Season 2015 Dates 7 Mar 2015 – 5 Dec 2015 Matches played 306 | Champion Sanfrecce Hiroshima Goals scored 820 | |
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Champions Sanfrecce Hiroshima !Sanfrecce Hiroshima
3rd J. League title
8th Japanese title Champions League Sanfrecce Hiroshima !Sanfrecce Hiroshima
Urawa Red Diamonds !Urawa Red Diamonds
Gamba Osaka !Gamba Osaka
FC Tokyo !FC Tokyo Club World Cup Sanfrecce Hiroshima !Sanfrecce Hiroshima Top goalscorer Yoshito Okubo (23 goals) Highest attendance 53,148 Urawa vs Gamba Osaka
(2 May) Relegated Matsumoto Yamaga FC, Montedio Yamagata, Shimizu S-Pulse Similar 2016 J1 League, 2014 JLeague Division 1, 2016 JLeague Cup, 2015 SLeague, 2014–15 I‑League | ||
The 2015 Meiji Yasuda J1 League season was the 50th season of top-flight football in Japan, and the 23rd since the establishment of the J.League in 1993.
Contents
- Format changes
- Overall table
- First stage
- Second stage
- Overall
- Championship stage
- Top scorers
- Best Eleven
- Attendances
- References
For a five-year period starting in 2015, the J.League changed to a newly conceived multistage system, with the year split into two halves and a third and final championship stage. The winners of the first and second stages and the highest ranking club of the aggregate table (other than the first or second stage winners) will qualify for the Championship Stage. Sanfrecce Hiroshima won the Championship Stage and advanced to the 2015 FIFA Club World Cup as the host nation's entrant.
Format changes
Teams play a single round-robin in the first stage and a single round-robin in the second stage. After that an overall table is calculated and a championship stage is played. The winners of the first and second stages and any team that finishes in the top 3 of the overall rankings advance to the championship stage. The team that finishes atop the overall table automatically qualifies for the final, while the remaining teams play-off for the other spot in the final.
Overall table
1 The winner of the 2015 Emperor's Cup qualifies for the Group Stage of the 2016 AFC Champions League. Since the Emperor's Cup winner was Gamba Osaka who were the third-placed team, the Qualifying Play-off spot was awarded to the fourth-placed team.
First stage
Last updated: 27 June 2015
Source: J. League Data Site
Note 1: Matchday 10 results for 2015 AFC Champions League Participants (Kashiwa Reysol vs. Urawa Red Diamonds; Gamba Osaka vs. Kashima Antlers), held on 3 June 2015, are included in Matchday 15 ranking.
Note 2: Matchday 13 results for 2015 AFC Champions League quarterfinalists (Kashiwa Reysol vs. Gamba Osaka), held on 23 June 2015, are included in Matchday 17 ranking.
Second stage
Last updated: 22 November 2015
Source: J. League Data Site
Note 1: Matchday 6 results for Gamba Osaka vs. Sagan Tosu, held on 22 July 2015, are included in Matchday 4 ranking. Gamba Osaka is a finalist in 2015 Suruga Bank Championship, scheduled on 11 August 2015.
Note 2: Matchday 9 results for Matsumoto Yamaga vs. Montedio Yamagata, held on 23 September 2015, are included on Matchday 12 ranking.
Overall
Last updated: 22 November 2015
Source: J. League Data Site
Note 1: Matchday 10 results for 2015 AFC Champions League Participants (Kashiwa Reysol vs. Urawa Red Diamonds; Gamba Osaka vs. Kashima Antlers), held on 3 June 2015, are included in Matchday 15 ranking.
Note 2: Matchday 13 results for 2015 AFC Champions League quarterfinalists (Kashiwa Reysol vs. Gamba Osaka), held on 23 June 2015, are included in Matchday 17 ranking.
Note 3: Matchday 23 results for Gamba Osaka vs. Sagan Tosu, held on 22 July 2015, are included in Matchday 21 ranking. Gamba Osaka is a finalist in 2015 Suruga Bank Championship, scheduled on 11 August 2015.
Note 4: Matchday 26 results for Matsumoto Yamaga vs. Montedio Yamagata, held on 23 September 2015, are included on Matchday 29 ranking.
Championship stage
The Championship stage consisted of a knockout tournament involving the champions of the First and Second Stages, and any team that finishes in the top 3 of the overall table. The team with the best aggregate record earned a bye to the final. The remaining teams playoff for the other spot in the final.
First stage
Updated to games played on 27 June 2015.
Source: J. League Data
1 ^ The home team is listed in the left-hand column.
Colours: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.
Second stage
Updated to games played on 22 November 2015.
Source: J. League Data
1 ^ The home team is listed in the left-hand column.
Colours: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.
Top scorers
Updated to games played on 22 November 2015
Source: J. League Data
Best Eleven
* The number in brackets denotes the number of times that the footballer has appeared in the Best 11.
Attendances
Updated to games played on 22 November 2015
Source: J. League Data
Notes:
† Team played previous season in J2.