The JFA 16th Japan Women's Futsal Championship will take place from Saturday 2 to Monday 4 November at Ishikawa Sports Center, Ishikawa, to determine the women's futsal national champions.

At the championship, 16 teams, who have won their tickets through the reginal qualifiers, will compete in the group stage, where the teams will be divided into groups of four teams. Top teams from each group will advance to the final round, where they will compete for the national title in a knockout format.

With the Women's F. League entering its fourth year, women’s futsal has seen a major growth in its overall level of competition. Last year was a great year for the Japanese women’s futsal community, as the Japan Women's Futsal National Team finished in second place at the AFC Women's Futsal Championship Thailand 2018, while the U-18 Japan Women's Futsal National Team won a silver medal at the 3rd Youth Olympic Futsal Tournament Buenos Aires 2018. With the AFC Women's Futsal Championship scheduled next year, and the next heroine may come from this tournament.

Last year’s tournament saw a huge upset occur, as Espolada Hokkaido Irneve was eliminated at the first round. Meanwhile, Fukui Maruoka Ruck, who entered the tournament as the defending champions, and the four time champions, arco-iris Kobe, were among the teams who advanced through to the final round.

The final was played between two Hyogo sides, as arco-iris and SWH Ladies Futsal Club clashed for the tournament title. It was arco-iris who scored the opening goal in the second half, which ended up being the game winner of the match. With the win, arco-iris Kobe claimed their fifth title, which was their second in three years.

This year’s tournament favourites mainly feature teams from the Women's F. League, but teams like Hachinohe Gakuin University (Tohoku1/Aomori) and Tokiwagi Gakuen High School (Tohoku2/Miyagi) may utilise their youth to threaten the top teams. It will also be interesting to see how the first timers will cope against the national powerhouses, as Tapa Zida (Kanto2/Tokyo) and Progresso Osaka Verve (Kansai3/Osaka) will make their tournament debut this year.

Many intriguing matches are lined-up in Ishikawa, and we will see how the matches will unfold this year.

JFA 16th Japan Women's Futsal Championship

Tournament Dates: Sat. 2 - Mon. 4 November 2019
Tournament Venue: Ishikawa Sports Center, Ishikawa
Tournament Information