16 second round fixtures of the Empress's Cup JFA 42nd Japan Women's Football Championship will take place at four venues on Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 December.

At the second round, 16 teams advancing through the first round will square off against 10 teams from the first division of the Nadeshiko League and the remaining six teams from the second division, who has not appeared in the first round.

Three time defending champions, Nippon TV Tokyo Verdy Beleza (Nadeshiko League1/Tokyo) will play their sister team, Nippon TV Tokyo Verdy Menina (Kanto/Tokyo). INAC Kobe Leonessa (Nadeshiko1/Hyogo), who is seeking for their first Empress's Cup title in four years, will play against Norddea Hokkaido (Hokkaido) at Miki Sogo Bosai Park Athletic Field.

This year’s Nadeshiko League champion, Urawa Red Diamonds Ladies (Nadeshiko1/Saitama) will face FC Jumonji Ventus (Nadeshiko2/Saitama). Urawa will seek to get off to a strong start for their second title of the season, while Jumonji Ventus will try to cause a major upset in the second round.

The winner of the Nadeshiko League second division, Sfida Setagaya FC (Nadeshiko2/Tokyo) will take on Shizuoka SSU Asregina (Tokai/Shizuoka). After winning through an intense title race where four teams competed within five points, Sfida Setagaya will seek to make a deep run at the Empress's Cup.

Last year, Chifure AS Elfen Saitama (Nadeshiko2/Saitama) was the only team from the second division to reach the semi-finals, almost winning the match against Beleza. This season, the team finished in second place at the league, just one point behind Sfida Setagaya. They will play against another team from the second division, Nittaidai FIELDS Yokohama (Nadeshiko2/Kanagawa).

For the regional qualifiers, each match played at the Empress's Cup will become a priceless experience. Kamimura Gakuen High School’s (Kyushu/Kagoshima) MITOMI Ririka is still in her third year at junior high school, and shared her experience at this year’s Empress's Cup, “We were able to challenge opponents who were bigger, stronger, and better than us. At my final national tournament of the junior high school category (JFA 25th U-15 Japan Women's Football Championship), I will try to utilise my experience and lead the team as a senior player of the team.”

After winning their first round match against Angeviolet Hiroshima (Chugoku/Hiroshima), FC Imabari Ladies (Shikoku/Ehime) will seek to make a deep run at the Empress's Cup, as INADA Kana shared her aspiration, “We were committed to defend our lead and managed to finish strong as a team. The Empress's Cup is the only national tournament we will play this season, so we are fully committed for this tournament.

Last year, Sakuyo High School (Chugoku/Okayama) stirred up the tournament by defeating a first division team of the Nadeshiko League, and they are eager to repeat the feat at this year’s Empress's Cup as well. The second round of the Empress's Cup will take place on Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 December at Kanseki Stadium Tochigi, Techno-Port Fukui Stadium, Miki Sogo Bosai Park Athletic Field, Ueno Sports Park Stadium, and Ajinomoto Field Nishigaoka.

Empress's Cup JFA 42nd Japan Women's Football Championship

Tournament Duration: Sat. 28 November - Tue. 29 December 2020
【1st Round】Sat. 28 / Sun. 29 November
【2nd Round】Sat. 5 / Sun. 6 December
【3rd Round】Sat. 12 / Sun. 13 December
【Quarterfinals】Sat. 19 / Sun. 20 December
【Semi-Finals】Thu. 24 December
【Final】Tue. 29 December

Tournament Information