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113-654: Before the inception of the J.League, the highest level of club football was the Japan Soccer League (JSL), which consisted of amateur clubs. Despite being well-attended during the boom of the late 1960s and early 1970s (when Japan's national team won the Olympic bronze medal at the 1968 games in Mexico ), the JSL went into decline in the 1980s, in general line with the deteriorating situation worldwide. Fans were few,

226-423: A two-legged series to determine the overall season winner and runners-up. Júbilo Iwata in 2002, and Yokohama F. Marinos in 2003, won both "halves" of the respective seasons, thus eliminating the need for the playoff series. This was the part of the reason the league abolished the split-season system starting from 2005. Since the 2005 season , J.League Division 1 consisted of 18 clubs (from 16 in 2004) and

339-542: A banal encounter at the European Cup. —A Dutch newspaper journalist from Amsterdam , commenting on the quality of the competition and Ajax's opponent after the 1972 Intercontinental Cup ; De Telegraaf , 30 September 1972. The indifference of the fans is the only explanation for our financial failure [at the Intercontinental Cup]. It would be much better if we had gotten a friendly similar to

452-451: A championship playoff stage to decide the winner of the league trophy. In 2017, the single-table format returned due to a negative reaction from hardcore fans and a failure to appeal to casual fans. Promotion and relegation between J3 and the JFL began in the 2023 season. The J.League will transition to a fall–spring calendar beginning in the 2026–27 season to align with Europe competitions and

565-579: A hat-trick by Cristiano Ronaldo . The UAE returned to host the event in 2017 and 2018. 2017 involved the likes of Real Madrid becoming the first team in Club World Cup history to return to the tournament to defend their title. Real Madrid became the first team to successfully defend their title after defeating Grêmio in the Final, all while eliminating Al Jazira in the Semi-Finals. Al-Ain

678-502: A header to snatch victory for Barcelona and complete an unprecedented sextuple . The 2010 edition saw the first non-European and non-South American side to reach the final: TP Mazembe from the Democratic Republic of Congo defeated Brazil's Internacional 2–0 in the semi-final to face Internazionale, who beat South Korean club Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma 3–0 to reach the final. Internazionale went on to beat Mazembe with

791-812: A notable fan base in Hong Kong , owing to their participation in the AFC Champions League during the 2007 season . Continuous effort led to the success of Urawa Red Diamonds in 2007 and Gamba Osaka in 2008. Thanks to excellent league management and competitiveness in Asian competition, the AFC awarded J.League the highest league ranking and a total of four slots starting from the 2009 season . The league took this as an opportunity to sell TV broadcasting rights to foreign countries, especially in Asia. Also starting

904-624: A second-place finish in 2020 . These six clubs are the only sides from outside Europe and South America to reach the final. Auckland City from New Zealand earned third place in 2014 , the only time to date that an Oceanian team reached the semi-finals of the tournament. As of 2022, most teams qualify to the FIFA Club World Cup by winning their continental competitions, be it the AFC Champions League, CAF Champions League, CONCACAF Champions League, Copa Libertadores, OFC Champions League or UEFA Champions League. Aside from these,

1017-463: A two-division system. The top flight became the J.League Division 1 (J1) with 16 clubs while J.League Division 2 (J2) was launched with ten clubs in 1999. The second-tier Japan Football League (former) , now became third-tier Japan Football League . Also, until 2004 (with the exception of 1996 season ), the J1 season was divided into two . At the end of each full season, the champion from each half played

1130-611: A view to being a Club World Cup (a "club version" of the FIFA World Cup). FIFA president Jules Rimet was asked about FIFA's involvement in Copa Rio , and stated that it was not under FIFA's jurisdiction since it was organised and sponsored by the Brazilian FA. FIFA board officials Stanley Rous and Ottorino Barassi participated personally, albeit not as FIFA assignees, in the organisation of Copa Rio in 1951. Rous' role

1243-400: A weight of 4 kg (8.8 lb) and a height of 37.5 cm (14.8 in). Its base and widest points are 10 cm (3.9 in) long. The trophy had a base of two pedestals which had four rectangular pillars. Two of the four pillars had inscriptions on them; one contained the phrase, "FIFA Club World Championship" imprinted across. The other had the letters "FIFA" inscribed on it. On top,

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1356-483: Is reserved for a player that derives from an AFC country other than Japan. Also, as a requirement of being a member of the Asian Football Confederation , the J.League Club License regulations started in 2012 as one criterion of whether a club was allowed to stay in its division or to be promoted to a higher tier in the professional level league. No major changes happened to J.League Division 1 as

1469-532: The 2006 Copa Libertadores Finals in order to qualify for the 2006 tournament . At the semi-finals, Internacional beat Egyptian side Al Ahly in order to meet Barcelona in the final. A late goal from Adriano Gabiru kept the trophy in Brazil. It was in 2007 when Brazilian hegemony was finally broken: AC Milan won a close match against Japan 's Urawa Red Diamonds , who were pushed by over 67,000 fans at Yokohama 's International Stadium , and won 1–0 to reach

1582-570: The Asian Football Confederation had requested in 1967 participation of their champions in the Intercontinental Cup; the proposal was met with a negative response from UEFA and CONMEBOL. The 1968 and 1969 Intercontinental Cups finished in similarly violent fashion, with Manchester United manager Matt Busby insisting that "the Argentineans should be banned from all competitive football. FIFA should really step in." In 1970,

