The Prince Takamado Trophy JFA U-18 Football Premier League 2021 Play-off will take place on Friday 10 and Sunday 12 December in Hiroshima. The play-off will be held in a knock-out format, where 18 teams, who finished in the top ranks of each regional Prince League, will be divided into six blocks to compete for their ticket to play in the Premier League, the highest league of their age category, next season.

In the first round of Block A, which consist of teams from the All Japan High School Athletic Federation, Yonago Kita High School (Chugoku/Tottori), who will be aiming to return to the Premier League for the first time since 2018, will face off against Kiryu Daiichi High School ( Kanto3/Gunma). It will be interesting to see if the Kiryu Daiichi defence, led by MARUYAMA Riku (#3), can stop the Yonekikita offence, who has scored the most goals in Prince League Chugoku, led by FUKUDA Hideto (#9). Teikyo Nagaoka High School, who awaits in the second round, also consist of players such as HIROI Rando (#7) and MIYAKE Ryotaro (#10), making this block an intriguing block where any team can advance.

In Block B, two teams who have previously played in the Premier League, Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo U-18(Hokkaido1) and Hannan University Senior High School (Kansai2/Osaka), will go head to head in the first round. The matchup between Sapporo's NISHINO Shota (#5), who signed a professional contract in his second year in high school, and Hannan's SUZUKI Akito (#18), who has signed a contract with Shonan Bellmare for next season, is sure to draw attention. The winner of this match will face Kawasaki Frontale U-18 (Kanto1/Kanagawa), who won the fiercely competitive Kanto region, as their ace IGARASHI Taiyo (#10), the top scorer of the Prince League, will try to lead the team to the Premier League for the first time.

Ehime FC U-18 (Shikoku2/Ehime) and Asahikawa Jitsugyo High School (Hokkaido2) are set to clash in the first round of Block C. As Asahikawa heavily depended on their set pieces to score goals this season, utilising their tall defender MONMA Kotaro (#2), it will be up to Ehime's defenders, led by goalkeeper KUROKAWA Raihei (#1), to maintain their concentration to keep a clean sheet. Shizuoka Gakuen High School (Tokai1/Shizuoka), who will enter from the second round, is one of the most talented teams in this tournament, with four players, including FURUKAWA Yosuke (#10), committed to play in the J.League next season, their technical attacking ability has been proven in the Prince League Tokai.

Block D features teams who are aiming to play in the Premier League for the first time. This will be the fifth challenge for Maebashi Ikuei High School (Kanto2/Gunma), whose offense is led by KASAYANAGI Tsubasa (#10). They will first need to get through the first round against Sendai Ikuei Gakuen High School (Tohoku2/Miyagi), who consist of many notable players such as SHIMANO Rei (#10) and SATO Ryo (#9). V-Varen Nagasaki U-18 (Yamaguchi1/Nagasaki), who will start from the second round, have won their first Prince League title under the leadership of coach HARADA Takeo, who has the experience of coaching in the J.League. The team is very much capable of competing in the Premier League, as the team consist of many notable players such as ABE Taisei (#16), who has already made his debut with the top team.

Any team can advance through Block E. This will be the last year in a while for JFA Academy Fukushima U-18 (Tokai2/Shizuoka) to play with all three grades together, as the team is set to move back to Fukushima by the end of 2023. Players like MATSUDA Hayate (#6) must be eager to bring the team up to the highest level of competition for their juniors. In the first round, they will face Kamimura Gakuen High School (Kyushu2/Kagoshima), who feature a well-recognised pair of second year players, OSAKO Rui (#14) and FUKUDA Shio (#13), and they are certainly capable of winning through the tournament if they can gain momentum in the first round. The seeded team in this block is Shoshi High School (Tohoku1/Fukushima), led by CHASE Anrie (#30) who has been selected to the U-22 Japan National Team, the team features talents in every position.

Block F also features a lot of interesting matchups. After failing to qualify for the All Japan High School Soccer Tournament, this tournament will be the last official competition of the year for Riseisha Gakuen High School (Kansai1/Osaka), who are seeking to make their return to the Premier League since 2015. It will be interesting to see if Prince League MVP HIRONO Taiga (#10) can help his team finish the season on a high note. Their first round opponent, Zweigen Kanazawa U-18 (Hokushinetsu2/Ishikawa), is a team that prides itself on their solid defence led by NAMIMOTO Rai (#5). Kamatamare Sanuki U-18 (Shikoku1/Kagawa), who will appear from the second round, are making their first appearance in the playoffs, but they have a lot of notable players such as GK MATSUBARA Kaisei (#1) and KOYAMA Shoya (#11).

Prince Takamado Trophy JFA U-18 Football Premier League 2021 Play-off

Tournament Date: Fri. 10 & Sun. 12 December 2021

Tournament Information