2015 J1 League

23rd season of J1 League

Football league season

Meiji Yasuda J1 League
Season	2015
Champions	Sanfrecce Hiroshima 3rd J.League title 8th Japanese title
Relegated	Matsumoto Yamaga Montedio Yamagata Shimizu S-Pulse
Champions League	Sanfrecce Hiroshima Urawa Red Diamonds Gamba Osaka FC Tokyo
Club World Cup	Sanfrecce Hiroshima
Matches played	306
Goals scored	820 (2.68 per match)
Top goalscorer	Yoshito Ōkubo (23 goals)
Highest attendance	53,148 Urawa vs Gamba Osaka (2 May)
Lowest attendance	6,100 Yamagata vs Nagoya (29 July)
Average attendance	17,803
← 2014 2016 → All statistics correct as of 22 November 2015.

The 2015 Meiji Yasuda J1 League (2015 明治安田生命J1リーグ) season^[1] was the 50th season of top-flight football in Japan and the 23rd since the establishment of the J.League in 1992. This was first season of J1 League as renamed from J. League Division 1.

For a five-year period starting in 2015, the J.League changed to a newly conceived multistage system, with the year split into two halves and a third and final championship stage. The winners of the first and second stages and the highest ranking club of the aggregate table (other than the first or second stage winners) will qualify for the Championship Stage. Sanfrecce Hiroshima won the Championship Stage and advanced to the 2015 FIFA Club World Cup as the host nation's entrant.

Clubs

‡ Keihanshin teams

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Locations of the 2015 J1 League teams

Club name	Coach	Home town(s)	Stadium	Capacity	Note(s)
Albirex Niigata	Masaaki Yanagishita	Niigata & Seirō, Niigata	Big Swan Stadium	42,300
Kashima Antlers	Masatada Ishii	Kashima, Ibaraki	Kashima Soccer Stadium	40,728	2015 AFC Champions League participant (as 2014 J.League Third placed team)
Shonan Bellmare	Cho Kwi-jea	Hiratsuka, Kanagawa	Shonan Stadium Hiratsuka	18,500	Promoted from J.League Division 2 in 2014
Yokohama F. Marinos	Erick Mombaerts	Yokohama & Yokosuka	Nissan Stadium	72,327
Kawasaki Frontale	Yahiro Kazama	Kawasaki, Kanagawa	Todoroki Athletics Stadium	26,232
Gamba Osaka	Kenta Hasegawa	Suita, Osaka	Osaka Expo '70 Stadium	21,000	2015 AFC Champions League participant (as 2014 J.League winners)
Nagoya Grampus	Akira Nishino	Nagoya, Aichi	Mizuho Athletic Stadium	27,000
Montedio Yamagata	Nobuhiro Ishizaki	All cities/towns in Yamagata	ND Soft Stadium	20,315	Promoted from J.League Division 2 in 2014 (through a play-off system)
Urawa Red Diamonds	Mihailo Petrović	Saitama	Saitama Stadium	63,700	2015 AFC Champions League participant (as 2014 J.League runners-up)
Kashiwa Reysol	Tatsuma Yoshida	Kashiwa, Chiba	Kashiwa Soccer Stadium	15,900	2015 AFC Champions League play-off participant (as 2014 J.League Fourth placed team)
Shimizu S-Pulse	Kazuaki Tasaka	Shizuoka	IAI Stadium Nihondaira	20,339
Sagan Tosu	Hitoshi Morishita	Tosu, Saga	Tosu Stadium	24,490
Sanfrecce Hiroshima	Hajime Moriyasu	Hiroshima	Hiroshima Big Arch	50,000
FC Tokyo	Massimo Ficcadenti	Tokyo	Ajinomoto Stadium	49,970
Vegalta Sendai	Susumu Watanabe	Sendai, Miyagi	Yurtec Stadium	19,694
Ventforet Kofu	Satoru Sakuma	Kofu, Yamanashi	Yamanashi Chuo Bank Stadium	17,000
Vissel Kobe	Nelsinho Baptista	Kobe, Hyōgo	Misaki Park Stadium	30,132
Matsumoto Yamaga	Yasuharu Sorimachi	Matsumoto, Nagano	Matsumoto Stadium	20,000	Promoted from J.League Division 2 in 2014

Managerial changes

Team	Outgoing manager	Date of separation	Manner of departure	Incoming manager	Date of announcement
Ventforet Kofu	Yasuhiro Higuchi	13 May	Mutual consent^[2]	Satoru Sakuma	13 May
Kashima Antlers	Toninho Cerezo	21 July	Sacked^[3]	Masatada Ishii	21 July
Shimizu S-Pluse	Katsumi Oenoki	1 August	Resigned^[4]	Kazuaki Tasaka	11 August

