NPB has announced that from the 2026 season, the traditional Eastern / Western two-league structure for farm games will be phased out and replaced by a single league with three divisions (East, Central, West). With the addition of the new clubs Oisix Niigata Albirex BC and Hayate Shizuoka, a new 14-team Farm League will begin.
Based on the official NPB announcement, this article整理es the key points of the new system and the clubs in each division, and highlights where fans can focus to enjoy it even more.
1. New Format Overview: Single League, Three Divisions & March 14 Opening Day
According to the NPB official site, the 2026 Farm League will have the following format:
- League name: “Farm League”
- Structure: Single league with three divisions (East / Central / West), 14 teams total
- Opening Day: All 14 teams start on Saturday, 14 March 2026
- Number of games: A total of 135–146 games per team, combining intra-division games and inter-division matchups
- Standings: Rained-out games are not replayed; final standings in each division are decided by winning percentage based on the games actually played
- Spring Educational League: A total of 40 educational games will be played between 3–12 March
In other words, the farm is almost fully active from early March, including the Spring Educational League. For fans tracking prospects and new signings, it will be an even busier spring than usual.
2. Teams by Division: East, Central, West
Based on the official announcement, the teams in each division are as follows:
| Division | Teams |
|---|---|
| East | Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles / Oisix Niigata Albirex Baseball Club / Tokyo Yakult Swallows / Chiba Lotte Marines / Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters |
| Central | Saitama Seibu Lions / Yomiuri Giants / Yokohama DeNA BayStars / Hayate Shizuoka (Hayate Ventures Shizuoka) / Chunichi Dragons |
| West | Orix Buffaloes / Hanshin Tigers / Hiroshima Toyo Carp / Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks |
The old Eastern / Western split has been reset, and the new layout reflects geographical balance plus the home regions of the two new entrants.
3. Game Volume and Schedule Image
In the “scheduled games by club” released by NPB, the East and Central divisions each have five teams, while the West has four. Broadly speaking, the rhythm looks like this:
- “Blocks” of around six series against division opponents
- Followed by two series of inter-division games
This cycle is repeated, meaning inter-division games are built into the schedule throughout the year rather than concentrated in one period.
The total number of scheduled games differs slightly by club, but even the lowest is 135 games, and the highest is 146 games – more than enough volume for a serious development league.
4. How the Farm Champion Is Decided: Three Division Winners + One Wild Card
The farm champion of Japan will be decided in the “Farm Japan Championship” after the regular season.
- The three division winners qualify automatically
- The second-place team with the highest winning percentage across the three divisions earns a wild-card berth, for a total of four teams
This means that even a team finishing second in a “group of death” still has a realistic pathway to the title. Fans can follow not only the divisional races but also the nationwide battle for that single wild-card spot.
5. What Makes It Fun to Watch
- Newcomers vs. NPB farms
Oisix Niigata Albirex BC and Hayate Shizuoka will play full farm schedules against all 12 NPB clubs for the first time. It will be fascinating to see how players coming from independent leagues measure up. - Different “flavours” by division
・East: Eastern Japan plus the new Niigata club – relatively fresh combinations.
・Central: A mix of tradition and big metropolitan areas with Giants, DeNA, Dragons and Lions.
・West: Hanshin, Hiroshima, Orix and SoftBank – a “high-density West Japan four-pack” of strong fanbases. - Links to the first team
With plenty of inter-division matchups, we’ll frequently see “farm versions” of card combinations that rarely appear in the first team schedule. You can treat them as early previews of potential postseason battles.
6. Official Information & NPB’s Official X Post
For precise details on the format and schedule, be sure to check the NPB official site and news releases. The farm section also provides PDFs of the schedule, explanatory notes, and information on the Spring Educational League.
The headline points were also shared on the official NPB X account on the day of the announcement.
Summary: The Farm Becomes a Truly “National” League
With the move to a single league and three divisions, plus the addition of two new clubs, the Farm League is evolving into a more clearly defined nationwide development league.
Beyond first-team results, it will be easier than ever to follow which players are pushing up from below. In the 2026 realigned Farm League, checking the schedule is a must if you want to discover the next core players of your favourite club.
