2015 J1 League

The 2015 Meiji Yasuda J1 League (2015 明治安田生命J1リーグ) season^[1] was the 50th season of top-flight football in Japan and the 23rd since the establishment of the J.League in 1992. This was first season of J1 League as renamed from J. League Division 1.

Meiji Yasuda J1 League

Season	2015
Champions	Sanfrecce Hiroshima 3rd J.League title 8th Japanese title
Relegated	Matsumoto Yamaga Montedio Yamagata Shimizu S-Pulse
Champions League	Sanfrecce Hiroshima Urawa Red Diamonds Gamba Osaka FC Tokyo
Club World Cup	Sanfrecce Hiroshima
Matches played	306
Goals scored	820 (2.68 per match)
Top goalscorer	Yoshito Ōkubo (23 goals)
Highest attendance	53,148 Urawa Red Diamonds vs Gamba Osaka (2 May)
Lowest attendance	6,100 Montedio Yamagata vs Nagoya Grampus (29 July)
Average attendance	17,803
← 2014 2016 → All statistics correct as of 22 November 2015.

For a five-year period starting in 2015, the J.League changed to a newly conceived multistage system, with the year split into two halves and a third and final championship stage. The winners of the first and second stages and the highest ranking club of the aggregate table (other than the first or second stage winners) will qualify for the Championship Stage. Sanfrecce Hiroshima won the Championship Stage and advanced to the 2015 FIFA Club World Cup as the host nation's entrant.

Clubs

Albirex Niigata

Greater Tokyo Area†

Keihanshin Area‡

Matsumoto Yamaga

Montedio Yamagata

Nagoya Grampus

Sagan Tosu

Sanfrecce Hiroshima

Shimizu S-Pulse

Vegalta Sendai

Kashima Antlers

Ventforet Kofu

† Greater Tokyo teams

• FC Tokyo
• Kashiwa Reysol
• Kawasaki Frontale
• Shonan Bellmare
• Urawa Red Diamonds
• Yokohama F. Marinos

‡ Keihanshin teams

• Gamba Osaka
• Vissel Kobe

Locations of the 2015 J1 League teams

Club name	Home town(s)	Stadium	Capacity	Note(s)
Albirex Niigata	Niigata & Seirō, Niigata	Denka Big Swan Stadium	42,300
FC Tokyo	Tokyo	Ajinomoto Stadium	49,970
Gamba Osaka	Suita, Osaka	Expo '70 Commemorative Stadium	21,000	2015 AFC Champions League participant (as 2014 J.League Division 1 winners)
Kashima Antlers	Kashima, Ibaraki	Kashima Soccer Stadium	40,728	2015 AFC Champions League participant (as 2014 J.League Division 1 third-placed team)
Kashiwa Reysol	Kashiwa, Chiba	Kashiwa Soccer Stadium	15,900	2015 AFC Champions League play-off participant (as 2014 J.League Division 1 fourth-placed team)
Kawasaki Frontale	Kawasaki, Kanagawa	Todoroki Athletics Stadium	26,232
Matsumoto Yamaga	Matsumoto, Nagano	Matsumotodaira Football Stadium	20,000	Promoted from J.League Division 2 in 2014 (as runners-up)
Montedio Yamagata	All cities/towns in Yamagata	ND Soft Stadium	20,315	Promoted from J.League Division 2 in 2014 (through a play-off system)
Nagoya Grampus	Nagoya, Aichi	Paloma Mizuho Stadium	27,000
Sagan Tosu	Tosu, Saga	Tosu Stadium	24,490
Sanfrecce Hiroshima	Hiroshima	Hiroshima Big Arch	50,000
Shimizu S-Pulse	Shizuoka	IAI Stadium Nihondaira	20,339
Shonan Bellmare	Hiratsuka, Kanagawa	Shonan Stadium Hiratsuka	18,500	Promoted from J.League Division 2 in 2014 (as winners)
Urawa Red Diamonds	Saitama	Saitama Stadium	63,700	2015 AFC Champions League participant (as 2014 J.League Division 1 runners-up)
Vegalta Sendai	Sendai, Miyagi	Yurtec Stadium	19,694
Ventforet Kofu	Kōfu, Yamanashi	Yamanashi Chuo Bank Stadium	17,000
Vissel Kobe	Kobe, Hyōgo	Misaki Park Stadium	30,132
Yokohama F. Marinos	Yokohama & Yokosuka	Nissan Stadium	72,327