1695-717: The Copa Libertadores , the CONMEBOL-endorsed South American equivalent of the UEFA-endorsed European Cup, and the Intercontinental Cup , the latter being a UEFA/CONMEBOL-endorsed "best club of the world" contest between the champion clubs of both confederations. Real Madrid won the first Intercontinental Cup in 1960, titled themselves world champions until FIFA stepped in and objected; citing that

1808-602: The Democratic Republic of the Congo and Moroccan club Raja CA , which finished second in 2010 and 2013 , respectively. Asia 's best representatives were Kashima Antlers from Japan , Al-Ain from the United Arab Emirates and Al-Hilal from Saudi Arabia , finishing second in 2016 , 2018 and 2022 , respectively. North America 's best result was Mexican team Tigres UANL , which earned

1921-546: The Japanese league system as of 2023 season . In this ranking, three points are awarded for a win, one for a draw, and zero for a loss, regardless of the transition of regulation through the time as follows: FIFA Club World Cup The FIFA Club World Cup is an international men's association football competition organised by the Fédération Internationale de Football Association ( FIFA ),

2034-625: The UEFA Champions League and the Copa Libertadores , with the champions of each tournament both recognised (in 2017) by FIFA as club world champions. In 2005, the Intercontinental Cup was merged with the FIFA Club World Championship, and in 2006, the tournament was renamed as the FIFA Club World Cup. The winner of the Club World Cup receives the FIFA Club World Cup trophy and a FIFA World Champions certificate. The new format, which will come into effect with

2147-402: The economic slump of Japan . In 1997, the average attendance was 10,131, compared to more than 19,000 in 1994. Yokohama Flügels were merged with Yokohama Marinos due to the withdrawal of one of their major sponsors, right after they became the winners of the 1998 Emperor's Cup on 1 January 1999. The league's management realized that they were heading in the wrong direction. In order to solve

2260-459: The 2004 to 2008 season, the third-placed J2 club entered the Promotion / relegation Series against the sixteenth-placed J1 club and the winner had a right to play in the top flight in the following year. Starting on the 2009 season, the top three J2 clubs receives J1 promotion by default in place of three bottom J1 clubs. However, promotion or right to play the now-defunct pro/rel series relies on

2373-517: The 2005 season, the single-season format is adopted as the top flight was expanded to eighteen clubs. Currently, 18 clubs compete in double round robin, home and away. Starting on the 2008 season, the top three clubs, along with the Emperor's Cup winner receive ACL berths for the following season. If the Emperor's Cup winner happens to be one of the top three J1 finishers, the 4th-place club receives

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2486-419: The 2008 season, Emperor's Cup Winner was allowed to participate in the upcoming Champions League season, rather than waiting a whole year (i.e. 2005 Emperor's Cup winner, Tokyo Verdy , participated in the 2007 ACL season, instead of the 2006 season). In order to fix this one-year lag issue, the 2007 Emperor's Cup winner, Kashima Antlers ' turn was waived. Nonetheless, Kashima Antlers ended up participating in

2599-480: The 2009 ACL season by winning the J.League title in the 2008 season . Three major changes were seen starting in the 2009 season . First, starting that season, four clubs entered the AFC Champions League. Secondly, the number of relegation slots increased to three. Finally, the AFC Player slot was implemented starting this season. Each club will be allowed to have a total of four foreign players; however, one slot

2712-535: The 2018 edition (counting their three Intercontinental Cup titles and four Club World Cup titles). On 3 June 2019, FIFA selected Qatar as the host of both the 2019 and 2020 events. Gonzalo Belloso , the Deputy Secretary General and development director of CONMEBOL , previously said that the 2019 and 2020 editions will be held in Japan. The 2019 edition saw Liverpool defeat Flamengo to win

2825-437: The 2024 season, J1, J2 and J3 will have 20 teams each and J. League cup games will officially be renewed to a knockout (tournament) format in which all 60 clubs from J1, J2 and J3 will participate was announced in. The first official J.League Anthem - " J'S THEME " debuted in 1993 and was composed by Michiya Haruhata . It was used during league broadcasts and as a prelude to kickoff at stadiums. J.League and J.League clubs make

2938-439: The 2025 edition, features 32 teams competing for the title at venues within the host nation; 12 teams from Europe , 6 from South America , 4 from Asia , 4 from Africa , 4 from North, Central America and Caribbean , 1 from Oceania , and 1 team from the host nation. The teams are drawn into eight groups of four, with each team playing three group stage matches in a round-robin format. The top two teams from each group advance to

3051-454: The 7th and 8th time respectively in the 12th and 13th editions of the FIFA Club World Cup. The 2015 edition saw a final between River Plate and FC Barcelona. FC Barcelona lifted their third FIFA Club World Cup, with Suarez scoring two goals and Lionel Messi scoring one goal in the Final . One notable thing that occurred in the 2015 tournament was that Sanfrecce Hiroshima made it to third place,

3164-543: The Asian Champions League as well as avoid summer matches and conflicts with international tournaments. The change was approved on December 19, 2023, following a vote of the 60 J.League clubs. Since the inception of the second division in 1999, promotion and relegation follow a pattern similar to the European leagues, where the two bottom clubs of J1 and the top two clubs of J2 are guaranteed to move. From

