The MEIJI YASUDA J1 100 YEAR VISION LEAGUE kicks off in a matter of weeks, and there will be three new faces in the top flight in 2026 after Mito Hollyhock, V-Varen Nagasaki, and JEF United Chiba all secured promotion from the second tier last season.
2025 MEIJI YASUDA J2 LEAGUE champions Mito will be competing in the first division for the first time in their history, having spent the past 26 seasons uninterrupted in J2.
The Ibaraki club finally sealed promotion to J1 by finishing top of the pile last year, picking up 70 points to edge runners-up Nagasaki on goal difference.
Forward Arata Watanabe played a pivotal role for Mito in their historic campaign, finishing as their top scorer with 13 league goals and also providing seven assists despite missing a couple of months through injury.
Another key player was Sho Omori. The attack-minded left-back didn’t miss a single league game, leading the way in both number of passes and crosses made for Mito, and the 26-year-old will be keen to showcase his abilities again in the MEIJI YASUDA J1 100 YEAR VISION LEAGUE.
Nagasaki are back in the top flight for the first time since 2018, playing their way to second place in their first full season at PEACE STADIUM Connected by SoftBank last year - a terrific venue that is sure to prove popular with visiting fans and players alike in the first division this coming season.
Manager Takuya Takagi was also in charge the last time Nagasaki were promoted to J1 - steering them to a runners-up finish in J2 in 2017 before a single season in the top tier - and the side lost just one of his 19 league games in charge last year after he replaced Takahiro Shimotaira midway through the season.
There is strength in depth throughout the Nagasaki squad, but the side’s standout player is unquestionably attacking midfielder Matheus Jesus.
The Brazilian found the net 19 times to spearhead Nagasaki’s promotion push last season, and Matheus Jesus’ all-round contribution not only helped seal his side a place in the first division but also saw him crowned as 2025 MEIJI YASUDA J2 LEAGUE Player of the Year.
Hotaru Yamaguchi is another pivotal figure for the side, and the 35-year-old - a former J1 champion with Vissel Kobe, who also played 48 times for Japan - uses all of his experience to anchor Nagasaki’s midfield, and is sure to relish being back in the top tier.
Chiba’s return to the first division, meanwhile, has been a long time coming.
One of the J.League’s original 10 founding members, the club was relegated from the top flight in 2009 and after several near misses finally made its way back to the first division last year.
After finishing third in the table - just one point behind both Mito and Nagasaki - Chiba earned their place back in J1 after emerging victorious in the play-offs, sensationally coming back from 3-0 down in the semi-finals to beat RB Omiya Ardija 4-3 and then edging Tokushima Vortis 1-0 in the final.
Chiba had the joint second best defence in J2 last year, with seasoned centre-back Daisuke Suzuki key to his side’s solidity at the back. The 35-year old coupled his physicality and reading of the game to great effect, and certainly won’t make things easy for opposing strikers in the MEIJI YASUDA J1 100 YEAR VISION LEAGUE either.
At the other end of the pitch, Carlinhos Junior provided Chiba with a real cutting edge in attack, contributing 10 goals and one assist during the regular season and then scoring in both of their play-off games - including the decisive winner in the final to take his side back to the promised land.
All three promoted sides have plenty of momentum behind them, and will be keen to make their marks in J1 this year.
Nagasaki’s campaign gets underway when they play host to Sanfrecce Hiroshima on Friday 6 February, Chiba will reacquaint themselves with the top flight by welcoming Urawa Reds to Fukuda Denshi Arena the following day, while Mito’s J1 debut comes away to Tokyo Verdy on Sunday 8 February.
