J.LEAGUE announced the format details of the 2020 MEIJI YASUDA J.LEAGUE after the extraordinary board of directors held today.
■2020 MEIJI YASUDA J.LEAGUE League Format
【Promotion/Relegation Rule】
1. Clubs finishing in first and second place of the J2 LEAGUE will be automatically promoted to the J1 LEAGUE and J1/J2 Play-Offs will not be held.
2. Clubs finishing in first and second place of the J3 LEAGUE will be automatically promoted to the J2 LEAGUE.
3. If either of the top two finishers do not possess a requisite license, promotion will not carry down to any clubs in third place or below.
4. The above rules apply only when each category holds more than 75% of its total matches and 50% of each team's games. However, it may be further discussed at the board of directors to meet a contingency.
5. If the above criteria are not met, the season will not be considered as completed. The ranking in each category will not be determined and there will be no promotion. Hence in the 2021 season, the number of clubs in each category will be 18-20 clubs for J1, 20-24 clubs for J2 and 14-18 clubs for J3.
【Prize Money and Awards】
1. If the season is not completed, prize money will not be paid and awards and presentation ceremonies will not be held.
2. If the season is not completed, scoresheets of the matches will be used as reference data. Player's stats (appearances, goals, etc.) will be counted as records.