3277-652: The BBC sent 60 people to cover the tournament. This shows that it was the most important competition that they have taken part in in their history. They came here thinking they were going to win easily but they didn't count on the strength of Vasco. No Manchester player would get a place in the Vasco team at the moment. The Brazilians are the best players in the world, the Europeans do not even come close. — Eurico Miranda , Vasco da Gama 's vice-president, 1986–2000, commenting on

3390-525: The Club World Cup moving to Morocco. The first edition saw a Cinderella run of host team Raja CA, who had to start in the play-off round and became the second African team to reach the final, after defeating Brazil's Atlético Mineiro in the semi-final. Like Mazembe, Raja also lost to the European champion, this time a 2–0 defeat to Bayern Munich . 2014 again had a decision between South America and Europe, and Real Madrid beat San Lorenzo 2–0. The 2015 and 2016 editions once again saw Japan as hosts for

3503-407: The European champions relinquished participating at the Intercontinental Cup, resulting in either the participation of the European Cup runners-up or the cancellation of the event; thus, with the Intercontinental Cup in danger of being dissolved, West Nally, a British marketing company, was hired by UEFA and CONMEBOL to find a viable solution in 1980; Toyota Motor Corporation , via West Nally, took

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3616-540: The FIFA Club World Cup winners. The 2005 version was shorter than the previous World Championship, reducing the problem of scheduling the tournament around the different club seasons across each continent. It contained just the six reigning continental champions, with the CONMEBOL and UEFA representatives receiving byes to the semi-finals. A new trophy was introduced replacing the Intercontinental trophy,

3729-518: The FIFA Executive Committee proposed the creation of a multicontinental Club World Cup, not limited to Europe and South America but including also the other confederations; the idea did not go forward due to UEFA resistance. In 1973, French newspaper L'Equipe , who helped bring about the birth of the European Cup, volunteered to sponsor a Club World Cup contested by the champions of Europe, South America, North America and Africa,

3842-589: The J.League did not officially launch until 1993, the Yamazaki Nabisco Cup competition was held between the ten clubs in 1992 to prepare for the inaugural season. J.League officially kicked off its first season with ten clubs on 15 May 1993, when Verdy Kawasaki hosted Yokohama Marinos at the Tokyo National Stadium . Despite the success in the first three years, in early 1996 the league attendance declined rapidly, coincided with

3955-458: The J1 entry decision match was held. From 1999, a replacement system was introduced with the transition to a two-part system of J1 and J2. Since 2012, a replacement system has been introduced between J2 and the lower league ( Japan Football League (JFL) in 2012, J3 after the 2013 postseason). The J.League has announced a policy of setting a maximum of 20 teams for the J3 League and 60 teams for

4068-453: The J2 clubs meeting the requirements for J1 franchise status set by the league. This has generally not been a hindrance, in fact, no club has yet been denied promotion due to not meeting the J1 criteria. Until the 2004 season, the J1 season was divided into two halves , with an annual championship series involving the champions from each half (with the exception of the 1996 season). However, from

4181-599: The Japanese embraced the model of Germany's Bundesliga to develop its own professional league. The professional association football league, J.League was formed in 1992, with eight clubs drawn from the JSL First Division, one from the Second Division, and the newly formed Shimizu S-Pulse . At the same time, JSL changed its name to Japan Football League , becoming a semi-professional league. Although

4294-711: The Mexican Football Association, demanded participation in the Intercontinental Cup ( either as the American-continent representantives in the Intercontinental Cup or as part of a UEFA-CONMEBOL-CONCACAF new Intercontinental Cup ) after winning the 1977–78 and 1980–81 editions of the Interamerican Cup against the South American champions ; the request was unsuccessful. The 1970s saw no fewer than seven occasions in which

4407-649: The Toyota trophy and the trophy of 2000. The draw for the 2005 edition of the competition took place in Tokyo on 30 July 2005 at The Westin Tokyo . The 2005 edition saw São Paulo pushed to the limit by Saudi side Al-Ittihad to reach the final. In the final, one goal from Mineiro was enough to dispatch English club Liverpool ; Mineiro became the first player to score in a Club World Cup final. Internacional defeated defending World and South American champions São Paulo in

4520-577: The United States and Uruguay; of the nine, only Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Brazil and Uruguay confirmed their interest to FIFA. On 7 June 1999, FIFA selected Brazil to host the competition, which was initially scheduled to take place in 1999. Manchester United legend Bobby Charlton , a pillar of England 's victorious campaign in the 1966 FIFA World Cup , stated that the Club World Championship provided "a fantastic chance of becoming

4633-747: The Venezuelan tournament before becoming European champions). In 1958, Real Madrid declined to participate in the Paris competition claiming that the final of the 1957–58 European Cup was just five days after the Paris Tournoi. On 8 October 1958, the Brazilian FA President João Havelange announced, at a UEFA meeting he attended as an invitee, the decision to create the "best of Europe X best of South American" club contest with endorsement from UEFA and CONMEBOL :

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4746-600: The backing of its President Teofilo Salinas and the Argentine Football Association ( Asociación del Fútbol Argentino ; AFA), refused to allow FIFA to have any hand in the competition stating: The CSF is the entity in charge of controlling, in South America, the organisation of the tournament between the champions of Europe and [South] America, a competition FIFA considers a friendly. We do not think it's appropriate that FIFA has to meddle in

