2014 J.League Division 1


The 2014 J.League Division 1 season was the 49th season of top-flight football in Japan, and the 22nd since the establishment of the J.League in 1993. The season began on 1 March and ended on 8 December. Sanfrecce Hiroshima were the defending champions.
Due to Japan's participation in the 2014 FIFA World Cup, there was an extended break to allow for preparation after the 14th-week matches on 17 and 18 May, with the league resuming on 15 July for four clubs who participated in the 2014 AFC Champions League to play rescheduled 12th-week matches, and 19 July for other 14 clubs.
2014 saw the league played via a home and away system over a single season for the last time until at least 2020. From 2015 the league will revert to an Apertura and Clausura system, with a multi-team play-off 'super stage' to decide the champions, similar to the format used when the J.League began.
The league was won by Gamba Osaka, who won their second J.League title following a 0–0 away draw against Tokushima Vortis. They became the second league champions to win the first division after being promoted as second division champions.

Clubs

18 teams compete in this year's competition. Both Gamba Osaka and Vissel Kobe return to J1 after a single season outside the top flight; they finished as the J.League Division 2 champions and runners-up, respectively. Tokushima Vortis, who finished fourth in the regular season and won the promotion playoff, will make their top-flight debut, becoming the first club from Shikoku to do so. Those three teams replaced Oita Trinita, Shonan Bellmare and Júbilo Iwata; Júbilo were relegated from J1 for the first time after twenty seasons in the top tier, while Bellmare and Trinita were bumped down after cameo appearances in J1.
Club NameCoachHome TownStadiumCapacityNote
Albirex Niigata Masaaki YanagishitaNiigata & Seirō, NiigataBig Swan Stadium42,300
Toninho CerezoKashima, IbarakiKashima Soccer Stadium40,728
Hiroki ShibuyaOmiya, SaitamaNACK5 Stadium15,500
Cerezo Osaka Yuji OkumaOsakaNagai Stadium47,8162014 AFC Champions League participant
Yasuhiro HiguchiYokohama, Kanagawa & Yokosuka, KanagawaNissan Stadium72,3272014 AFC Champions League participant
Yahiro KazamaKawasaki, KanagawaTodoroki Athletics Stadium26,2322014 AFC Champions League participant
Gamba Osaka Kenta HasegawaSuita, OsakaOsaka Expo '70 Stadium21,000Promoted from J.League Division 2 in 2013
Akira NishinoNagoya, AichiMizuho Athletic Stadium27,000
Mihailo PetrovićUrawa, SaitamaSaitama Stadium63,700
Nelsinho BaptistaKashiwa, ChibaKashiwa Soccer Stadium15,900
Katsumi OenokiShizuokaIAI Stadium Nihondaira20,339
Sagan Tosu Megumu YoshidaTosu, SagaTosu Stadium24,490
Sanfrecce Hiroshima Hajime MoriyasuHiroshimaHiroshima Big Arch50,0002014 AFC Champions League participant
Massimo FiccadentiTokyoAjinomoto Stadium49,970
Shinji KobayashiAll cities/towns in TokushimaPocarisweat Stadium20,441Promoted from J.League Division 2 in 2013
Vegalta Sendai Susumu WatanabeSendai, MiyagiYurtec Stadium19,694
Ventforet Kofu Hiroshi JofukuKofu, YamanashiYamanashi Chuo Bank Stadium17,000
Ryo AdachiKobe, HyōgoMisaki Park Stadium30,132Promoted from J.League Division 2 in 2013

Foreign players

Managerial changes

League table

Positions by round

Results

Top scorers

Updated to games played on 8 December 2014

Source:

Awards

Individual

AwardRecipientClubNotes
Most Valuable Player Yasuhito EndōGamba Osaka
Rookie of the Year CaioKashima Antlers
Manager of the Year Kenta HasegawaGamba Osaka
Top scorer Yoshito ŌkuboKawasaki Frontale18 goals.

Best Eleven