Personnel and kits

Club name	Head coach	Kit manufacturer	Front shirt sponsor
Albirex Niigata	Masaaki Yanagishita	Adidas	Kameda Seika
FC Tokyo	Massimo Ficcadenti	Umbro	Lifeval
Gamba Osaka	Kenta Hasegawa	Umbro	Panasonic
Kashima Antlers	Masatada Ishii	Nike	Lixil
Kashiwa Reysol	Tatsuma Yoshida	Yonex	Hitachi
Kawasaki Frontale	Yahiro Kazama	Puma	Fujitsu (home) Arrows (away)
Matsumoto Yamaga	Yasuharu Sorimachi	Adidas	Epson
Montedio Yamagata	Nobuhiro Ishizaki	New Balance	ABeam Consulting
Nagoya Grampus	Akira Nishino	Le Coq Sportif	Toyota
Sagan Tosu	Hitoshi Morishita	New Balance	DHC
Sanfrecce Hiroshima	Hajime Moriyasu	Nike	EDION
Shimizu S-Pulse	Kazuaki Tasaka	Puma	Suzuyo
Shonan Bellmare	Cho Kwi-jae	Penalty	ENERES
Urawa Red Diamonds	Mihailo Petrović	Nike	Polus
Vegalta Sendai	Susumu Watanabe	Adidas	Iris Ohyama
Ventforet Kofu	Satoru Sakuma	Mizuno	Hakubaku
Vissel Kobe	Nelsinho Baptista	Asics	Rakuten
Yokohama F. Marinos	Erick Mombaerts	Adidas	Nissan

Managerial changes

Team	Outgoing manager	Date of separation	Manner of departure	Incoming manager	Date of announcement
Ventforet Kofu	Yasuhiro Higuchi	13 May	Mutual consent[2]	Satoru Sakuma	13 May
Kashima Antlers	Toninho Cerezo	21 July	Sacked[3]	Masatada Ishii	21 July
Shimizu S-Pulse	Katsumi Oenoki	1 August	Resigned[4]	Kazuaki Tasaka	11 August

Foreign players

Club	Player 1	Player 2	Player 3	AFC player	Non-visa foreign	Type-C contract[5]	Former players
Albirex Niigata	Bruno Cortez	Léo Silva	Rafael Silva	Lim You-hwan			Rafael Ratão
FC Tokyo	Vlada Avramov	Francisco Sandaza		Nathan Burns			Michele Canini Lassad Nouioui
Gamba Osaka	Lins	Patric		Oh Jae-suk	Kim Jung-ya
Kashima Antlers	Davi	Dinei		Hwang Seok-ho	Caio
Kashiwa Reysol	Cristiano	Dudu	Éderson	Kim Chang-soo			Leandro
Kawasaki Frontale	Arthur Maia	Elsinho					Renatinho An Byong-jun
Matsumoto Yamaga	Eric	Obina	Willians	Kim Bo-kyung			Doriva
Montedio Yamagata	Alceu	Diego Souza		Kim Byeom-yong	Frank Romero
Nagoya Grampus	Leandro Domingues	Danilson Córdoba	Milivoje Novaković			Gustavo
Sagan Tosu	Baek Sung-dong	Choi Sung-keun	Kim Min-hyeok	Kim Min-woo
Sanfrecce Hiroshima	Douglas	Mihael Mikić		Byeon Jun-byum
Shimizu S-Pulse	Dejan Jaković	Calvin Jong-a-Pin	Peter Utaka	Mitch Duke	Jong Tae-se
Shonan Bellmare	André Bahia	Thiago Quirino	Kim Jong-pil	Lee Ho-seung		Alison	Bruno Correa Fábio Amorim Guima
Urawa Red Diamonds	Zlatan Ljubijankić
Vegalta Sendai	Felipe	Ramon Lopes	Wilson	Kim Min-tae	Ryang Yong-gi		Daniel Schmidt
Ventforet Kofu	Baré	Maranhão	Marquinhos Paraná				Adriano Bruno Dybal William Henrique
Vissel Kobe	Leandro	Marquinhos	Pedro Júnior	Jung Woo-young	Bueno		Ferrugem
Yokohama F. Marinos	Ademilson	Fábio	Rafinha

Format changes

Teams play a single round-robin in the first stage and a single round-robin in the second stage.^[6] After that an overall table is calculated and a championship stage is played. The winners of the first and second stages and any team that finishes in the top 3 of the overall rankings advance to the championship stage. The team that finishes atop the overall table automatically qualifies for the final, while the remaining teams play-off for the other spot in the final.

