The Empress's Cup JFA 41st Japan Women's Football Championship will kick-off its action on Saturday 2 and Sunday 3 November. 16 fixtures of the first round will take place at four venues, including Moka City Sports Park (Moka, Tochigi).

With players over the age of the junior high school category eligible to play at this tournament, a total of 48 teams will compete for the national title, including 20 teams from the first and second division of the Nadeshiko League and 28 teams who have won their spot through the nine regional qualifiers. The tournament will be played in a knockout format with the final scheduled to take place on Sunday 29 December at NACK5 Stadium Omiya (Saitama, Saitama).

The first round will feature matches with high school and university teams, along with four teams from the second division of the Nadeshiko League. This year, Yamanashi Gakuin University (Kanto/Yamanashi), Gunma FC White Star (Kanto/Gunma), Osaka Gakugei Senior High School (Kansai/Osaka), FC Imabari Ladies (Shikoku/Ehime), and Kunimi FC Ladies (Kyushu/Nagasaki) will make their tournament debut.

The second round will take place on Saturday 23 and Sunday 24 November, as the remaining six teams from the second division and 10 teams from the first division of the Nadeshiko League will join the action. During the 39th Empress's Cup, Waseda University caused a huge upset by defeating INAC Kobe Leonessa at the third round to advance to the quarterfinals.

However, all the teams remaining in last year’s quarterfinals were from the first division of the Nadeshiko League. We will see if any upsets will occur in this year’s tournament.

The 40th Empress's Cup final took place on this year’s New Year’s Day at Panasonic Stadium Suita (Suita, Osaka) as Nippon TV Beleza and INAC Kobe Leonessa clashed for the tournament title. With the match entering overtime with a score of 2-2, Nippon TV captured the lead in the first half of overtime with the help of goals scored by MOMIKI Yuka and TANAKA Mina, as Nippon TV claimed their 13th national title. Along with the league title and the league cup title, the team won last season’s triple crown. Nippon TV can become the first ever team in the Nadeshiko League to win the triple crown in back to back years, if they can accomplish the same feat this season.

Which team will be crowned as champions at the first Empress's Cup of the Reiwa era? Please stay tuned for the action-packed competition between the top women’s football teams.

Empress's Cup JFA 41st Japan Women's Football Championship

Tournament Dates: Sat. 2 November - Sun. 29 December 2019
【1st Round】Sat. 2 & Sun. 3 November
【2nd Round】Sat. 23 & Sun. 24 November
【3rd Round】Sat. 30 November & Sun. 1 December
【Quarterfinals】Sun. 8 December
【Semi-Finals】Sun. 22 December
【Final】Sun. 29 December

Tournament Information