It was scheduled to begin on 16 March 2011 with the first matches of the group stage;[1] however, the competition was postponed due to the aftermath of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami.
[2] Later the beginning of the tournament is set to 5 June, with reducing the number of matches.
Quarter-finals and semifinals will be played as one match at either team's home stadium.
[4] The original competition format, which is same as the previous tournament and was abandoned due to 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, is:[3] The draw result of the preliminary round is: The first leg is scheduled on 5 June and the second leg on 27 July.
Albirex Niigata and Omiya Ardija received bye for the second round as a result of tournament draws.