The Round of 16 of the 96th Emperor's Cup All Japan Football Championship will be held on Wednesday 9 and Saturday 12 November. The four teams, who participated in the AFC Champions League 2016 (ACL), namely Sanfrecce Hiroshima, Gamba Osaka, Urawa Reds, and F.C. Tokyo, will appear from this round. Tougher and more exciting matches prior to the quarter-finals will be expected.

On 9 November, we will see three matches, including two with the ACL seeded teams. One of the ACL contenders, Gamba Osaka (J1), will play against their coach HASEGAWA Kenta’s former team Shimizu S-Pulse (J2). G Osaka have failed to claim any title this year, including the Meiji Yasuda J1 League and the J. LEAGUE YBC Levain CUP. Since the final of this Cup will be held at Suita City Football Stadium, the home stadium for G Osaka, they are eager to build up momentum and advance to the final by winning their first game of the Emperor's Cup.

Shimizu, on the other hand, have stretched their winning streak to seven games in the league since 2 October and performed excellently. Two forwards tallied 43 goals in total with OMAE Genki and Jong Tae Se scoring 18 and 25, respectively. Coach KOBAYASHI Shinji has implied to make significant changes to the team after the coming game, but they will stay focused on the G Osaka match first.

F.C. Tokyo (J1) will meet Honda FC (Shizuoka) from the JFL on 9 November. F.C. Tokyo have shown their resilience, winning by one goal in all four games since the 14th Matchday of the 2nd Stage in the J. League Division 1. Coach SHINODA Yoshiyuki is leading the players, while looking ahead to improve the team for the next season.

Honda FC have been a ‘dark horse’ in this competition. They beat Matsumoto Yamaga F.C (J2) in the 2nd Round and Grulla Morioka (Iwate) in the 3rd Round, both with scores of 2-1. They aim to pull off a real upset (or giant killing) and become quarterfinalists for the first time since the 87th Cup.

Another ACL seeded team will appear in the Cup on Saturday 12 November. Sagan Tosu (J1) will play a home game against Sanfrecce Hiroshima (J1) at the Best Amenity Stadium. Midfielder Morisaki Koji, who has been playing for Hiroshima for 20 years, stated that he will step aside after this season. Tosu also announced the retirement of left-handed player KIM Min, who has been part of the team since the J2 era. Although each player has already given a speech to their respective supporters after their final game at home, the last match for their clubs will be at some point in this tournament. We cannot take our eyes off the farewell game for either of the two players—which teams will have a stronger determination to win and a greater passion for these loyal veterans.

Urawa Reds (J1), who have earned the most points in the J. League Division 1 this season, will play against Kawasaki Frontale (J1) at the Todoroki Athletic Stadium. Since goalkeeper NISHIKAWA Shusaku and defender MAKINO Tomoaki of Urawa are away playing for SAMURAI BLUE (the Japan National Team), the team have to focus on maintaining their level without them.

Kawasaki F, on the other hand, are eager to showcase their aggressive attack, which they have been working on under their coach KAZAMA Yahiro, who will step aside after this season. The game between the teams, who may also compete in the final of the J.League Championship, is must-see.

96th Emperor's Cup All Japan Football Championship

【Round of 16 (fourth round)】 9 November(Wed.) - J.League teams in the second (J2) and the third (J3) divisions advancing to the round of 16; 12 November(Sat.) - Seeded teams of the top division (J1) in the J. League who particiapted in the ACL
【Quarterfinals】24 December (Sat.)
【Semifinals】29 December (Thu.)
【Finals】 1 January 2017／ New Years Day (Sun.)

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