Japan/J1 League: no draws, two regional groups and play-offs for the switch to a new season format
The Meiji Yasuda J1 League, Japan's top men's football division, is adopting a new format for its transitional season held between February and June 2026 as part of its move away from a calendar-year season to a format spanning two calendar years from 2026-27.
Under the new format, the league, which comprised 20 clubs in 2025, is divided into...