Regional round fixtures confirmed for the MEIJI YASUDA J.League 100-Year Vision League
The J.League has announced that the full set of fixtures for the regional round of the MEIJI YASUDA J.League 100-Year Vision League has been decided, covering all matchdays from February to June 2026. The announcement also confirms the provisional dates and home-club allocation for the play-off round (official release, Japanese only).
The regional round is played within the previously announced groups of the special competition: the J1 100-Year Vision League (EAST / WEST) and the J2 & J3 100-Year Vision League (EAST-A, EAST-B, WEST-A, WEST-B), all in a home-and-away round-robin format.
What is the 100-Year Vision League?
The 100-Year Vision League is a special, one-off competition designed to bridge the transition from the traditional February–December calendar (2025 season) to the new autumn–spring schedule from 2026–27 onwards. All 60 professional clubs from J1, J2 and J3 are divided into regional groups, and the winner of the J1 100-Year Vision League earns a place in the AFC Champions League Elite 2026/27.
Details on the tournament format, the unique points system (penalty shoot-outs after drawn games, with 3/2/1/0 points) and the prize and solidarity payments are available on the official special site.
Reference: 100-Year Vision League special page (Japanese)
Overview of the regional round schedule
Each group in the regional round plays a double round-robin – 18 matches per club. J1 features two groups (EAST and WEST, 10 clubs each) while J2 & J3 are organised into four groups (EAST-A, EAST-B, WEST-A, WEST-B).
| Stage | Period | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| Regional round | 7–8 February 2026 to 23–24 May 2026 | Home-and-away league within each group (J1 EAST / WEST, and four J2/J3 groups). Some matchdays may be scheduled on Fridays. |
| Play-off 1st leg | 30–31 May 2026 | Hosted by clubs from the WEST group, pairing clubs that finished in the same position in EAST and WEST. |
| Play-off 2nd leg | 6–7 June 2026 | Hosted by clubs from the EAST group. Aggregate scores over two legs decide the final ranking. |
Fixtures are arranged with a strong focus on regional identity: clubs from the same prefecture are grouped together where possible, while clubs from heavy-snow regions are spread across groups to ease scheduling constraints early in the year.
Play-off round format
After 18 regional round matches, a home-and-away play-off round between clubs that finished in the same position in EAST and WEST determines the final standings.
- In J1, the winner of the tie between EAST 1st and WEST 1st is crowned 100-Year Vision League champion and qualifies for the AFC Champions League Elite 2026/27.
- 2nd vs 2nd, 3rd vs 3rd … down to 10th vs 10th are also played, producing a full ranking from 1st to 20th.
- The 1st leg is hosted by the WEST club, and the 2nd leg by the EAST club.
- No teams are relegated as a direct result of the 100-Year Vision League; instead, prize money and solidarity payments are distributed based on points and final position.
Ties are decided on aggregate score over two legs. If necessary, extra time and penalty shoot-outs are used according to the competition regulations.
Key dates for detailed announcements
The current announcement focuses on the fixtures (who plays whom and on which matchday). Detailed information on kick-off times, venues and broadcast/streaming is scheduled to be released in stages.
- 26 December 2025 (Fri), 13:00 (JST): full details for matchdays 1 and 2 (kick-off times, stadiums, broadcast/streaming).
- 9 January 2026 (Fri), 13:00 (JST): details for matchdays 3–18 and part of the play-off round schedule.
Each club will also share its own, club-focused fixture overview and ticketing information via its official website and social channels. Supporters can already start circling key derbies and away trips on their calendars.
For more information, please refer to the official J.League website and the announcements of each club.
Source: Regional round fixtures announcement for the MEIJI YASUDA J.League 100-Year Vision League (Japanese)