4859-593: The champions and runners-up of the Second Division had to play the promotion/relegation series against the First Division's bottom clubs; afterwards and until 1984, only the runners-up had to play the series. Top JSL teams included Hitachi , Furukawa Electric , Mitsubishi Heavy Industries , Nissan , Toyo Industries ( Mazda ) and Yomiuri Shimbun , which are now, respectively, Kashiwa Reysol , JEF United Chiba , Urawa Red Diamonds , Yokohama F. Marinos , Sanfrecce Hiroshima and Tokyo Verdy . Furukawa/JEF United

4972-420: The clubs ranked 3rd to 6th respectively and winner playoff entered third team promotion. From 2023 onwards, J. League introduce promotion and relegation between J3 and JFL. The three divisions of the J. League will consist of 20 teams from 2024 season. The requirements for joining the J. League include items such as the stadium, management status and team management status. Regarding team management, not only

5085-496: The competition did not grant the right to attempt participation to any other champions from outside Europe and South America, FIFA stated that they can only claim to be intercontinental champions of a competition played between two continental organisations ( in contrast to the Intercontinental Cup, the right to attempt participation at the FIFA World Cup, through FIFA invitation in 1930 and qualification process since 1934,

5198-511: The competition for the first time. In the 2020 edition , Bayern Munich beat Tigres UANL 1–0, completing their sextuple . The 2021 tournament was won by Chelsea, who defeated Palmeiras 2–1 after extra time for their first title. In late 2016, FIFA President Gianni Infantino suggested an expansion of the Club World Cup to 32 teams beginning in 2019 and the reschedule to June to be more balanced and more attractive to broadcasters and sponsors. In late 2017, FIFA discussed proposals to expand

5311-484: The competition to 24 teams and have it be played every four years by 2021, replacing the FIFA Confederations Cup . The new tournament with 24 teams was supposed to start in 2021 and would have included all UEFA Champions League winners, UEFA Champions League runners-up, UEFA Europa League winners, and Copa Libertadores winners from the four seasons up to and including the year of the event, with

5424-525: The competition under its wing and rebranded it as the Toyota Cup , a one-off match played in Japan. Toyota invested over US$ 700,000 in the 1980 edition to take place in Tokyo 's National Olympic Stadium , with over US$ 200,000 awarded to each participant. The Toyota Cup, with its new format, was received with scepticism, as the sport was unfamiliar in the Far East . However, the financial incentive

5537-410: The competition, the O Estado de S. Paulo newspaper suggested that there should be FIFA involvement in the programming of international club competitions saying that, "ideally, international tournaments, here or abroad, should be played with a schedule set by FIFA". Palmeiras beat Juventus at Maracanã with over 200,000 spectators in attendance at the final of the 1951 Copa Rio, and were hailed as

5650-422: The criteria for joining the J. League after 2014, it will be called J. League 100 Year Plan club status instead. Club categories and listing order based on club composition for 2024 season. As for the home stadium, the stadium shown on the J. League corporate site as of 2024 is described. Regarding the descriptions in multiple materials, based on the description of the club guide on the J. League official website,

5763-537: The distances travelled and teams played. However, in the 2008 Champions League, three Japanese sides made the quarter-finals. However, in the recent years, with the inclusion of the A-League in Eastern Asia, the introduction of FIFA Club World Cup , and increased marketability in the Asian continent, both the league and the clubs paid more attention to Asian competition. For example, Kawasaki Frontale built up

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5876-519: The executive committee in December 1993 in Las Vegas , United States by Silvio Berlusconi , AC Milan 's president. Since every confederation had, by then, a stable, continental championship, FIFA felt it was prudent and relevant to have a Club World Championship tournament. Initially, there were nine candidates to host the competition: China, Brazil, Mexico, Paraguay, Saudi Arabia, Tahiti, Turkey,

5989-457: The fact that the FIFA Club World Cup was last held in its previous guise in 2023. The format of the tournament has caused controversy, with many clubs and national associations opposing its scheduling and accusing FIFA of prioritizing money over players' health, arguing that the addition of the new FIFA Intercontinental Cup could lead to competition overload and put players' health at risk. Africa 's best representatives were TP Mazembe from

6102-435: The farthest ever achieved by a Japanese club. This record would not last though, as the 2016 edition saw J1 League winners Kashima Antlers making it to the Final (outscoring rivals 7–1), against Real Madrid. A Gaku Shibasaki inspired Kashima attempted to win their first FIFA Club World Cup (a feat never done by any club outside of Europe and South America), but were denied by Real Madrid, who won 4–2 in extra time, thanks to

6215-759: The final berth. Starting on the 2009 season, the bottom three clubs are relegated to Division 2 at the end of the year. The two-halves format returned in 2015 but was abandoned again after 2016. Starting in 2012, Division 2 established promotion playoffs for the clubs ranked 3rd to 6th, in a manner similar to the EFL Championship in England, the Serie B in Italy and the Segunda División in Spain. However,

6328-564: The final. Starting from 2022, the match for fifth place is no longer played. The trophy used during the inaugural competition was called the FIFA Club World Championship Cup. The original laurel was created by Sawaya & Moroni, an Italian designer company that produces contemporary designs with cultural backgrounds and design concepts. The designing firm is based in Milan . The fully silver-coloured trophy had