Foreign players

Club	Player 1	Player 2	Player 3	Asian Player	on-Visa Foreign	Type-C Contract^[5]
Albirex Niigata	Cortês	Léo Silva	Rafael Silva	Lim You-hwan		Rafael Ratão
Kashima Antlers	Caio	Davi	Dinei	Hwang Seok-ho
Shonan Bellmare	André Bahia	Thiago Quirino	Kim Jong-pil	Lee Ho-seung		Alison
Yokohama F. Marinos	Ademilson	Fabio	Rafinha
Kawasaki Frontale	Arthur Maia	Elsinho
Gamba Osaka	Lins	Patric		Oh Jae-suk	Kim Jung-ya
Nagoya Grampus	Leandro Domingues	Danilson Córdoba	Milivoje Novaković			Gustavo
Montedio Yamagata	Alceu	Diego	Romero Frank	Kim Byeom-yong
Urawa Red Diamonds	Zlatan Ljubijankić
Kashiwa Reysol	Cristiano	Ederson	Eduardo	Kim Chang-soo
Shimizu S-Pulse	Dejan Jaković	Calvin Jong-a-Pin	Peter Utaka	Mitchell Duke	Jong Tae-se
Sagan Tosu	Baek Sung-dong	Choi Sung-keun	Kim Min-hyeok	Kim Min-woo
Sanfrecce Hiroshima	Douglas	Mihael Mikić		Byeon Jun-byum
FC Tokyo	Vlada Avramov	Francisco Sandaza		Nathan Burns
Ventforet Kofu	Baré	Maranhão	Marquinhos Paraná
Vegalta Sendai	Felipe	Ramon Lopes	Wilson	Kim Min-tae	Ryang Yong-gi
Vissel Kobe	Leandro	Marquinhos	Pedro Júnior	Jung Woo-young		Bueno
Matsumoto Yamaga	Eric	Obina	Willians	Kim Bo-kyung

Format changes

Teams play a single round-robin in the first stage and a single round-robin in the second stage.^[6] After that an overall table is calculated and a championship stage is played. The winners of the first and second stages and any team that finishes in the top 3 of the overall rankings advance to the championship stage. The team that finishes atop the overall table automatically qualifies for the final, while the remaining teams play-off for the other spot in the final.

League table

First stage

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Urawa Red Diamonds (Q)	17	12	5	0	39	17	+22	41	Qualification to J.League Championship Stage
2	FC Tokyo	17	11	2	4	24	18	+6	35
3	Sanfrecce Hiroshima	17	10	4	3	29	16	+13	34
4	Gamba Osaka	17	9	5	3	24	13	+11	32
5	Kawasaki Frontale	17	9	3	5	32	26	+6	30
6	Yokohama F. Marinos	17	7	5	5	21	17	+4	26
7	Vegalta Sendai	17	6	5	6	27	20	+7	23
8	Kashima Antlers	17	6	4	7	27	25	+2	22
9	Nagoya Grampus	17	6	4	7	18	18	0	22
10	Shonan Bellmare	17	6	4	7	20	24	−4	22
11	Sagan Tosu	17	5	5	7	22	32	−10	20
12	Ventforet Kofu	17	6	2	9	12	22	−10	20
13	Vissel Kobe	17	4	7	6	17	19	−2	19
14	Kashiwa Reysol	17	4	6	7	22	25	−3	18
15	Matsumoto Yamaga	17	4	3	10	17	26	−9	15
16	Montedio Yamagata	17	3	5	9	14	24	−10	14
17	Albirex Niigata	17	3	5	9	20	33	−13	14
18	Shimizu S-Pulse	17	3	4	10	22	32	−10	13

Updated to match(es) played on 27 June 2015. Source: Meiji Yasuda J1 League Standings
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored
(Q) Qualified for the phase indicated

Second stage

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Sanfrecce Hiroshima (Q)	17	13	1	3	44	14	+30	40	Qualification to J.League Championship Stage
2	Kashima Antlers	17	12	1	4	30	16	+14	37
3	Gamba Osaka	17	9	4	4	32	24	+8	31
4	Urawa Red Diamonds	17	9	4	4	30	23	+7	31
5	Yokohama F. Marinos	17	8	5	4	24	15	+9	29
6	FC Tokyo	17	8	4	5	21	15	+6	28
7	Kawasaki Frontale	17	8	3	6	30	22	+8	27
8	Kashiwa Reysol	17	8	3	6	24	18	+6	27
9	Shonan Bellmare	17	7	5	5	20	20	0	26
10	Nagoya Grampus	17	7	3	7	26	30	−4	24
11	Albirex Niigata	17	5	5	7	21	25	−4	20
12	Sagan Tosu	17	4	8	5	15	22	−7	20
13	Vissel Kobe	17	6	1	10	27	30	−3	19
14	Ventforet Kofu	17	4	5	8	14	21	−7	17
15	Matsumoto Yamaga	17	3	4	10	13	28	−15	13
16	Vegalta Sendai	17	3	3	11	17	28	−11	12
17	Shimizu S-Pulse	17	2	6	9	15	33	−18	12
18	Montedio Yamagata	17	1	7	9	10	29	−19	10