League table

First stage

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Urawa Red Diamonds (Q)	17	12	5	0	39	17	+22	41	Qualification to J.League Championship Stage
2	FC Tokyo	17	11	2	4	24	18	+6	35
3	Sanfrecce Hiroshima	17	10	4	3	29	16	+13	34
4	Gamba Osaka	17	9	5	3	24	13	+11	32
5	Kawasaki Frontale	17	9	3	5	32	26	+6	30
6	Yokohama F. Marinos	17	7	5	5	21	17	+4	26
7	Vegalta Sendai	17	6	5	6	27	20	+7	23
8	Kashima Antlers	17	6	4	7	27	25	+2	22
9	Nagoya Grampus	17	6	4	7	18	18	0	22
10	Shonan Bellmare	17	6	4	7	20	24	−4	22
11	Sagan Tosu	17	5	5	7	22	32	−10	20
12	Ventforet Kofu	17	6	2	9	12	22	−10	20
13	Vissel Kobe	17	4	7	6	17	19	−2	19
14	Kashiwa Reysol	17	4	6	7	22	25	−3	18
15	Matsumoto Yamaga	17	4	3	10	17	26	−9	15
16	Montedio Yamagata	17	3	5	9	14	24	−10	14
17	Albirex Niigata	17	3	5	9	20	33	−13	14
18	Shimizu S-Pulse	17	3	4	10	22	32	−10	13

Updated to match(es) played on 27 June 2015. Source: Meiji Yasuda J1 League Standings
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored
(Q) Qualified for the phase indicated

Second stage

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Sanfrecce Hiroshima (Q)	17	13	1	3	44	14	+30	40	Qualification to J.League Championship Stage
2	Kashima Antlers	17	12	1	4	30	16	+14	37
3	Gamba Osaka	17	9	4	4	32	24	+8	31
4	Urawa Red Diamonds	17	9	4	4	30	23	+7	31
5	Yokohama F. Marinos	17	8	5	4	24	15	+9	29
6	FC Tokyo	17	8	4	5	21	15	+6	28
7	Kawasaki Frontale	17	8	3	6	30	22	+8	27
8	Kashiwa Reysol	17	8	3	6	24	18	+6	27
9	Shonan Bellmare	17	7	5	5	20	20	0	26
10	Nagoya Grampus	17	7	3	7	26	30	−4	24
11	Albirex Niigata	17	5	5	7	21	25	−4	20
12	Sagan Tosu	17	4	8	5	15	22	−7	20
13	Vissel Kobe	17	6	1	10	27	30	−3	19
14	Ventforet Kofu	17	4	5	8	14	21	−7	17
15	Matsumoto Yamaga	17	3	4	10	13	28	−15	13
16	Vegalta Sendai	17	3	3	11	17	28	−11	12
17	Shimizu S-Pulse	17	2	6	9	15	33	−18	12
18	Montedio Yamagata	17	1	7	9	10	29	−19	10

Updated to match(es) played on 22 November 2015. Source: Meiji Yasuda J1 League 2nd Stage Standings
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored
(Q) Qualified for the phase indicated

