
Ryuichi Sakamoto
is a Japanese composer, pianist, singer, record producer and actor who has pursued a diverse range of styles as a solo artist and as a member of Yellow Magic Orchestra (YMO). With his bandmates Haruomi Hosono and Yukihiro Takahashi, Sakamoto i ...
to compose the instrumental song - "Japanese Soccer Anthem". There is an
arrangement
In music, an arrangement is a musical adaptation of an existing composition. Differences from the original composition may include reharmonization, melodic paraphrasing, orchestration, or formal development. Arranging differs from orches ...
version by
Yasuhide Ito
is a contemporary Japanese
Japanese may refer to:
* Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia
* Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan
* Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry o ...
. This anthem is played at the beginning of JFA-sponsored events, such as the Emperor's Cup matches and as a prelude to kickoff at stadiums.
Presidents
The following is a list of
president
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
*President (education), a leader of a college or university
*President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...
s of Japan Football Association (JFA). The Honorary President is Her Imperial Highness
Princess Takamado
(born ; 10 July 1953), is a member of the Japanese Imperial Family as the widow of Norihito, Prince Takamado.
Background and education
Hisako was born on 10 July 1953 in Shirokane, Tokyo. She is the eldest daughter of Japanese industrialist ...
Football in Japan
Association football, Football is among the most popular sports in Japan, together with baseball, basketball, sumo and martial arts. Its nationwide organization, the Japan Football Association, administers the professional football leagues, incl ...
Women's football in Japan
Women's football in Japan is one of the rising powers of women's football.
History
The first women's football team in Japan was formed in 1966.
In the first national female football tournament in 1980, women played 8-a-side football and on small ...
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 ...
Association
Association may refer to:
*Club (organization), an association of two or more people united by a common interest or goal
*Trade association, an organization founded and funded by businesses that operate in a specific industry
*Voluntary associatio ...