The 2018 J1 League, also known as the for sponsorship reasons, was the 26th season of

J1 League The , known as the for sponsorship reasons, is the top level of the system. Founded in 1992, it is one of the most successful leagues in Asian club football. Contested by 18 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the ...

, the top Japanese professional league for association football clubs, since its establishment in 1993.

Kawasaki Frontale is a Japanese professional football club based in Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture, south of Tokyo. The club plays in the J1 League, which is the top tier of football in the country. Their home stadium is Kawasaki Todoroki Stadium, in Nakahara W ...

were the defending champions.

2018 season clubs

A total of 18 clubs contested the league. The

2017 J2 League The 2017 Meiji Yasuda J2 League The or simply J2 is the second division of the and the second level of the Japanese association football league system. The top tier is represented by the J1 League. It (along with the rest of the J.League) ...

champion

Shonan Bellmare is a Japanese professional football club based in Hiratsuka, in the west of Kanagawa Prefecture, part of the Greater Tokyo Area. The club plays in the J1 League, which is the top tier of football in the country. Their home stadium is Hirats ...

and the winner of the promotion play-offs

Nagoya Grampus (formerly known as ) is a Japanese association football club that plays in the J1 League, following promotion from the J2 League in 2017. Based in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture and founded as the company team of the Toyota Motor Corp. in 1939, the ...

returned to the top flight a year after being relegated from J1 in the 2016 season. V-Varen Nagasaki, J2 runner-up in 2017, played in the

for the first time. *

Personnel and kits

Managerial changes

Foreign players

The total number of foreign players is restricted to five per club. Clubs can register up to four foreign players for a single match-day squad, of which a maximum of three are allowed from nations outside the

Asian Football Confederation The Asian Football Confederation is the governing body of association football, beach soccer, and futsal in some countries/territories in Asia and Oceania. It has 47 member countries most of which are located in Asia. Australia, formerly in ...

(AFC). Players from J.League partner nations (Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar, Cambodia, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Iran and Qatar) are exempt from these restrictions. Players name in bold indicates the player is registered during the mid-season transfer window.

Results

League table

Positions by round

Results table

Promotion–Relegation Playoff

2018 J.League J1/J2 Play-Offs (2018 J1参入プレーオフ) Júbilo Iwata remains in J1 League.
Tokyo Verdy remains in J2 League.

2018 season clubs

Personnel and kits

Managerial changes

Foreign players

Results

League table

Positions by round

Results table

Promotion–Relegation Playoff

Season statistics

Top scorers

Top assists

Hat-tricks

Attendances

Awards

References