Overall table

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification or relegation
1	Sanfrecce Hiroshima (C)	34	23	5	6	73	30	+43	74	Club World Cup, Champions League group stage and J.League Championship Final
2	Urawa Red Diamonds	34	21	9	4	69	40	+29	72	Champions League group stage and J.League Championship 1st Round
3	Gamba Osaka	34	18	9	7	56	37	+19	63
4	FC Tokyo	34	19	6	9	45	33	+12	63	Champions League qualifying play-off[a]
5	Kashima Antlers	34	18	5	11	57	41	+16	59
6	Kawasaki Frontale	34	17	6	11	62	48	+14	57
7	Yokohama F. Marinos	34	15	10	9	45	32	+13	55
8	Shonan Bellmare	34	13	9	12	40	44	−4	48
9	Nagoya Grampus	34	13	7	14	44	48	−4	46
10	Kashiwa Reysol	34	12	9	13	46	43	+3	45
11	Sagan Tosu	34	9	13	12	37	54	−17	40
12	Vissel Kobe	34	10	8	16	44	49	−5	38
13	Ventforet Kofu	34	10	7	17	26	43	−17	37
14	Vegalta Sendai	34	9	8	17	44	48	−4	35
15	Albirex Niigata	34	8	10	16	41	58	−17	34
16	Matsumoto Yamaga (R)	34	7	7	20	30	54	−24	28	Relegation to 2016 J2 League
17	Shimizu S-Pulse (R)	34	5	10	19	37	65	−28	25
18	Montedio Yamagata (R)	34	4	12	18	24	53	−29	24

Updated to match(es) played on 28 November 2015. Source: Meiji Yasuda J1 League Standings
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored
(C) Champions; (R) Relegated
Notes:

1. The winner of the 2015 Emperor's Cup qualified for the group stage of the 2016 AFC Champions League. Since the Emperor's Cup winner was Gamba Osaka who were the third-placed team, the qualifying play-off spot was awarded to the fourth-placed team.

Positions by round

First stage

Team ╲ Round	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17
Urawa Red Diamonds	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1
FC Tokyo	10	10	4	2	1	5	4	3	2	2	2	4	5	3	3	3	2
Sanfrecce Hiroshima	4	1	1	6	10	6	6	4	4	3	4	3	2	2	2	2	3
Gamba Osaka	10	13	7	5	3	2	2	2	3	4	3	2	3	4	4	4	4
Kawasaki Frontale	1	4	6	4	6	4	3	5	5	6	5	7	6	6	6	5	5
Yokohama F. Marinos	14	16	13	8	7	11	8	11	11	8	6	5	4	5	5	6	6
Vegalta Sendai	4	5	5	2	4	7	9	13	13	15	15	12	13	11	7	9	7
Kashima Antlers	14	17	17	11	12	8	10	8	10	11	9	8	11	9	9	7	8
Nagoya Grampus	8	12	16	18	12	8	11	9	6	7	8	11	9	10	8	8	9
Shonan Bellmare	14	8	12	7	11	13	14	12	12	13	10	10	8	7	10	10	10
Sagan Tosu	6	3	3	9	5	3	5	6	7	5	7	6	7	8	11	11	11
Ventforet Kofu	17	9	15	17	18	18	18	18	18	18	18	18	16	14	13	12	12
Vissel Kobe	13	13	18	14	9	10	7	10	9	9	11	14	10	12	12	13	13
Kashiwa Reysol	7	7	10	12	8	12	12	7	8	10	12	13	14	15	15	15	14
Matsumoto Yamaga	8	11	9	12	16	15	13	14	15	12	14	9	12	13	14	14	15
Montedio Yamagata	17	18	14	16	17	17	17	17	16	16	13	15	15	16	16	16	16
Albirex Niigata	12	15	10	15	14	14	15	15	14	14	17	17	18	18	18	17	17
Shimizu S-Pulse	1	5	8	10	15	16	16	16	17	17	16	16	17	17	17	18	18

	Leader and qualification to 2015 J.League Championship

Updated to match(es) played on 27 June 2015. Source: J. League data site
Note 1: Matchday 10 results for 2015 AFC Champions League Participants (Kashiwa Reysol vs. Urawa Red Diamonds; Gamba Osaka vs. Kashima Antlers), held on 3 June 2015, are included in Matchday 15 ranking.
Note 2: Matchday 13 results for 2015 AFC Champions League quarterfinalists (Kashiwa Reysol vs. Gamba Osaka), held on 23 June 2015, are included in Matchday 17 ranking.

