The 88th Emperor's Cup began on September 13, 2008 and ended on January 1, 2009 with the final which took place at National Stadium in Tokyo.
As the champion, Gamba Osaka participated in 2009 AFC Champions League.
All matches are Japan Standard Time (UTC+9) The 15 J2 teams plus one JFL representative (Tochigi SC) entered at this round.
The 18 J1 teams will enter at this round.