J1 League scraps draws for centenary, penalties to decide level games

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·11 February 2026

J1 League scraps draws for centenary, penalties to decide level games

Japan’s J1 League is marking its centenary by abolishing draws for 2026, with penalty shootouts to settle games that finish level after 90 minutes.

Under the new format, shootout winners receive two points and losers take one, akin to a traditional draw. According to L'Équipe, the change applies only to the 2026 transition season.

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On Saturday seven February, FC Tokyo drew 1-1 with Kashima Antlers, then won the shootout 5-4. In the J1 League East table, the capital club have two points and Kashima one.

The campaign began on seven February and ends in June. The federation has decided to move to the European calendar from August for 2026-27.

In principle, the scrapping of draws will not be extended into 2026-27 unless the format proves a success.

Source: L'Équipe