Updated to match(es) played on 22 November 2015. Source: Meiji Yasuda J1 League 2nd Stage Standings
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored
(Q) Qualified for the phase indicated

Overall table

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification or relegation
1	Sanfrecce Hiroshima (C)	34	23	5	6	73	30	+43	74	Club World Cup, Champions League group stage and J.League Championship Final
2	Urawa Red Diamonds	34	21	9	4	69	40	+29	72	Champions League group stage and J.League Championship 1st Round
3	Gamba Osaka	34	18	9	7	56	37	+19	63
4	FC Tokyo	34	19	6	9	45	33	+12	63	Champions League qualifying play-off^[a]
5	Kashima Antlers	34	18	5	11	57	41	+16	59
6	Kawasaki Frontale	34	17	6	11	62	48	+14	57
7	Yokohama F. Marinos	34	15	10	9	45	32	+13	55
8	Shonan Bellmare	34	13	9	12	40	44	−4	48
9	Nagoya Grampus	34	13	7	14	44	48	−4	46
10	Kashiwa Reysol	34	12	9	13	46	43	+3	45
11	Sagan Tosu	34	9	13	12	37	54	−17	40
12	Vissel Kobe	34	10	8	16	44	49	−5	38
13	Ventforet Kofu	34	10	7	17	26	43	−17	37
14	Vegalta Sendai	34	9	8	17	44	48	−4	35
15	Albirex Niigata	34	8	10	16	41	58	−17	34
16	Matsumoto Yamaga (R)	34	7	7	20	30	54	−24	28	Relegation to 2016 J2 League
17	Shimizu S-Pulse (R)	34	5	10	19	37	65	−28	25
18	Montedio Yamagata (R)	34	4	12	18	24	53	−29	24

Updated to match(es) played on 28 November 2015. Source: Meiji Yasuda J1 League Standings
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored
(C) Champions; (R) Relegated
Notes:

^ The winner of the 2015 Emperor's Cup qualified for the Group Stage of the 2016 AFC Champions League. Since the Emperor's Cup winner was Gamba Osaka who were the third-placed team, the Qualifying play-off spot was awarded to the fourth-placed team.

Positions by round

First stage

Updated to match(es) played on 27 June 2015. Source: J. League data site
Note 1: Matchday 10 results for 2015 AFC Champions League Participants (Kashiwa Reysol vs. Urawa Red Diamonds; Gamba Osaka vs. Kashima Antlers), held on 3 June 2015, are included in Matchday 15 ranking.
Note 2: Matchday 13 results for 2015 AFC Champions League quarterfinalists (Kashiwa Reysol vs. Gamba Osaka), held on 23 June 2015, are included in Matchday 17 ranking.

Second stage

Team ╲ Round	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17
Team ╲ Round
Sanfrecce Hiroshima	3	1	1	1	1	1	2	2	2	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1
Kashima Antlers	4	5	11	7	4	2	1	1	1	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2
Gamba Osaka	6	8	6	3	5	8	10	8	5	5	5	4	8	4	4	4	3
Urawa Red Diamonds	6	7	9	13	14	9	8	4	9	6	4	3	4	6	5	5	4
Yokohama F. Marinos	9	14	16	16	17	14	12	9	6	7	6	8	7	3	3	3	5
FC Tokyo	17	10	9	13	9	6	4	6	4	4	7	5	3	5	7	6	6
Kawasaki Frontale	2	3	4	5	3	4	6	10	11	9	8	6	5	7	8	9	7
Kashiwa Reysol	12	10	3	2	6	3	3	3	3	3	3	7	6	8	6	7	8
Shonan Bellmare	6	5	11	11	7	5	6	4	7	8	9	9	9	9	9	8	9
Nagoya Grampus	14	8	6	6	2	7	5	7	8	10	11	10	10	11	10	10	10
Albirex Niigata	12	17	14	8	10	10	13	14	12	12	10	11	11	10	11	12	11
Sagan Tosu	4	4	8	9	11	12	11	12	14	13	13	14	14	14	14	13	12
Vissel Kobe	1	2	2	4	8	11	9	11	10	11	12	12	12	13	12	11	13
Ventforet Kofu	14	14	4	12	13	15	16	13	13	14	14	13	13	12	13	14	14
Matsumoto Yamaga	14	18	15	10	12	13	15	16	16	17	17	16	15	16	16	16	15
Vegalta Sendai	11	13	18	18	18	17	17	17	17	16	15	15	17	15	15	15	16
Shimizu S-Pulse	18	16	17	17	15	16	14	15	15	15	16	17	18	18	18	17	17
Montedio Yamagata	9	12	13	15	16	18	18	18	18	18	18	18	16	17	17	18	18

	Leader and qualification to 2015 J.League Championship

Updated to match(es) played on 22 November 2015. Source: J. League data site
Note 1: Matchday 6 results for Gamba Osaka vs. Sagan Tosu, held on 22 July 2015, are included in Matchday 4 ranking. Gamba Osaka is a finalist in 2015 Suruga Bank Championship, scheduled on 11 August 2015.
Note 2: Matchday 9 results for Matsumoto Yamaga vs. Montedio Yamagata, held on 23 September 2015, are included on Matchday 12 ranking.

