2026 J1 100 Year Vision League

2026 J1 Transition League

If you’ve been scouting the J1 League on Sorare for a while, you know the drill: the Japanese season is our reliable "Summer League" savior while Europe sleeps. However, 2026 marks the biggest shift in the J.League’s history since its inception in 1993.

To align with the AFC Champions League and the European top flights, the J.League is moving to an Autumn-Spring calendar. This means the J1 League will no longer run from February to December. Instead, the first "full" new-format season will kick off in August 2026 and run until May 2027.

But what happens to our Sorare cards between February and August? Enter the 2026 J1 100 Year Vision League (Special Season).

Format and Rules

To bridge the gap before the new calendar begins, the J.League is hosting a one-off special tournament called the Meiji Yasuda J1 100 Year Vision League. While it’s a standalone competition, it features all 20 top-flight clubs and will be the primary focus for Sorare managers in the first half of the year.

1. The Regional Split

Unlike the traditional single-table format, the 2026 Special Season divides the league into two regions: East and West (10 teams each).

Regional Round (Feb 7 – May 24): Teams play a double round-robin (home and away) within their region for a total of 18 matches.
The "Extra Point" Rule: If a match is tied after 90 minutes, it goes straight to a penalty shootout. The winner of the shootout gets an extra point (3 for a win, 2 for a PK win, 1 for a PK loss).

2. The Play-Off Round (May 30 – June 7)

After the regional rounds, a ranking playoff determines the final standings. The 1st place team in the East plays the 1st place team in the West to crown an overall champion. This continues down the line (2nd vs 2nd, etc.).

3. High Stakes, No Relegation

The most critical takeaway for Sorare managers: There is no relegation in the 2026 Special Season. However, the winner of the tournament earns a direct spot in the 2026–27 AFC Champions League Elite (ACLE), which is a massive incentive for the top teams to stay competitive.

Teams

The newly promoted teams are JEF United Chiba, Mito Hollyhock and V Varen Nagasaki.

All 3 are exiting teams that I reckon will be decent in J1. Mito are highly aggressive counter attack team and somewhat surprise winners last season.

Nagasaki have a formidable squad already packed with J league experience like midfielders Yamaguchi and Pituca who together compliment each other so well. Matheus Jesus is the player to watch. Has impressed me heaps with his lighting speed and skills that cause havoc. Nagasaki owners are also flush with cash and wanting to build.

JEF United Chiba came up through the playoffs. After countless years of nearly getting promoted, they final did it with a narrow 1-0 win vs Tokushima. Squad is solid, especially in defence and management. They do need to pick up some more quality esp in attack.

As there is no relegation in the transitional league, all can experiement more and find their feet against their J1 opposition

J1 League 2026 Calendar Dates

Transfers can happen and be confirmed by clubs before January 12th. This date is when players offically get registered for their respective clubs

Preseason camps likely start mid January too

J1 2025 Review

The championship was decided on the final day, with Kashima Antlers securing their record-extending 9th J1 title following a narrow 2–1 victory over Yokohama F. Marinos. Under the tactical guidance of Toru Oniki, who became the first manager to win the J.League with two different clubs, Kashima finished with 76 points, just one point ahead of runners-up Kashiwa Reysol.

Kashima Antlers (1st): Built on a 15-match unbeaten run, they combined defensive organization with the clinical finishing of Leo Ceara.
Kashiwa Reysol (2nd): Pushed the race to the wire with a four-game winning streak to end the season, securing a spot in the AFC Champions League Elite.

Key Players from 2025 J1 League Season

Léo Ceará

Team: Kashima Antlers
Position: Forward
2025 Impact: The league’s Top Scorer, Ceará was the primary architect of Kashima’s title win, netting 21 goals in 34 appearances. He became the first Kashima player to win the Golden Boot in 17 years, maintaining a clinical scoring rate of one goal every 118 minutes.

Lucas Fernandes

Team: Cerezo Osaka
Position: Midfielder / Winger
2025 Impact: The undisputed creative hub of the league, Fernandes led the charts with 15 assists and created a league-high 22 big chances. His ability to dictate play from the wide areas earned him the highest average rating in the division (7.69).

Tomoki Hayakawa

Team: Kashima Antlers
Position: Goalkeeper
2025 Impact: Named the 2025 Meiji Yasuda J1 League MVP, Hayakawa became the first goalkeeper to win the award in over a decade. He was the cornerstone of Kashima's championship-winning season, starting all 38 matches and leading the league with a remarkable 77.4% save percentage.

J1 League and Sorare

With the 2026 seaosn coming up, I will be:

Doing team preview for each team including depth charts
Transfers analysis including impact on team and rumours
Strategy analysis for Sorare SO5 including u23

Most of this content is on Patreon and also on Discord.

This site has a bunch of info/guides that is outdate and will be updated in the next month

Click above for the J1 League Sorare Discord channel, you can keep up to date with the latest info and get other peoples opinion in the community!

About Me

Written by Matsuyama, a 8-year Japan resident and long time Sorare manager with 1500+ rewards.

I use local Japanese sources to find info and give the best advice for Sorare Managers and J league fanatics