Japanese Youth Football (U-18): A Guide for International Fans and Scouts

In Japan, most future professionals develop in one of two places: a high-school football club or a J.League club academy. Both compete in the same national league pyramid, topped by the U-18 Premier League. This page explains how the system works, when the big competitions take place, and where to follow them. u18-soccer.com tracks standings for all 47 prefectures in Japanese; this English section is new and growing.

Want the full picture? Read How youth football works in Japan — school-year age groups, high-school clubs vs J.League academies, the winter tournament and the university route to the pros.

Two pathways: high schools and club academies

High-school clubs are part of school sport. Players train at their school, and the strongest programs — such as Aomori Yamada, Maebashi Ikuei or Ryutsu Keizai University Kashiwa — attract players from across Japan and often field several teams at different levels. High schools have their own national tournaments, including the famous winter championship.

Club academies (usually named "U-18" or "Youth") belong to professional J.League clubs, such as Kashima Antlers Youth or Vissel Kobe U-18. Players usually attend a separate school and train with the club after classes.

The two pathways meet in the league system described below, so a high school and a J.League academy regularly play each other in the same division. More on how the two pathways work.

The league pyramid

Premier League (top tier) — 24 teams in two divisions of 12, EAST and WEST, playing home and away from April to December. The two division winners meet in the Premier League Final in December to decide the national champion; the bottom two of each division are relegated. Current Premier League standings in English.
Prince Leagues (second tier) — 13 leagues across 9 regions (Hokkaido, Tohoku, Kanto, Hokushinetsu, Tokai, Kansai, Chugoku, Shikoku, Kyushu). In December, 16 of the top Prince League teams play a promotion play-off for 4 places in the Premier League.
Prefectural leagues (third tier and below) — every one of Japan's 47 prefectures runs its own league, often with several divisions. The top teams earn a chance to move up to their regional Prince League.

Recent Premier League Final results: 2025 — Kashima Antlers Youth drew 1–1 with Vissel Kobe U-18 and won 3–2 on penalties; 2024 — Ohzu High School beat Yokohama FC Youth 3–0.

National tournaments

All Japan High School Soccer Tournament (winter) — the most famous youth competition in Japan, televised nationally. 48 teams (one per prefecture, two from Tokyo) play a knockout from late December into January, with the final at the Japan National Stadium. The 105th edition runs from 28 December 2026 to 11 January 2027; Kamimura Gakuen are the holders. High schools only.
Inter-High School Championships (summer) — the summer national tournament for high schools. Shizuoka Gakuen won the 2026 edition, their first Inter-High title.
Japan Club Youth (U-18) Championship — the national championship for club academies. From 2026 it moves from summer to winter (23–29 December 2026, Hiroshima and Yamaguchi) with 32 teams in a straight knockout, largely to protect players from extreme summer heat.
J Youth Cup — a cup competition for J.League club academies.

From youth football to the pros

Every year dozens of players sign professional contracts straight from high school or a club academy — our Japanese list of players joining clubs for 2027 contains 42 names, all checked against official club announcements. Many others go on to university football first, which is one of the largest routes into the J.League.

A useful detail when reading Japanese squad lists: the school year starts in April, and players are listed by school year (1st, 2nd, 3rd year) rather than by age. A 3rd-year player is usually 17 or 18 and in his final season of youth football.

How to use this site

Premier League standings (English) — updated daily.
All leagues (Japanese) — Premier and all 13 Prince Leagues with results, fixtures and top scorers.
Japan national team squads (SAMURAI BLUE to U-16) — the latest call-ups with each player's club and the high school or academy he came through.
Players turning professional — who is joining which J.League club, and when.
Inter-High 2026 — the summer high-school tournament: results, all 51 schools and where their players came from.
All Japan High School Soccer Tournament 2026–27 — the winter championship: qualifying in all 47 prefectures (updated daily), the 48 qualified schools and recent winners.
Japanese university football — how the nine regional leagues work, Division 1 tables in every region (updated twice a week) and the 2027 J.League signings from university.
Concussion in youth soccer — a medical column by the site's author, an emergency physician and neurosurgeon: warning signs on the touchline, why there is no same-day return, and the six-step return to play.
Team profiles in English — all nine school teams in the Premier League, plus fifteen J.League academies, from Kashima Antlers Youth to Sanfrecce Hiroshima F.C Youth. All eight quarter-finalists at the 2026 Inter-High have full profiles too: Shizuoka Gakuen, Kindai University High School, Takigawa Daini, Ohzu, Toko Gakuen, Nissho Gakuen, Asahikawa Jitsugyo and Toin Gakuen. So do the rest of the last 16: Kamimura Gakuen, Shohei, Kashima Gakuen, Yaita Chuo, Toyama Daiichi, Yamanashi Gakuin, Kyushu International University Affiliated and Yamagata Meisei. So do the rest of the last 32: Maebashi Ikuei and Aomori Yamada from the Premier League, plus Saga Higashi, Senshu Kitakami, Kochi Chuo, Teikyo Asaka, Meioh, Ichiritsu Funabashi, Shoshi, Matsumoto Kokusai, Oita, Niigata Meikun, Seiwa Gakuen, Omi, Maruoka and Seiritsu Gakuen. Every Prince League team now has a short English profile too — start from the Prince League standings. Full profiles are being added for the leading schools in the Prince Leagues, starting with Okayama Gakugeikan, Rissho Shonan, Kagoshima Josei, Kunimi, Riseisha, Kyoto Tachibana and Hamamatsu Kaiseikan. The leading J.League academies in the Prince Leagues follow: Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo U-18, Ehime FC U-18, V-Varen Nagasaki U-18, Matsumoto Yamaga F.C. U-18, Cerezo Osaka U-18, Shimizu S-Pulse Youth and JEF United Chiba U-18. More schools have joined them: Setouchi, Nihon Bunri, Seiryo, Sapporo Otani, Kochi, Tohoku Gakuin and Tokushima Shiritsu. So have more academies: Tokushima Vortis Youth, Kyoto Sanga F.C. U-18, Urawa Red Diamonds Youth, Montedio Yamagata Youth, RB Omiya Ardija U-18, Yokohama F. Marinos Youth and FC Machida Zelvia Youth.

Browser translation works well on our Japanese pages.

Frequently asked questions

Is the Premier League the same competition as the high-school tournament?

No. The Premier League is a season-long league for both high schools and club academies, run by the Japan Football Association. The winter High School Soccer Tournament is a knockout competition for high schools only.

How long are matches?

Premier League matches last 90 minutes. Many high-school competitions use 80 minutes.

Who runs this site?

u18-soccer.com is an independent, free site run by a Japanese emergency physician who follows youth football closely. It is not affiliated with the JFA or any club. About (Japanese).