Overall

Team ╲ Round	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31	32	33	34
Team ╲ Round
Sanfrecce Hiroshima	4	1	1	6	10	6	6	4	4	3	4	3	2	2	2	2	3	2	2	2	1	1	1	2	2	1	1	2	2	2	1	1	1	1
Urawa Red Diamonds	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	2	2	2	1	1	2	2	1	1	1	2	2	2	2
Gamba Osaka	10	13	7	5	3	2	2	2	3	4	3	2	3	4	4	4	4	3	4	4	3	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	3	4	3
FC Tokyo	10	10	4	2	1	5	4	3	2	2	2	4	5	3	3	3	2	4	3	3	4	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	4	3	4
Kashima Antlers	14	17	17	11	12	8	10	8	10	11	9	8	11	9	9	7	8	7	7	8	6	6	6	6	5	5	5	6	6	6	6	7	5	5
Kawasaki Frontale	1	4	6	4	6	4	3	5	5	6	5	7	6	6	6	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	6	6	6	5	5	5	5	6	6	6
Yokohama F. Marinos	14	16	13	8	7	11	8	11	11	8	6	5	4	5	5	6	6	6	6	6	8	9	9	8	7	7	7	7	7	7	7	5	7	7
Shonan Bellmare	14	8	12	7	11	13	14	12	12	13	10	10	8	7	10	10	10	8	8	10	10	8	7	10	10	10	9	9	8	9	8	8	8	8
Nagoya Grampus	8	12	16	18	12	8	11	9	6	7	8	11	9	10	8	8	9	12	9	9	7	7	8	7	9	9	10	10	9	10	10	10	9	9
Kashiwa Reysol	7	7	10	12	8	12	12	7	8	10	12	13	14	15	15	15	14	14	13	12	9	10	10	9	8	8	8	8	10	8	9	9	10	10
Sagan Tosu	6	3	3	9	5	3	5	6	7	5	7	6	7	8	11	11	11	10	11	14	12	12	13	12	12	13	13	13	14	14	14	12	11	11
Vissel Kobe	13	13	18	14	9	10	7	10	9	9	11	14	10	12	12	13	13	11	12	7	11	11	12	11	11	11	11	11	12	13	15	14	12	12
Ventforet Kofu	17	9	15	17	18	18	18	18	18	18	18	18	16	14	13	12	12	13	14	13	14	13	14	14	13	12	14	15	13	11	11	11	13	13
Vegalta Sendai	4	5	5	2	4	7	9	13	13	15	15	12	13	11	7	9	7	9	10	11	13	14	11	13	14	14	12	12	11	12	12	13	14	14
Albirex Niigata	12	15	10	15	14	14	15	15	14	14	17	17	18	18	18	17	17	17	18	17	16	15	15	15	15	15	15	14	15	15	13	15	15	15
Matsumoto Yamaga	8	11	9	12	16	15	13	14	15	12	14	9	12	13	14	14	15	15	16	15	15	16	16	16	16	16	16	16	16	16	16	16	16	16
Shimizu S-Pulse	1	5	8	10	15	16	16	16	17	17	16	16	17	17	17	18	18	18	17	18	18	17	18	17	17	17	17	17	18	18	18	18	18	17
Montedio Yamagata	17	18	14	16	17	17	17	17	16	16	13	15	15	16	16	16	16	16	15	16	17	18	17	18	18	18	18	18	17	17	17	17	17	18

	Leader, qualification to 2015 J.League Championship Final and 2016 AFC Champions League group stage
	Qualification to 2015 J.League Championship 1st Round and 2015 AFC Champions League group stage / qualifying play-off
	Relegation to 2016 J2 League

Updated to match(es) played on 22 November 2015. Source: J. League data site
Note 1: Matchday 10 results for 2015 AFC Champions League Participants (Kashiwa Reysol vs. Urawa Red Diamonds; Gamba Osaka vs. Kashima Antlers), held on 3 June 2015, are included in Matchday 15 ranking.
Note 2: Matchday 13 results for 2015 AFC Champions League quarterfinalists (Kashiwa Reysol vs. Gamba Osaka), held on 23 June 2015, are included in Matchday 17 ranking.
Note 3: Matchday 23 results for Gamba Osaka vs. Sagan Tosu, held on 22 July 2015, are included in Matchday 21 ranking. Gamba Osaka is a finalist in 2015 Suruga Bank Championship, scheduled on 11 August 2015.
Note 4: Matchday 26 results for Matsumoto Yamaga vs. Montedio Yamagata, held on 23 September 2015, are included on Matchday 29 ranking.