Second stage

Team ╲ Round	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17
Sanfrecce Hiroshima	3	1	1	1	1	1	2	2	2	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1
Kashima Antlers	4	5	11	7	4	2	1	1	1	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2
Gamba Osaka	6	8	6	3	5	8	10	8	5	5	5	4	8	4	4	4	3
Urawa Red Diamonds	6	7	9	13	14	9	8	4	9	6	4	3	4	6	5	5	4
Yokohama F. Marinos	9	14	16	16	17	14	12	9	6	7	6	8	7	3	3	3	5
FC Tokyo	17	10	9	13	9	6	4	6	4	4	7	5	3	5	7	6	6
Kawasaki Frontale	2	3	4	5	3	4	6	10	11	9	8	6	5	7	8	9	7
Kashiwa Reysol	12	10	3	2	6	3	3	3	3	3	3	7	6	8	6	7	8
Shonan Bellmare	6	5	11	11	7	5	6	4	7	8	9	9	9	9	9	8	9
Nagoya Grampus	14	8	6	6	2	7	5	7	8	10	11	10	10	11	10	10	10
Albirex Niigata	12	17	14	8	10	10	13	14	12	12	10	11	11	10	11	12	11
Sagan Tosu	4	4	8	9	11	12	11	12	14	13	13	14	14	14	14	13	12
Vissel Kobe	1	2	2	4	8	11	9	11	10	11	12	12	12	13	12	11	13
Ventforet Kofu	14	14	4	12	13	15	16	13	13	14	14	13	13	12	13	14	14
Matsumoto Yamaga	14	18	15	10	12	13	15	16	16	17	17	16	15	16	16	16	15
Vegalta Sendai	11	13	18	18	18	17	17	17	17	16	15	15	17	15	15	15	16
Shimizu S-Pulse	18	16	17	17	15	16	14	15	15	15	16	17	18	18	18	17	17
Montedio Yamagata	9	12	13	15	16	18	18	18	18	18	18	18	16	17	17	18	18

	Leader and qualification to 2015 J.League Championship

Updated to match(es) played on 22 November 2015. Source: J. League data site
Note 1: Matchday 6 results for Gamba Osaka vs. Sagan Tosu, held on 22 July 2015, are included in Matchday 4 ranking. Gamba Osaka is a finalist in 2015 Suruga Bank Championship, scheduled on 11 August 2015.
Note 2: Matchday 9 results for Matsumoto Yamaga vs. Montedio Yamagata, held on 23 September 2015, are included on Matchday 12 ranking.

Overall

Team ╲ Round	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31	32	33	34
Sanfrecce Hiroshima	4	1	1	6	10	6	6	4	4	3	4	3	2	2	2	2	3	2	2	2	1	1	1	2	2	1	1	2	2	2	1	1	1	1
Urawa Red Diamonds	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	2	2	2	1	1	2	2	1	1	1	2	2	2	2
Gamba Osaka	10	13	7	5	3	2	2	2	3	4	3	2	3	4	4	4	4	3	4	4	3	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	3	4	3
FC Tokyo	10	10	4	2	1	5	4	3	2	2	2	4	5	3	3	3	2	4	3	3	4	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	4	3	4
Kashima Antlers	14	17	17	11	12	8	10	8	10	11	9	8	11	9	9	7	8	7	7	8	6	6	6	6	5	5	5	6	6	6	6	7	5	5
Kawasaki Frontale	1	4	6	4	6	4	3	5	5	6	5	7	6	6	6	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	6	6	6	5	5	5	5	6	6	6
Yokohama F. Marinos	14	16	13	8	7	11	8	11	11	8	6	5	4	5	5	6	6	6	6	6	8	9	9	8	7	7	7	7	7	7	7	5	7	7
Shonan Bellmare	14	8	12	7	11	13	14	12	12	13	10	10	8	7	10	10	10	8	8	10	10	8	7	10	10	10	9	9	8	9	8	8	8	8
Nagoya Grampus	8	12	16	18	12	8	11	9	6	7	8	11	9	10	8	8	9	12	9	9	7	7	8	7	9	9	10	10	9	10	10	10	9	9
Kashiwa Reysol	7	7	10	12	8	12	12	7	8	10	12	13	14	15	15	15	14	14	13	12	9	10	10	9	8	8	8	8	10	8	9	9	10	10
Sagan Tosu	6	3	3	9	5	3	5	6	7	5	7	6	7	8	11	11	11	10	11	14	12	12	13	12	12	13	13	13	14	14	14	12	11	11
Vissel Kobe	13	13	18	14	9	10	7	10	9	9	11	14	10	12	12	13	13	11	12	7	11	11	12	11	11	11	11	11	12	13	15	14	12	12
Ventforet Kofu	17	9	15	17	18	18	18	18	18	18	18	18	16	14	13	12	12	13	14	13	14	13	14	14	13	12	14	15	13	11	11	11	13	13
Vegalta Sendai	4	5	5	2	4	7	9	13	13	15	15	12	13	11	7	9	7	9	10	11	13	14	11	13	14	14	12	12	11	12	12	13	14	14
Albirex Niigata	12	15	10	15	14	14	15	15	14	14	17	17	18	18	18	17	17	17	18	17	16	15	15	15	15	15	15	14	15	15	13	15	15	15
Matsumoto Yamaga	8	11	9	12	16	15	13	14	15	12	14	9	12	13	14	14	15	15	16	15	15	16	16	16	16	16	16	16	16	16	16	16	16	16
Shimizu S-Pulse	1	5	8	10	15	16	16	16	17	17	16	16	17	17	17	18	18	18	17	18	18	17	18	17	17	17	17	17	18	18	18	18	18	17
Montedio Yamagata	17	18	14	16	17	17	17	17	16	16	13	15	15	16	16	16	16	16	15	16	17	18	17	18	18	18	18	18	17	17	17	17	17	18