6441-603: The final. In the final, Milan crushed Boca Juniors 4–2, in a match that saw the first player sent off in a Club World Cup final: Milan's Kakha Kaladze from Georgia in the 77th minute. Eleven minutes later, Boca Junior's Pablo Ledesma would join Kaladze as he too was sent off. The following year, Manchester United would emulate Milan by beating their semi-final opponents, Japan's Gamba Osaka , 5–3. They saw off Ecuadorian club LDU Quito 1–0 to become world champions in 2008. United Arab Emirates successfully applied for

6554-805: The final. The first stage pits the host nation's national league champions against the Oceanian Champions League winners. The winner of that stage would go on the quarter-finals to join the African Champions League winners, the AFC Champions League winners and the CONCACAF Champions League winners. The winners of those games would go on to the semi-finals to play the UEFA Champions League winners and South America's Copa Libertadores winners. The winners of each semi-final play each other in

6667-551: The first ever Club World Champions by the whole Brazilian press. However, as a number of European clubs declined participation in Copa Rio and their berths were given to less renowned ones, the quality of the eventually participating clubs was criticised in the Brazilian press, therefore the Brazilian FA announced that the following editions of Copa Rio were not to be hailed as a World Champions Cup but only as Copa Rio, and thus

6780-603: The first genuine world champions." The competition gave away US$ 28 million in prize money and its TV rights, worth US$ 40 million, were sold to 15 broadcasters across five continents. The final draw of the first Club World Championship was done on 14 October 1999 at the Copacabana Palace Hotel in Rio de Janeiro. There they were claiming that the English weren't interested in the world championship, yet

6893-459: The four semi-finalists of the European Cup, both finalists of the Copa Libertadores, as well as the African and Asian champions; once more, the proposal was to no avail. UEFA, via its president, Artemio Franchi , declined once again and the proposal failed. The idea for a multicontinental, FIFA-endorsed Club World Cup was also endorsed by João Havelange in his campaigning for FIFA presidency in 1974. The Mexican clubs América and Pumas UNAM , and

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7006-459: The grass-root level. The league believed that this would allow the clubs to bond with their respective cities and towns and get support from local government, companies, and citizens. In other words, clubs would be able to rely on the locals, rather than major national sponsors. Second, the infrastructure of the league was heavily changed in 1999. The league acquired nine clubs from the semi-professional JFL and one club from J. League to create

7119-425: The grounds were not of the highest quality, and the Japan national team was not on a par with the other Asian powerhouses. To raise the level of play domestically, to attempt to garner more fans, and to strengthen the national team, the Japan Football Association (JFA) decided to form a professional league. During this era, Japanese football investors traveled exclusively to Europe to find a possible model; eventually,

7232-493: The host nation's national league champions qualify as well. The maiden edition of this competition was separated into two rounds. The eight participants were split into two groups of four teams. The winner of each group met in the final while the runners-up played for third place. The competition changed its format during the 2005 relaunch into a single-elimination tournament in which teams play each other in one-off matches, with extra time and penalty shoot-outs used to decide

7345-642: The host nation, also failed to happen. FIFA agreed with UEFA, CONMEBOL and Toyota to merge the Intercontinental Cup and Club World Championship into one event. The final Intercontinental Cup, played by representatives clubs of most developed continents in the football world, was in 2004, with a relaunched Club World Championship held in Japan in December 2005. All the winning teams of the Intercontinental Cup were regarded by worldwide mass media and football's community as de facto " world champions " until 2017 when FIFA officially ( de jure ) recognised all of them as official club world champions in equal status to

7458-408: The importance given to the tournament by the British news media , the level of European club football as well as Brazil's after his side's 3–1 win over Manchester United; Independent Online , 11 January 2000. The inaugural competition was planned to be contested in 1999 by the continental club winners of 1998, the Intercontinental Cup winners and the host nation's national club champions, but it

7571-436: The knockout stage, starting with the round of 16 and culminating with the final. Real Madrid hold the record for most titles, having won the competition on five occasions. Corinthians ' inaugural victory remains the best result from a host nation's national league champions. Teams from Spain have won the tournament eight times, the most for any nation. England has the largest number of winning teams, with four clubs having won

7684-453: The match 3–1. The final was an all-Brazilian affair, as well as the only one which saw one side have home advantage. Vasco da Gama could not take advantage of its local support, being beaten by Corinthians 4–3 on penalties after a 0–0 draw in 90 minutes and extra time . The second edition of the competition was planned for Spain in 2001, and would have featured 12 clubs. The draw was performed at A Coruña on 6 March 2001. However, it

7797-460: The matter. René Courte, FIFA's General Sub-Secretary, wrote in 1967 an article shortly afterwards stating that FIFA viewed the Intercontinental Cup as a "European-South American friendly match". This was confirmed by FIFA president Stanley Rous. With the Asian and North American club competitions in place in 1967, FIFA opened the idea of supervising the Intercontinental Cup if it included those confederations, with Stanley Rous saying that CONCACAF and