Championship stage

Meiji Yasuda 2015 J.League Championship (明治安田生命 2015 Jリーグチャンピオンシップ)
The Championship stage consisted of a knockout tournament involving the champions of the First and Second Stages, and any team that finishes in the top 3 of the overall table. The team with the best aggregate record earned a bye to the final. The remaining teams playoff for the other spot in the final.

Semifinal			Final

			1	Sanfrecce Hiroshima	3	1	4
2	Urawa Red Diamonds	1	3	Gamba Osaka	2	1	3
3	Gamba Osaka (a.e.t.)	3

28 November 2015

14:00

Urawa Red Diamonds	1–3 (a.e.t.)	Gamba Osaka
Ljubijankić 72'	Report	Konno 47' Fujiharu 117' Patric 120'

Saitama Stadium 2002, Midori-ku, Saitama

Attendance: 40,696

Referee: Hajime Matsuo

2 December 2015

19:30

Gamba Osaka	2–3	Sanfrecce Hiroshima
Nagasawa 60' Konno 82'	Report	Douglas 80' Sasaki 90+1' Kashiwa 90+6'

Osaka Expo '70 Stadium, Suita

Attendance: 17,844

Referee: Kenji Ogiya

5 December 2015

19:30

Sanfrecce Hiroshima	1–1	Gamba Osaka
Asano 76'	Report	Konno 28'

Hiroshima Big Arch, Hiroshima

Attendance: 36,609

Referee: Yuichi Nishimura

Results

First stage

Home \ Away	ALB	ANT	BEL	FMA	FRO	GAM	GRA	MON	RED	REY	SAG	SFR	SSP	TOK	VEG	VEN	VIS	YAM
Albirex Niigata							1–1	1–1		3–2			0–0	0–1	0–3	0–2	2–2
Kashima Antlers	1–1		1–2		2–3						3–1	2–2				0–1	1–2	3–1
Shonan Bellmare	1–3					0–2			1–3		4–2	0–0	4–0	0–1	0–0		1–1
Yokohama F. Marinos	1–0	0–3	3–0		1–3	1–1	2–0				1–0	1–2			1–1
Kawasaki Frontale	4–1		2–1						1–1	1–4	3–2	0–1				3–0	2–2	2–0
Gamba Osaka	2–1	2–0			1–1		3–1							2–2	1–1		0–0	1–0
Nagoya Grampus		1–1	3–0		0–1			0–0		1–0	0–1	2–0	3–1					3–3
Montedio Yamagata		2–2	1–2	1–0	1–0	1–3				3–0				0–1			0–1	0–0
Urawa Red Diamonds	5–2	2–1		2–1		1–0	2–1	1–0					1–0	4–1				1–0
Kashiwa Reysol		1–3	0–0	1–2		1–0			3–3			2–3	0–0		1–1
Sagan Tosu	2–1					1–0		1–0	1–6	1–1		2–2		1–2			1–1	1–1
Sanfrecce Hiroshima	4–2					0–1		5–1	0–0				2–0		2–0	2–0	0–1
Shimizu S-Pulse		3–1		1–2	5–2	2–3		3–3			2–2					0–2		0–1
FC Tokyo		0–1		0–0	2–1		0–1			2–1		1–2	3–2			1–0
Vegalta Sendai		1–2			2–3		2–0	2–0	4–4		5–0		2–1	2–3		0–1
Ventforet Kofu			0–1	1–1		0–2	1–0	2–0	0–2	1–1	0–3
Vissel Kobe				1–1			0–1		1–1	0–1			1–2	0–2	0–1	4–1
Matsumoto Yamaga	1–2		2–3	0–3						3–0		1–2		0–1	1–0	2–0	2–0

Updated to match(es) played on 27 June 2015. Source: J. League Data
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

