Japan Football League

The Japan Football League (Japanese: 日本フットボールリーグ, Hepburn: Nihon Futtobōru Rīgu), also known as simply the JFL, is the 4th tier of the Japanese association football league system, positioned beneath the three divisions of the J.League.

The league features fully professional teams that hold J.League associate membership among its ranks.

In addition, the JFL itself has the same recognition in the material showing the league composition on the official website.

Five former JFL clubs have competed in the top flight: Yokohama FC (2007, 2020, 2021 & 2023), Otsuka Pharmaceuticals (2014 & 2021 as Tokushima Vortis), Matsumoto Yamaga (2015 & 2019), V-Varen Nagasaki (2018), and Machida Zelvia (since 2024).

B-teams are allowed to participate but only A-squads of truly autonomous clubs are eligible for J.League associate membership, and with it, promotion to the J.League.

The JFL is the highest tier of amateur level football in Japan again, but they still serve the purpose of helping potential J.League clubs to participate in the J3.

While under consideration, he admitted that the J3 and JFL were considering the introduction of relegation to the latter league as early as after the 2022 season.

The league follows a one-stage double round-robin, wherein the team finishing at the top of the table following the season is declared the champion.

From 2014 to 2018 the Japan Football League switched to the Apertura and Clausura format to determine the champions.