7910-407: The most out of their logos / emblems and mascots for branding and marketing . Japan Soccer League Japan Soccer League ( 日本サッカーリーグ , Nihon Sakkā Rīgu ) ; JSL ) was the top flight association football league in Japan between 1965 and 1992, and was the precursor to the current professional league, the J.League . JSL was the second national league of a team sport in Japan after

8023-445: The name of the original 1952–1957 tournament. It was usually played by four participants, with two from Europe and two from South America. In 1960, FIFA authorised the International Soccer League , created along the lines of the 1950s Copa Rio, with a view to creating a Club World Cup, with ratification from Stanley Rous, who then had become FIFA president. In the same year, the Intercontinental Cup rose to existence. We want to win

8136-431: The names they were using in 1991–92, when the league ceased to exist. Clubs in italic no longer exist. All clubs are listed under the names they were using in 1991–92, when the league ceased to exist. Clubs in italic no longer exist. See JSL Cup . See Konica Cup (football) . Current J.League identity and/or standing in the Japanese football league system follows each name. In order of their promotion to

8249-500: The number of clubs stayed at 18. From 2015 the J.League system changed to a three-stage system. The year is split into first and second league stages, followed by a third and final championship stage. The third stage is composed of stage one and two's total point champions and up to four other teams. These additional four teams consist of the following: Stage one and stage two's top point accumulator, and stage one and two's second placed points accumulator. These five teams then take part in

8362-423: The official J. League release. (Home stadium) (Home stadium) (Home stadium) J1 Entry playoffs have been introduced from 2018, 2019 and 2022 respectively. Relegation from J1 to J2 introduced from 1999, J2 to J3 introduced from 2013 and J3 to JFL introduced from 2023. J1 Promotion playoff introduce from 2012 to 2017, reintroduced in 2023 onwards and J2 Promotion playoff to be introduce start from 2024. In 1998,

8475-471: The one we would do in Tel Aviv , on 11 January, for US$ 255,000. — Dettmar Cramer , Bayern Munich 's manager, 1975–1977, commenting on the low relevance, prestige and rewards of the Intercontinental Cup after his team's victory in 1976 ; Jornal do Brasil , 22 December 1976. The Tournoi de Paris was a competition initially meant to bring together the top teams from Europe and South America; it

8588-501: The only continental club tournaments in existence at the time; the competition was to potentially take place in Paris between September and October 1974, with an eventual final to be held at the Parc des Princes . The extreme negativity of the Europeans prevented this from happening. The same newspaper tried once again in 1975 to create a Club World Cup, in which participants would have been

8701-502: The parent corporations, but especially in later years, top players were generally paid strictly to play soccer. Originally, the JSL consisted of a single division, but in 1972 a Second Division was added. Clubs could join in by winning the All Japan Senior Football Championship cup competition and then winning a promotion/relegation series against the bottom teams in the JSL. From 1973 to 1980, both

8814-451: The problem, the management came out with two solutions. First, they announced the J.League Hundred Year Vision, in which they aim to make 100 professional association football clubs in the nation of Japan by 2092, which would be the hundredth season. The league also encouraged the clubs to promote football or non-football related sports and health activities, to acquire local sponsorships, and to build good relationships with their hometowns at

8927-430: The professional Japanese Baseball League that was founded in 1936. JSL was the first-ever national league of an amateur team sport in Japan. Each JSL team represented a corporation, and like Japanese baseball teams, went by the name of the company that owned the team. Unlike in baseball, however, promotion and relegation was followed, as J.League follows today. The players were officially amateur and were employees of

9040-495: The proposal. On 23 June 2023, FIFA confirmed that the United States will host the 2025 tournament as a prelude to the 2026 FIFA World Cup . The 32 teams will be divided into 8 groups of 4 teams with the top 2 teams in each group qualifying to the knockout stage. The FIFA Council also unanimously approved the concept of an annual club competition from 2024, called the FIFA Intercontinental Cup , in response to

9153-403: The record on points. Furukawa Electric holds the record for most seasons, all 27 the JSL played, never been relegated. Name changes made outside First Division play and following the advent of the J.League system are not mentioned; see individual club pages for more information. All statistics are within JSL First Division play except for "Current division" and "Tier", which denote standing in

9266-734: The remainder qualifying from the other four confederations. Along with a new UEFA Nations League competition, revenues of $ 25 billion would be expected during the period from 2021 to 2033. The first tournament would have been played in China; however, the tournament was cancelled due to scheduling issues caused by the COVID-19 pandemic . On 16 December 2022, FIFA announced an expanded tournament that would have 32 teams and start in June 2025. The International Federation of Professional Footballers and World Leagues Forum both immediately criticized

9379-399: The right to host the FIFA Club World Cup in 2009 and 2010. Barcelona dethroned World and European champions Manchester United in the 2009 UEFA Champions League Final to qualify for the 2009 Club World Cup . Barcelona beat Mexican club Atlante in the semi-finals 3–1 and met Estudiantes in the final. After a very close encounter which saw the need for extra-time, Lionel Messi scored from

9492-515: The same scoreline to complete their quintuple . The FIFA Club World Cup returned to Japan for the 2011 and 2012 editions. In 2011 , Barcelona comfortably won their semi-final match 4–0 against Qatari club Al Sadd . In the final, Barcelona won against Santos by the same scoreline for their second title. Messi also became the first player to score in two different Club World Cup finals. The 2012 edition saw Europe's dominance come to an end as Corinthians, boasting over 30,000 travelling fans which

