From 2026-27 the J.League moves to an autumn-spring calendar — opening August 7 at the National Stadium, pausing for a winter break, and finishing in June 2027. Here's the full structure, the snow-country plan, and how to watch.
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After 33 years of kicking off in spring and finishing in winter, the J.League calendar has flipped. From 2026-27 the league moves permanently to an autumn-spring season: it opens in August 2026 and finishes in June 2027, on the same rhythm as Europe's major leagues.
Here is everything that changes — the season structure, the two different winter breaks, what happened in the transitional 2026 competition, how snow-country clubs are being supported, and how to watch.
| J1 | J2 / J3 | |
|---|---|---|
| Season opens | Fri, Aug 7, 2026 | Sat, Aug 8, 2026 |
| Last round of 2026 | Matchweek 20 (Dec 19) | Matchweek 22 (Dec 13) |
| Winter break | ~2 months | Slightly over 2 months |
| Season resumes | Sat, Feb 13, 2027 | Sat, Feb 20, 2027 |
| Final matchweek | Sun, Jun 6, 2027 | Sun, May 23, 2027 |
One detail that is easy to miss: the winter break is different for J1 and J2/J3. J1 pauses after December 19 and resumes on February 13; the lower divisions stop a week earlier and resume a week later. The full 38-round fixture list is already out via the league's official announcement.
On Friday, August 7, 2026, the season opens at Tokyo's National Stadium with Yokohama F. Marinos against Kashima Antlers — the only two clubs that have never been relegated from J1 since the league's first season in 1993. For anyone who remembers the original 1993 opener, it is history folding back on itself at the start of the league's biggest structural change ever.
Per the league's official explanation, three reasons drive the move:
The switch left a half-season gap from February to June 2026, filled by a one-off transitional competition (the "Centennial Vision League"). J1's 20 clubs split into East and West groups followed by a playoff round, with no promotion or relegation. Vissel Kobe won the J1 edition and with it a place in the 2026/27 AFC Champions League Elite; Vegalta Sendai took the J2/J3 title.
The 2026-27 season keeps the established three-up, three-down exchange between divisions. J1 remains at 20 clubs — Mito HollyHock, V-Varen Nagasaki and JEF United Chiba came up; Yokohama FC, Shonan Bellmare and Albirex Niigata went down. The J1 promotion playoffs are set for May 29/30 and June 5/6, 2027.
The hardest question about an autumn-spring season in Japan has always been snow. Beyond the winter break itself, the league has committed roughly ¥10.8bn to transition support, including a ¥5bn snow-region facilities fund (up to ¥380m per club) covering air domes, pitch heating and winter training infrastructure for twelve clubs from Sapporo to Tottori.
DAZN carries the J.League in Japan under a rights deal running to 2033 — and from 2026-27, J3 returns to full coverage, putting every J1, J2 and J3 match back on one service. Kickoff times and broadcast details for the 2026 rounds were announced on July 1. No additional free-to-air arrangements have been officially announced as of this writing.
For the first time, the J.League and Europe's leagues now share the same weekends all season long: J1 in the Saturday afternoon, the Premier League late that night.
Kickoff Calendar puts J.League clubs and European clubs into a single subscribable calendar feed. A free account follows one national team, one club and one player, with fixture changes and kickoff confirmations updating automatically. Set it up free in 30 seconds and be ready for the new era.