Second stage

Home \ Away	ALB	ANT	BEL	FMA	FRO	GAM	GRA	MON	RED	REY	SAG	SFR	SSP	TOK	VEG	VEN	VIS	YAM
Albirex Niigata		2–3	0–2	1–1	1–2	2–2			1–2		1–0	0–2						2–0
Kashima Antlers				2–0		1–2	1–0	3–0	1–2	3–2			0–0	2–1	3–2
Shonan Bellmare		2–1		1–1	2–1		2–1	0–1		3–0						0–2		1–1
Yokohama F. Marinos								1–1	4–0	0–1			1–2	1–0		2–0	2–1	0–0
Kawasaki Frontale		1–3		0–1		5–3	6–1	0–0					3–2	2–0	1–0
Gamba Osaka			1–0	2–2				4–0	2–1	3–1	1–1	0–2	1–0			2–1
Nagoya Grampus	4–2			0–3		3–2			2–1					0–0	0–1	4–2	2–0
Montedio Yamagata	1–3						0–3		0–0		1–3	1–3	1–2		1–1	0–1
Urawa Red Diamonds			1–0		1–1					1–0	1–1	1–2			3–1	1–1	5–2
Kashiwa Reysol	1–1				1–0		3–1	0–0			2–3			0–1		2–2	2–0	2–0
Sagan Tosu		0–3	1–1	1–2	1–1		0–0						0–0		1–0	0–1
Sanfrecce Hiroshima		0–1	5–0	2–0	2–1		5–2			0–3	0–0			0–1				6–0
Shimizu S-Pulse	1–1		1–2				2–2		1–4	0–3		1–5		1–1	0–1		0–5
FC Tokyo	3–1		1–2			2–1		0–0	3–4		0–0				3–1		3–0	1–0
Vegalta Sendai	0–1		1–1	1–3		1–3				0–1		3–4					1–2	3–1
Ventforet Kofu	0–0	0–1			1–3							0–2	2–2	0–1	0–0		1–0	0–1
Vissel Kobe	1–2	0–2	1–1		2–0	1–2		3–1			7–1	0–4						2–1
Matsumoto Yamaga		2–0			1–3	1–1	0–1	2–2	1–2		1–2		1–0

Updated to match(es) played on 22 November 2015. Source: J. League Data
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

Top scorers

Rank	Scorer	Club	Goals
1	Yoshito Ōkubo	Kawasaki Frontale	23
2	Douglas	Sanfrecce Hiroshima	21
3	Takashi Usami	Gamba Osaka	19
4	Yohei Toyoda	Sagan Tosu	16
5	Cristiano	Kashiwa Reysol	14
6	Yuki Muto	Urawa Red Diamonds	13
7	Shinzo Koroki	Urawa Red Diamonds	12
	Patric	Gamba Osaka
	Hisato Sato	Sanfrecce Hiroshima
10	Genki Omae	Shimizu S-Pulse	11

Updated to games played on 22 November 2015

Source: J.League Data^[7]

Awards

Individual

Award	Recipient	Club	Notes
Most Valuable Player	Toshihiro Aoyama	Sanfrecce Hiroshima
Rookie of the Year	Takuma Asano	Sanfrecce Hiroshima
Manager of the Year	Hajime Moriyasu	Sanfrecce Hiroshima
Top scorer	Yoshito Ōkubo	Kawasaki Frontale	23 goals.

Best Eleven

Position	Footballer	Club	Nationality
GK	Shusaku Nishikawa (4)	Urawa Red Diamonds	Japan
DF	Kosuke Ota (2)	FC Tokyo	Japan
DF	Masato Morishige (3)	FC Tokyo	Japan
DF	Tsukasa Shiotani (2)	Sanfrecce Hiroshima	Japan
DF	Tomoaki Makino (2)	Urawa Red Diamonds	Japan
MF	Mu Kanazaki (1)	Kashima Antlers	Japan
MF	Toshihiro Aoyama (3)	Sanfrecce Hiroshima	Japan
MF	Yasuhito Endō (12)	Gamba Osaka	Japan
FW	Yoshito Ōkubo (3)	Kawasaki Frontale	Japan
FW	Takashi Usami (2)	Gamba Osaka	Japan
FW	Douglas (1)	Sanfrecce Hiroshima	Brazil

* The number in brackets denotes the number of times that the footballer has appeared in the Best 11.

Attendances

Pos	Team	Total	High	Low	Average	Change
1	Urawa Red Diamonds	658,668	53,148	22,363	38,745	+9.1%^†
2	FC Tokyo	489,336	42,604	12,727	28,784	+14.3%^†
3	Yokohama F. Marinos	411,759	44,226	8,038	24,221	+4.9%^†
4	Albirex Niigata	398,545	31,324	16,068	23,444	+2.0%^†
5	Kawasaki Frontale	356,976	24,992	14,881	20,999	+26.0%^†
6	Matsumoto Yamaga	285,992	18,906	11,743	16,823	+32.1%^†
7	Kashima Antlers	279,185	29,030	6,923	16,423	−7.0%^†
8	Sanfrecce Hiroshima	278,499	33,210	7,966	16,382	+9.2%^†
9	Vissel Kobe	276,512	24,027	7,696	16,265	+8.4%^†
10	Nagoya Grampus	276,082	33,558	9,986	16,240	−2.9%^†
12	Gamba Osaka	271,984	18,842	10,702	15,999	+8.5%^†
11	Shimizu S-Pulse	239,406	19,736	11,348	14,083	−0.9%^†
13	Vegalta Sendai	234,442	19,375	12,488	13,791	−9.1%^†
14	Sagan Tosu	228,644	20,792	7,524	13,450	−4.9%^†
15	Shonan Bellmare	207,539	14,581	9,157	12,208	+44.0%^†
16	Ventforet Kofu	192,042	14,176	7,015	11,297	−7.2%^†
17	Kashiwa Reysol	185,609	14,055	6,701	10,918	+1.9%^†
18	Montedio Yamagata	170,518	13,737	6,100	10,030	+58.0%^†
	League total	5,447,602	53,148	6,100	17,803	+3.3%^†

Updated to games played on 22 November 2015
Source: J. League Data
Notes:
^† Team played previous season in J2.