9605-417: The season format became similar to the European club football. The number of relegated clubs also increased from 2 to 2.5, with the third-from-bottom club going into Promotion / relegation Series with the third-placed J2 club. Since then, other than minor adjustments, the top flight has stayed consistent. Japanese teams did not treat the Asian Champions League that seriously in the early years, in part due to

9718-674: The second edition of the cup, won by Fluminense in 1952, was hailed as a World Champions Cup by a minority of the Brazilian press, having Copa Rio been extinguished by the Brazilian FA soon later, and replaced with another cup , won in 1953 by Vasco da Gama . Still in the 1950s, the Pequeña Copa del Mundo (Spanish for Small World Cup ) was a tournament held in Venezuela between 1952 and 1957, with some other club tournaments held in Caracas from 1958 onwards also often referred to by

9831-486: The semi-finals to play the European Champions League winners and South America's Copa Libertadores winners. The victors of each semi-final would play go on to play in the final. With the introduction of this format, a fifth place match and a spot for the host nation's national league champions were added. There are now four stages: the play-off round, the quarter-final round, the semi-final round and

9944-428: The semifinals would be only one leg and all matches that ended in draws would enable the higher ranked club in the table to advance or be promoted. In 2013 the J3 League was established and while its champion was promoted automatically, the runner-up had to play a promotion/relegation series until 2017. From 2018 to 2023 two clubs was promoted automatically. From 2024 onwards, Division 3 established promotion playoffs for

10057-494: The sport's global governing body . The competition was first contested in 2000 as the FIFA Club World Championship . It was not held from 2001 to 2004 due to a combination of factors in the cancelled 2001 tournament , most importantly the collapse of FIFA's marketing partner International Sport and Leisure (ISL), but in 2005 it changed to an annual competition through 2023. Following the 2023 edition,

10170-429: The stadium name was based on the naming rights (see the article of each stadium for the handling of naming rights) (Home stadium) Clubs that have not joined the J. League but have been granted a J3 license for the 2023 season (including the J. League 100 year concept club). (Home stadium) The home stadium is at the time of approval of the 100 year plan club and at the time of J3 admission examination in 2020 Based on

10283-445: The team itself that actually participates in the J. League game, but also the management obligation of the club youth team by the training organization (subordinate organization) are stipulated. From the 2013 season, the J. League club license system was launched and the system for judging whether or not to join the J.League and the division that can join was updated. In addition since 2006, it has been decided to certify clubs that meet

10396-401: The title, not so much for ourselves but to prevent Racing from being champions. — Jock Stein , Celtic Football Club 's manager, 1965–1978, commenting before the play-off match of the 1967 Intercontinental Cup known as The Battle of Montevideo ; Evening Times , 3 November 1967. The Dutch team AFC Ajax claimed a victory without any problems and this match was no more difficult than

10509-513: The top clubs of J1. It is said that the aim is to improve the value of the J. League by increasing the provision of high quality matches. If there are 20 teams in each class, in 2023, only the lowest (18th) club will be demoted from J1 to J2 and conversely, 3 clubs will be promoted from J2 to J1. It is said that there is. After that, on 20 December 2022, based on the J League's two new growth strategies ("60 clubs shine in their respective regions" and "top tier shines as national (global) content"), From

10622-413: The top-flight: Yokohama Football Club Many of these clubs would only be promoted to the top-flight after the J.League was created. A total of 22 teams played in the JSL First Division between 1965 and 1991–92 . Fifteen of these became professional J.League clubs; the rest were relegated to the regional leagues and/or folded. Despite Mazda and Yomiuri 's record five titles, Mitsubishi holds

10735-429: The total number of regular member teams including J1 and J2. According to interviews with people involved in the J.League, it has become clear that J1, J2 and J3 are proposing to have 20 teams each from 2024 at the earliest. In conjunction with the increase in the number of teams, this is a new growth strategy that revises the ratio of equal distribution money and in particular, the policy of grading allocation centered on

10848-402: The tournament was revamped to a quadrennial competition starting in 2025. Views differ as to the cup's prestige: it struggles to attract interest in most of Europe, and is the object of heated debate in South America. The first FIFA Club World Championship took place in Brazil in 2000 , during which year it ran in parallel with the Intercontinental Cup , a competition played by the winners of

10961-438: The tournament. However, FIFA refused each request. The first of these requests was made in 1967, after a play-off match labelled The Battle of Montevideo . The Scottish Football Association , via President Willie Allan, wanted FIFA to recognise the competition in order to enforce football regulation; FIFA responded that it could not regulate a competition it did not organise. Allan's crusade also suffered after CONMEBOL, with

11074-497: The tournament. The current world champions are Manchester City , who defeated Fluminense 4–0 in the 2023 final . The first club tournament to be billed as the Football World Championship was held in 1887 , in which FA Cup winners Aston Villa beat Scottish Cup winners Hibernian , the winners of the only national competitions at the time. The first time when the champions of two European leagues met

11187-454: The ultimate honour of being the very first world club champions. — Martin Edwards , Manchester United 's chairman, 1980–2002, commenting on the FIFA Club World Championship; British Broadcasting Corporation News , 30 June 1999. The framework of the 2000 FIFA Club World Championship was laid years in advance. According to Sepp Blatter , the idea of the tournament was presented to

