The Suntory Championship took place on November 26 and December 2.
Of these clubs, Bellmare Hiratsuka and Júblio Iwata were newly promoted teams from Japan Football League.
The games then went to golden-goal extra time and penalties if needed after regulation.
The clubs were ranked by number of wins, and tie breakers are, in the following order: The club that finished at the top of the table is declared stage champion and qualifies for the Suntory Championship.
The first stage winner hosts the first leg in the championship series.