The JFA 7th O-40 Japan Football Tournament will kick-off its action on Saturday 12 October. The seventh edition of this tournament will take place at Hakodate, Hokkaido this year, where a total of 16 teams, who have advanced through the reginal qualifiers, will compete for the national title.

Since starting the player registration system in 2000, the number of senior players has been on the incline, as the total players registered has exceeded 35,000 in 2018. The level of competition at the O-40 category are typically very high, as many players who have recently retired from the professional level have made their appearances in the past tournaments.

In the past, former professional players like FUKUNAGA Yasushi, FUJIYOSHI Shinji (both with FC Aoyama/Tokyo), MINOWA Yoshinobu (Yokohama Senior/Kanagawa), MAEDA Osamu, HONDA Yasuto (T.Dreams/Tokyo), all brought their talents to entertain this tournament.

Last year’s tournament took place at Ichihara, Chiba, where FC Funabashi, Kyoto Mayumaro FC, Club Compass Nagoya, and Ossandole Sapporo 40 advanced to the semi-finals. Kyoto defeated the local side, FC Funabashi in penalties, while Nagoya defeated Sapporo 2-0 to advance to the final.

With the two teams showcasing a heated battle throughout the 50 minute regulation time, the final match entered penalty shootouts to determine the champions. With their goalkeeper SATO Koki making two great saves, it was the Kyoto side who claimed the national title. Sato later commented, “We showed great fusion between the young players and the veterans to earn this result.”

This year, former champions, Club Compass Nagoya (Tokai1/Aichi) and the defending champions, Kyoto Mayumaro FC (Kansai2/Kyoto) made their return to the finals. With teams like Seisyo Wings. FC (Kanto1/Kanagawa) and Obihiro FC (Host Region/Hokkaido) making their first tournament appearance, it will be interesting to see how these debutant teams perform against the powerhouses from all over the nation.

The tournament final will take place on Monday 14 October to crown the national champions.

Tournament Dates: Sat. 12 - Mon 14 October 2019
Tournament Venue: Hakodate Football Park, Hokkaido
Tournament Information