	Leader, qualification to 2015 J.League Championship Final and 2016 AFC Champions League group stage
	Qualification to 2015 J.League Championship 1st Round and 2015 AFC Champions League group stage / qualifying play-off
	Relegation to 2016 J2 League

Updated to match(es) played on 22 November 2015. Source: J. League data site
Note 1: Matchday 10 results for 2015 AFC Champions League Participants (Kashiwa Reysol vs. Urawa Red Diamonds; Gamba Osaka vs. Kashima Antlers), held on 3 June 2015, are included in Matchday 15 ranking.
Note 2: Matchday 13 results for 2015 AFC Champions League quarterfinalists (Kashiwa Reysol vs. Gamba Osaka), held on 23 June 2015, are included in Matchday 17 ranking.
Note 3: Matchday 23 results for Gamba Osaka vs. Sagan Tosu, held on 22 July 2015, are included in Matchday 21 ranking. Gamba Osaka is a finalist in 2015 Suruga Bank Championship, scheduled on 11 August 2015.
Note 4: Matchday 26 results for Matsumoto Yamaga vs. Montedio Yamagata, held on 23 September 2015, are included on Matchday 29 ranking.

Championship stage

Meiji Yasuda 2015 J.League Championship (明治安田生命 2015 Jリーグチャンピオンシップ)
The Championship stage consisted of a knockout tournament involving the champions of the First and Second Stages, and any team that finishes in the top 3 of the overall table. The team with the best aggregate record earned a bye to the final. The remaining teams playoff for the other spot in the final.

	Semifinal					Final
						1	Sanfrecce Hiroshima	3	1	4
	2	Urawa Red Diamonds	1			3	Gamba Osaka	2	1	3
	3	Gamba Osaka (a.e.t.)	3

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28 November 2015

14:00

Urawa Red Diamonds	1–3 (a.e.t.)	Gamba Osaka
Ljubijankić 72'	Report	Konno 47' Fujiharu 117' Patric 120'

Saitama Stadium 2002, Midori-ku, Saitama

Attendance: 40,696

Referee: Hajime Matsuo

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2 December 2015

19:30

Gamba Osaka	2–3	Sanfrecce Hiroshima
Nagasawa 60' Konno 82'	Report	Douglas 80' Sasaki 90+1' Kashiwa 90+6'

Osaka Expo '70 Stadium, Suita

Attendance: 17,844

Referee: Kenji Ogiya

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5 December 2015

19:30

Sanfrecce Hiroshima	1–1	Gamba Osaka
Asano 76'	Report	Konno 28'

