J.League Cup
The J. League Cup , also called YBC Levain Cup , is the Japanese league cup in football , which is played annually by the teams of the professional league J. League . The cup, which has been held since 1992, is named after a brand of the Japanese food company Yamazaki Biscuits , a subsidiary of the American company Nabisco . The title is currently held by Shonan Bellmare .
The competition, which usually begins in March and whose finals are scheduled for October or November, is in third place in terms of prestige after the championship and the Imperial Cup .
Since 2007, the winner has regularly competed the following year against the current winner of the Copa Sudamericana for the Copa Suruga Bank or Suruga Bank Championship. The competition takes place in one game on the place of the Japanese league cup winner.
Competition mode
Since the number of participating teams has changed very often with the size of the J. League since 1993, the mode of play has also been changed a few times. Over the years, he has strayed far from his original role model, the English League Cup .
In the 2018 season, all 18 top division teams and the two best relegated teams from last season will contest the competition. The 16 teams that do not participate in the AFC Champions League will be drawn into four groups of four, where they will meet each other in a round trip. The group winners and runners-up qualify for an elimination round in which four participants are determined for the quarter-finals in the two-legged matches. The winning teams will then meet in the quarter-finals against the four Champions League participants who, due to their international commitment, have received byes for the group stage (this enables the organizers to merge the dates of the league cup with those of the AFC Champions League). Quarter-finals and semi-finals will also be played back and forth before the final on October 27, 2018 at Saitama Stadium in 2002 .
All finals since 1992
The Kashima Antlers are record winners with six titles. The Antlers also hold this record with nine finals.
| year | winner | Result | Second | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Verdy Kawasaki | 1-0 | Shimizu S-Pulse | |
| 1993 | Verdy Kawasaki | 2: 1 | Shimizu S-Pulse | |
| 1994 | Verdy Kawasaki | 2-0 | Júbilo Iwata | |
| 1995 | Not carried out | |||
| 1996 | Shimizu S-Pulse | 3: 3 (aft. 5: 4) | Verdy Kawasaki | |
| 1997 | Kashima Antlers | 2: 1, 5: 1 | Júbilo Iwata | |
| 1998 | Júbilo Iwata | 4-0 | JEF United Ichihara | |
| 1999 | Kashiwa Reysol | 2: 2 (aft. 5: 4) | Kashima Antlers | |
| 2000 | Kashima Antlers | 2-0 | Kawasaki Frontale | |
| 2001 | Yokohama F. Marinos | 0: 0 (n.e. 4: 2) | Júbilo Iwata | |
| 2002 | Kashima Antlers | 1-0 | Urawa Red Diamonds | |
| 2003 | Urawa Red Diamonds | 4-0 | Kashima Antlers | |
| 2004 | FC Tokyo | 0: 0 (n.e. 4: 3) | Urawa Red Diamonds | |
| 2005 | JEF United Ichihara Chiba | 0: 0 (aft. 5: 4) | Gamba Osaka | |
| 2006 | JEF United Ichihara Chiba | 2-0 | Kashima Antlers | |
| 2007 | Gamba Osaka | 1-0 | Kawasaki Frontale | |
| 2008 | Ōita Trinita | 2-0 | Shimizu S-Pulse | |
| 2009 | FC Tokyo | 2-0 | Kawasaki Frontale | |
| 2010 | Júbilo Iwata | 5: 3 (n.V.) | Sanfrecce Hiroshima | |
| 2011 | Kashima Antlers | 1: 0 (n.V.) | Urawa Reds Diamonds | |
| 2012 | Kashima Antlers | 2: 1 (n.V.) | Shimizu S-Pulse | |
| 2013 | Kashiwa Reysol | 1-0 | Urawa Red Diamonds | |
| 2014 | Gamba Osaka | 3: 2 | Sanfrecce Hiroshima | |
| 2015 | Kashima Antlers | 3-0 | Gamba Osaka | |
| 2016 | Urawa Red Diamonds | 1: 1 (n.e. 5: 4) | Gamba Osaka | |
| 2017 | Cerezo Osaka | 2-0 | Kawasaki Frontale | |
| 2018 | Shonan Bellmare | 1-0 | Yokohama F. Marinos | |
| 2019 | Kawasaki Frontale | 3: 3 (aft. 5: 4) | Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo | |
| 2020 | ||||