References

^ "新年のご挨拶" (Press release) (in Japanese). J.League. 1 January 2015. Retrieved 19 January 2015.
^ "佐久間悟Gm 監督就任のお知らせ".
^ "公式サイトUrl変更のお知らせ | 鹿島アントラーズオフィシャルサイト".
^ "大榎克己監督辞任のお知らせ".
^ "Player registration and contracts". J.League. Archived from the original on 11 September 2014. Retrieved 28 November 2014.
^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 October 2015. Retrieved 24 April 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
^ "J.league.jp Japan Professional Football League". Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 29 May 2015.

2015 in Japanese football

« 2014

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League competitions

Men	J1 League J2 League J3 League Japan Football League Regional Leagues
Women	L.League

Cup competitions

Men	Emperor's Cup (Final) J.League Cup (Final) Super Cup
Women	Empress's Cup (Final)

AFC competitions

Men	AFC Champions League FIFA Club World Cup Suruga Bank Championship

Related to national teams

Men	Summary AFC Asian Cup
Women	Summary

Club seasons
J1 League	Vegalta Sendai Montedio Yamagata Kashima Antlers Urawa Red Diamonds Kashiwa Reysol FC Tokyo Kawasaki Frontale Yokohama F. Marinos Shonan Bellmare Ventforet Kofu Matsumoto Yamaga FC Albirex Niigata Shimizu S-Pulse Nagoya Grampus Gamba Osaka Vissel Kobe Sanfrecce Hiroshima Sagan Tosu
J2 League	Consadole Sapporo Mito HollyHock Tochigi SC Thespakusatsu Gunma Omiya Ardija JEF United Chiba Tokyo Verdy Yokohama FC Zweigen Kanazawa Júbilo Iwata FC Gifu Kyoto Sanga FC Cerezo Osaka Fagiano Okayama Kamatamare Sanuki Tokushima Vortis Ehime FC Avispa Fukuoka Giravanz Kitakyushu V-Varen Nagasaki Roasso Kumamoto Oita Trinita
J3 League	Grulla Morioka Blaublitz Akita Fukushima United FC FC Machida Zelvia YSCC Yokohama SC Sagamihara AC Nagano Parceiro Kataller Toyama Fujieda MYFC Gainare Tottori Renofa Yamaguchi FC FC Ryukyu J.League U-22 Selection

Japanese club football

First-tier club football seasons, 1965–present
Japan Soccer League 1965–1992 Japan Soccer League Division 1 since 1972	1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92
J.League 1993–present J.League Division 1/J1 League since 1999	1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
List of champions J.League Championship Promotion / Relegation series Super Cup

Second-tier club football seasons, 1972–present
Japan Soccer League Division 2 1972–1992	1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92
(former) Japan Football League 1992–1998 (former) Japan Football League Division 1 1992–1993	1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998
J2 League 1999–present	1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
List of champions Promotion / Relegation series

Third-tier club football seasons, 1992–93, 1999–present
(former) Japan Football League Division 2 1992–93	1992 1993
No national third tier, 1994–1998
Japan Football League 1999–2013	1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
J3 League 2014–present	2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
List of champions

Fourth-tier club football seasons, 2014–present
Japan Football League 2014–present	2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024

Regional level club football seasons, 1966–present
Japanese Regional Leagues 1966–present	1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
Regional Champions League Shakaijin Cup

Emperor's Cup seasons, 1921–present

Emperor's Cup
1921–present

Super Cup

League Cup seasons, 1976–present
JSL Cup 1976–1991	1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991
J.League Cup 1992–present	1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
Suruga Bank Championship

