J.League: Japanese championships to be held from August to May from 2026-27

Japan's professional football leagues, which are currently held on a calendar year basis, will be held from August to May from 2026, announced the J.League on 19/12/2023. Their calendar will thus be modelled on that of the majority of European leagues and the AFC Champions League.

"The 2026-27 season will begin approximately the first week of August 2026, with a winter break then held from around the second week of December until around the third week of February 2027. The season will then conclude the final week of May 2027," explained the Japanese League, whose board of directors unanimously passed the resolution.

The aims of this change for Japanese clubs are to:
• Avoid playing during the hottest summer months
• Make the leagues more attractive
• Make it easier to transfer players to Europe

"What happens from here is important. In 10, 20, 30 years, Japan's soccer will catch up with the rest of the world and young children will be able to dream even bigger dreams," said Yoshikazu Nonomura, president of the J.League.

This development is not without cause for concern among clubs in…