2026/27 J.LEAGUE YAMAZAKI BISCUITS Levain CUP PRIME ROUND Clubs Confirmed

Following the results of the 2026/27 J.LEAGUE YAMAZAKI BISCUITS Levain CUP 1ST ROUND – 4th Round (Day 1) matches played on 3 October, Kashiwa Reysol and FC Machida Zelvia have secured their places in the PRIME ROUND.

The PRIME ROUND draw will be held after the completion of 3rd Round on Wednesday 14 October and 4th Round (Day 2) on Wednesday 28 October.

Details of the draw will be announced once confirmed.

2026/27 J.LEAGUE YAMAZAKI BISCUITS Levain CUP 1ST ROUND – 4th Round Results (3 October)

■1ST ROUND Dates, Competition Format and Match Format
●Dates
1st Round: Wednesday 2 September / Wednesday 9 September
2nd Round: Tuesday 29 September
3rd Round: Wednesday 14 October
4th Round: Saturday 3 October / Wednesday 28 October

*For 4th Round, matches involving the four clubs participating in AFC club competitions will be played on Saturday 3 October, while the remaining matches will be played on Wednesday 28 October.

● Venues
1ST ROUND
In principle, each match will be played at the home venue of the club from the lower division.

If both clubs belong to the same division, the match will be played at the home venue of the club that finished lower in the 2025 league standings.

However, the fourth-round matches between the four AFC club competition participants ranked 3rd through 6th by the combined total of their positions in the 2025 MEIJI YASUDA J.LEAGUE and the MEIJI YASUDA J1 100 YEAR VISION LEAGUE will be played at the home venues of the higher-ranked clubs, FC Machida Zelvia and Kashiwa Reysol.


●Competition Format
A total of 58 clubs will be divided into six groups and compete in a single-elimination knockout format. The participating clubs are:

18 J1 clubs
20 J2 clubs
20 J3 clubs
Of the six clubs participating in AFC club competitions—the AFC Champions League Elite 2026/27 and AFC Champions League Two 2026/27—Kashima Antlers, Vissel Kobe, FC Machida Zelvia, Kashiwa Reysol, Gamba Osaka, and Kyoto Sanga F.C., the two clubs with the highest combined total of finishing positions based on their positions in the 2025 MEIJI YASUDA J.LEAGUE and the MEIJI YASUDA J1 100 YEAR VISION LEAGUE, Kashima Antlers and Vissel Kobe, will be exempt from the 1ST ROUND.

The remaining four AFC club competition participants, ranked 3rd through 6th by the combined total of their positions in the 2025 MEIJI YASUDA J.LEAGUE and the MEIJI YASUDA J.LEAGUE 100 YEAR VISION LEAGUE—FC Machida Zelvia, Kashiwa Reysol, Gamba Osaka, and Kyoto Sanga F.C.—will enter the competition in the fourth round of the 1ST ROUND.

These four clubs will play each other as follows:

3rd-ranked club vs. 6th-ranked club
4th-ranked club vs. 5th-ranked club
The six group winners and the two highest-ranked AFC club competition participants, Kashima Antlers and Vissel Kobe, will advance to the PRIME ROUND.

●Match Format and Determination of Winners
Each match consists of 90 minutes, divided into two 45-minute halves.
If the score is level after 90 minutes, 30 minutes of extra time will be played, divided into two 15-minute periods.
If the score remains level after extra time, the winner will be determined by a penalty shoot-out.
Each team will take five penalties. If the winner is still not determined, the shoot-out will continue with one penalty per team until a winner is decided.