Football clubs in Japan, 2024
J1 League	Albirex Niigata Avispa Fukuoka Cerezo Osaka Gamba Osaka Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo Júbilo Iwata Kashima Antlers Kashiwa Reysol Kawasaki Frontale Kyoto Sanga FC FC Machida Zelvia Nagoya Grampus Sagan Tosu Sanfrecce Hiroshima Shonan Bellmare FC Tokyo Tokyo Verdy Urawa Red Diamonds Vissel Kobe Yokohama F. Marinos
J2 League	Blaublitz Akita Ehime FC Fagiano Okayama Fujieda MYFC Iwaki FC JEF United Chiba Kagoshima United FC Mito HollyHock Montedio Yamagata Oita Trinita Renofa Yamaguchi FC Roasso Kumamoto Shimizu S-Pulse Thespakusatsu Gunma Tochigi SC Tokushima Vortis V-Varen Nagasaki Vegalta Sendai Ventforet Kofu Yokohama FC
J3 League	AC Nagano Parceiro Azul Claro Numazu FC Gifu FC Imabari Fukushima United FC Gainare Tottori Giravanz Kitakyushu Iwate Grulla Morioka Kamatamare Sanuki Kataller Toyama Matsumoto Yamaga FC Nara Club Omiya Ardija FC Osaka FC Ryukyu SC Sagamihara Tegevajaro Miyazaki Vanraure Hachinohe YSCC Yokohama Zweigen Kanazawa
100 Year Plan clubs	Criacao Shinjuku Nankatsu SC Reilac Shiga Tokyo 23 Vonds Ichihara
Japan Football League	Briobecca Urayasu Criacao Shinjuku Honda FC Kochi United Maruyasu Okazaki Minebea Mitsumi Okinawa SV Reilac Shiga ReinMeer Aomori Sony Sendai FC Tiamo Hirakata Tochigi City Tokyo Musashino United Suzuka Point Getters Veertien Mie Verspah Oita
Defunct clubs (clubs belonging to nationwide leagues only)	Fukushima FC Arte Takasaki JEF Reserves Sagawa Express Tokyo NKK SC Yokohama Flügels ALO's Hokuriku Jatco SC Hagoromo Club Toyota Higashi-Fuji Seino Transportation Cosmo Oil Yokkaichi Sagawa Shiga NTT Kinki/Kansai SP Kyoto Tanabe Pharmaceutical Dainichi Cable Industries Sagawa Express Osaka Eidai SC Teijin SC Nippon Steel Yawata Tosu Futures Profesor Miyazaki J.League U-22 Selection FC Tokyo U-23 Cerezo Osaka U-23 Gamba Osaka U-23 Kagura Shimane

v t e 2015 in Asian Football (AFC)
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Domestic cups	Australia Bahrain '15 '15–'16 Bangladesh Fed Cup Independence Cup Brunei '14–'15 '15 Cambodia China Hong Kong Shield '14–'15 FA Cup '14–'15 League Cup '14–'15 Season play-off India Fed Cup'14–'15 Shield Durand Cup ~~Indonesia~~ Iran '14–'15 Iraq '15–'16 Japan League Cup Emperor's Cup Jordan Shield FA Cup '14–'15 Korea DPR Hwaebul Cup Man'gyŏngdae Prize Osandŏk Prize Poch'ŏnbo Torch Prize Korea Republic Kuwait Fed Cup Emir Cup '14–'15 Kyrgyzstan Lebanon Elite Cup FA Cup '14–'15 Laos Macau Malaysia FA Cup Malaysia Cup Maldives ~~FA Cup~~ President's Cup Mongolia Myanmar Nepal Oman League Cup '14–'15 Sultan Qaboos Cup '14–'15 Pakistan Palestine '14–'15 Philippines PFF Championship '14–'15 UFL Cup PFF Championship '15 Qatar Qatar Cup Emir Cup QNB Cup '14–'15 Saudi Arabia King Cup CP Cup '14–'15 '15–'16 Singapore Singapore Cup League Cup Sri Lanka Syria Tajikistan Thailand FA Cup League Cup Turkmenistan UAE League Cup '14–'15 President's Cup '14–'15 Uzbekistan Uzbek Cup PFL Cup Vietnam Yemen
Super Cups	China Japan Jordan Malaysia Oman Qatar Saudi Arabia Singapore Thailand Uzbekistan Vietnam
Regional club competitions	2015 GCC Club Cup 2015 Mekong Club Championship
AFC club competitions	AFC Champions League Qualifying play-off Group stage Knockout stage Final AFC Cup Qualifying play-off Group stage Knockout stage Final 2016 AFC Cup qualifying round
National team competitions	2018 FIFA World Cup qualification 2015 AFC Asian Cup 2019 AFC Asian Cup qualification 2016 AFC U-23 Championship qualification 2016 AFC U-19 Championship qualification 2016 AFC U-16 Championship qualification

v t e J1 League champions
8 titles	Kashima Antlers 1996 1998 2000 2001 2007 2008 2009 2016
5 titles	Yokohama F. Marinos 1995 2003 2004 2019 2022
4 titles	Kawasaki Frontale 2017 2018 2020 2021
3 titles	Júbilo Iwata 1997 1999 2002 Sanfrecce Hiroshima 2012 2013 2015
2 titles	Tokyo Verdy 1993 1994 Gamba Osaka 2005 2014
1 title	Urawa Red Diamonds 2006 Nagoya Grampus 2010 Kashiwa Reysol 2011 Vissel Kobe 2023