The 97th Emperor's Cup All Japan Football Championship will start from Saturday 22 April. All 47 teams representing their respective prefectures were decided on Sunday 9 April. Along with 40 teams from the top and second divisions of the J. League and top amateur seed Honda FC, a total of 88 teams will compete for the best club in Japan in this knock-out format tournament.

Ahead of the opening of this nationwide competition, President of the Japan Football Association TASHIMA Kohzo, President and CEO of SURUGA bank OKANO Mitsuyoshi and Chairman of the Organising Committee of the Emperor's Cup MATSUZAKI Yasuhiro attended the press conference held at the JFA House and stated their views on Monday 17 April.

While the Emperor’s Cup had begun in summer in recent years, this season’s fixtures will start from April, and all the matches from the second round to the quarter-finals will be held on Wednesdays. Chairman Matsuzaki explained his intent on this modification, “The football world has a busy schedule these days. By alleviating the current situation of tight calendar, we hope to see more Japanese internationals participate in the tournament.”

President Tashima added, “Having the teams compete with their best squads along with Japanese internationals was my top priority. Holding these games on weekdays is not necessary the best considering the revenues for the clubs. However, by scheduling the cup matches on Wednesdays and J. league fixtures on weekends, I hope to see participating teams compete in their top form for all competitions. I have thought through what would be the best for the football in Japan as a whole and altered it to the following schedule. Making such changes should bring more thrilling and quality matches.”

The trophy-returning ceremony of the Emperor’s Cup also took place on the same day with coach ISHII Masatada and UEDA Naomichi from the 96th tournament champions Kashima Antlers making appearance on the stage.

Kashima have won a number of competitions, but have not claimed back-to-back titles in the Emperor’s Cup. Despite flashing a smile when returning the Cup, Ueda showed his fighting spirit when asked about his aspiration for the tournament. “We must brace ourselves from the opening match, but are ready to take on the challenge to put down any opponents. We will work together as a team to win back-to-back titles,” added the Kashima centre half.

Kashima will start their campaign from the second round on Wednesday 21 June, facing the winners of the Arterivo Wakayama (Wakayama Prefecture)-FC MARUYASU OKAZAKI (Aichi Prefecture) match.

Comments

TASHIMA Kohzo, President of the Japan Football Association
The perfect season to go out and watch football has arrived. The new season for the J. League has just begun and a variety of football styles are being displayed throughout the nation. There is plenty of anticipation for Japanese football for the coming year. Last year, Kashima Antlers showed an excellent performance, finishing as runners-up of the FIFA Club World Cup. Maintaining their momentum in the Emperor’s Cup, they played a wonderful final against Kawasaki Frontale in Osaka on New Year’s Day. We will do our best to create the best environment for the coming final to be held at Saitama Stadium for the first time in history.

ISHII Masatada, Coach (Kashima Antlers)
The Emperor's Cup has been a stage for amateur teams striving for a win against J. League teams. Regardless of our opponents, we have to go all out and compete with a must-win mentality. Discussing about the tournament with our team’s analysts prior to the season, I noted that there is a two-month break between the first and second rounds, which should give us plenty of time to analyse our opponents carefully. We are not too concerned about defending the title, but will focus on each and every match to come out on top and advance to the subsequent rounds of the competition.

UEDA Naomichi (Kashima Antlers)
It is quite rare to play on New Year’s Day. I became accustomed to watching the Emperor’s Cup final on TV, but being actually on the pitch, I felt a unique, distinctive atmosphere that day. I felt happier than ever winning such a prestigious title. It turned out to be a memorable tournament, and now I feel a strong desire to accomplish it again. We won the title, but will always compete with a challenging spirit. In terms of the schedule, it was packed last year, but we can make a better preparation this season as there will be enough time between rounds.

JFA-TV (Japanese Version Only)

22 April 2017 (Sat.) ～ 1 January 2018 (Mon, New Year's Day)

Tournament Information