The Emperor's Cup JFA 100th Japan Football Championship quarterfinals will take place on Wednesday 23 December.

J.Clubs will finally make their appearance in the Emperor's Cup. Due to the effect of COVID-19, this year’s Emperor's Cup has been held under a unique format, where teams from the same region competed up to the third round. Following a redraw, regional qualifiers clashed at the fourth round and the two teams advancing to the quarterfinals were determined at the fifth round. The qualifiers will face the champions of J2 and J3, and the winner of the quarterfinals will then face Kawasaki Frontale (winner of J1) and Gamba Osaka (runners-up of J1) at the semi-finals.

Fukuyama City FC (Hiroshima) will challenge Blaublitz Akita (winner of J3), who has claimed their first J3 title. Despite belonging to the Hiroshima League division 1, Fukuyama City has won their way to the quarterfinals by winning over teams from stronger categories. It will be interesting to see how far the tournament debutant can reach at the Emperor's Cup.

At the fourth round, Fukuyama City scored two goals by the 34th minute mark against Fukui United FC (Fukui). The team took nearly twice as many shots against the Hokushinetsu league club in the second half and won the match 3-0. TAGUCHI Shun scored a brace in this match, marking four goals at the tournament so far. Fukuyama City’s coach KOYANO Hiromu will turn 23 on the following day, and the team will try to deliver an early birthday present for their coach.

Their opponent, Blaublitz Akita, is coming off a dominating season at J3. The Akita side showcased their strong defence and sharp counterattacks throughout the season, where they kept an undefeated record for 28 matches and earned their way into J2. 2020 has already been a memorial season for Blaublitz Akita, but they will seek to add the Emperor's Cup trophy to their remarkable season.

Last year’s quarterfinalist, Honda FC (Amateur seed) showcased a clever match to reach the quarterfinals this year.

The amateur seed has made their way through to the quarterfinals by winning close matches. They conceded the opening goal against University of Tsukuba (Ibaraki) in the fifth round but made adjustments during halftime to change the dynamics of the match in the second half. With coach IBATA Hiroyasu and veteran player FURUHASHI Tatsuya set to retire after this season, the team will seek to send them off on a high note.

Honda FC will face Tokushima Vortis (winner of J2), who has won their first J2 title. Last year, the two sides have faced each other at the third round, where Honda FC won the match. Now that they are entering the stage of J1 next season, Tokushima will certainly seek to have their revenge and earn their ticket to challenge Gamba Osaka at the semi-finals.

Stay tuned for more exciting action at the Emperor's Cup.

【1st Round】Wed. 16 September
【2nd Round】Wed. 23, Wed. 30 September
【3rd Round】Wed. 28 October, Wed. 11 November
【4th Round】Sat. 12, Sun. 13 December
【Round of 16】Sun. 20 December
【Quarterfinals】Wed. 23 December
【Semi-final】Sun. 27 December
【Final】Fri. 1 January 2021

Tournament Information