11300-518: The winner if necessary. It featured six clubs competing over a two-week period. There were three stages: the quarter-final round, the semi-final round and the final. The quarter-final stage pitted the Oceanian Champions League winners, the African Champions League winners, the Asian Champions League winners and the North American Champions League winners against each other. Afterwards, the winners of those games would go on to

11413-495: The winners of the 1991–92 European Cup , considered not participating in the Intercontinental Cup in 1992, and the aforementioned contractual obligation weighed in for their decision to play. In 1983, the English Football Association tried organising a Club World Cup to be played in 1985 and sponsored by West Nally, only to be denied by UEFA. Manchester United see this as an opportunity to compete for

11526-495: Was cancelled on 18 May, due to a combination of factors, most importantly the collapse of FIFA's marketing partner International Sport and Leisure . The participants of the cancelled edition received US$ 750,000 each in compensation; the Real Federación Española de Fútbol (RFEF) also received US$ 1 million from FIFA. Another attempt to stage the competition in 2003, in which 17 countries were looking to be

11639-635: Was created in 1961 in order to, among other reasons, try to include its clubs in the Copa Libertadores and, by extension, the Intercontinental Cup. However, their entry into both competitions was rejected. Subsequently, the CONCACAF Champions' Cup began in 1962 . Due to the brutality of the Argentine and Uruguayan clubs at the Intercontinental Cup, FIFA was asked several times during the late 1960s to assess penalties and regulate

11752-554: Was dubbed the "Invasão da Fiel" , travelled to Japan to join Barcelona in being two-time winners of the competition. In the semi-finals, Al-Ahly managed to keep the scoreline close as Corinthians' Paolo Guerrero scored to send the Timão into their second final. Guerrero would once again come through for Corinthians as the Timão saw off English side Chelsea 1–0 in order to bring the trophy back to Brazil. 2013 and 2014 had

11865-535: Was first played in 1957 when Vasco da Gama, the Rio de Janeiro champions, beat European champions Real Madrid 4–3 in the final at the Parc des Princes . The match was the first ever hailed as the "best of Europe X best of South American" club match, as it was Real Madrid's first intercontinental competition as European champions (the Madrid team played the 1956 Pequeña Copa del Mundo , but confirmed their participation in

11978-515: Was in 1909, 21 years before the first FIFA World Cup . The Sir Thomas Lipton Trophy was held in Italy in 1909 and 1911, and contested by English, Italian, German and Swiss clubs. English amateur team West Auckland won on both occasions. The idea that FIFA should organise international club competitions dates from the beginning of the 1950s. In 1951, the Brazilian FA created Copa Rio , also called "World Champions Cup" in Brazil, with

12091-578: Was in what was nicknamed the 1895 World Championship , when English champions Sunderland beat Scottish champions Heart of Midlothian 5–3. Ironically, the Sunderland lineup in the 1895 World Championship consisted entirely of Scottish players – Scottish players who moved to England to play professionally in those days were known as the Scotch Professors . The first attempt at creating a global club football tournament, according to FIFA,

12204-400: Was open to every FIFA member-country, regardless of the continent where it was located ). FIFA stated that they would prohibit the 1961 edition to be played out unless the organisers regarded the competition as a friendly or a private match between two organisations. The Intercontinental Cup attracted the interest of other continents. The North and Central America confederation, CONCACAF ,

12317-478: Was postponed by one year. When it was rescheduled, the competition had eight new participants from the continental champions of 1999: Brazilian clubs Corinthians and Vasco da Gama , English side Manchester United, Mexican club Necaxa , Moroccan club Raja CA , Spanish side Real Madrid, Saudi club Al-Nassr , and Australian club South Melbourne . The first goal of the competition was scored by Real Madrid's Nicolas Anelka against Al-Nassr; Real Madrid went on to win

12430-425: Was the first Emirati team to reach the Club World Cup final, as well as the second Asian team to reach the final in the 2018 edition . Real Madrid defeated Al-Ain 4–1 in the final , to win their fourth title in the competition and to become the first team ever to win it three years in a row and four times in total in the tournament's history. Thus, Real Madrid extended their international titles to seven after winning

12543-419: Was the negotiations with European clubs, whereas Barassi did the same and also helped form the framework of the competition. The Italian press regarded the competition as an "impressive project" that "was greeted so enthusiastically by FIFA officials Stanley Rous and Jules Rimet to the extent of almost giving it an official FIFA stamp." Because of the difficulty the Brazilian FA found in bringing European clubs to

12656-442: Was the only one never to be relegated to the Second Division and kept this distinction until 2009. JSL played its final season in 1991/92 and the J.League began play in 1993. Top nine JSL clubs, (along with the independent Shimizu S-Pulse ) became the original J.League members. The others except Yomiuri Junior who merged with their parent club Yomiuri Club joined the newly formed Japan Football League . All clubs are listed under

12769-497: Was welcomed, as European and South American clubs were suffering financial difficulties. To protect themselves against the possibility of European withdrawals, Toyota, UEFA and every European Cup participant signed annual contracts requiring the eventual winners of the European Cup to participate at the Intercontinental Cup, as a condition UEFA stipulated to the clubs' participation in the European Cup, or risk facing an international lawsuit from UEFA and Toyota. For instance, Barcelona ,

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