Hiroshima Big Arch, Hiroshima

Attendance: 36,609

Referee: Yuichi Nishimura

Results

First stage

Home \ Away	ALB	ANT	BEL	FMA	FRO	GAM	GRA	MON	RED	REY	SAG	SFR	SSP	TOK	VEG	VEN	VIS	YAM
Albirex Niigata							1–1	1–1		3–2			0–0	0–1	0–3	0–2	2–2
Kashima Antlers	1–1		1–2		2–3						3–1	2–2				0–1	1–2	3–1
Shonan Bellmare	1–3					0–2			1–3		4–2	0–0	4–0	0–1	0–0		1–1
Yokohama F. Marinos	1–0	0–3	3–0		1–3	1–1	2–0				1–0	1–2			1–1
Kawasaki Frontale	4–1		2–1						1–1	1–4	3–2	0–1				3–0	2–2	2–0
Gamba Osaka	2–1	2–0			1–1		3–1							2–2	1–1		0–0	1–0
Nagoya Grampus		1–1	3–0		0–1			0–0		1–0	0–1	2–0	3–1					3–3
Montedio Yamagata		2–2	1–2	1–0	1–0	1–3				3–0				0–1			0–1	0–0
Urawa Red Diamonds	5–2	2–1		2–1		1–0	2–1	1–0					1–0	4–1				1–0
Kashiwa Reysol		1–3	0–0	1–2		1–0			3–3			2–3	0–0		1–1
Sagan Tosu	2–1					1–0		1–0	1–6	1–1		2–2		1–2			1–1	1–1
Sanfrecce Hiroshima	4–2					0–1		5–1	0–0				2–0		2–0	2–0	0–1
Shimizu S-Pulse		3–1		1–2	5–2	2–3		3–3			2–2					0–2		0–1
FC Tokyo		0–1		0–0	2–1		0–1			2–1		1–2	3–2			1–0
Vegalta Sendai		1–2			2–3		2–0	2–0	4–4		5–0		2–1	2–3		0–1
Ventforet Kofu			0–1	1–1		0–2	1–0	2–0	0–2	1–1	0–3
Vissel Kobe				1–1			0–1		1–1	0–1			1–2	0–2	0–1	4–1
Matsumoto Yamaga	1–2		2–3	0–3						3–0		1–2		0–1	1–0	2–0	2–0

Updated to match(es) played on 27 June 2015. Source: J. League Data
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

Second stage

Home \ Away	ALB	ANT	BEL	FMA	FRO	GAM	GRA	MON	RED	REY	SAG	SFR	SSP	TOK	VEG	VEN	VIS	YAM
Albirex Niigata		2–3	0–2	1–1	1–2	2–2			1–2		1–0	0–2						2–0
Kashima Antlers				2–0		1–2	1–0	3–0	1–2	3–2			0–0	2–1	3–2
Shonan Bellmare		2–1		1–1	2–1		2–1	0–1		3–0						0–2		1–1
Yokohama F. Marinos								1–1	4–0	0–1			1–2	1–0		2–0	2–1	0–0
Kawasaki Frontale		1–3		0–1		5–3	6–1	0–0					3–2	2–0	1–0
Gamba Osaka			1–0	2–2				4–0	2–1	3–1	1–1	0–2	1–0			2–1
Nagoya Grampus	4–2			0–3		3–2			2–1					0–0	0–1	4–2	2–0
Montedio Yamagata	1–3						0–3		0–0		1–3	1–3	1–2		1–1	0–1
Urawa Red Diamonds			1–0		1–1					1–0	1–1	1–2			3–1	1–1	5–2
Kashiwa Reysol	1–1				1–0		3–1	0–0			2–3			0–1		2–2	2–0	2–0
Sagan Tosu		0–3	1–1	1–2	1–1		0–0						0–0		1–0	0–1
Sanfrecce Hiroshima		0–1	5–0	2–0	2–1		5–2			0–3	0–0			0–1				6–0
Shimizu S-Pulse	1–1		1–2				2–2		1–4	0–3		1–5		1–1	0–1		0–5
FC Tokyo	3–1		1–2			2–1		0–0	3–4		0–0				3–1		3–0	1–0
Vegalta Sendai	0–1		1–1	1–3		1–3				0–1		3–4					1–2	3–1
Ventforet Kofu	0–0	0–1			1–3							0–2	2–2	0–1	0–0		1–0	0–1
Vissel Kobe	1–2	0–2	1–1		2–0	1–2		3–1			7–1	0–4						2–1
Matsumoto Yamaga		2–0			1–3	1–1	0–1	2–2	1–2		1–2		1–0

Updated to match(es) played on 22 November 2015. Source: J. League Data
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

Top scorers

Rank	Scorer	Club	Goals
1	Yoshito Ōkubo	Kawasaki Frontale	23
2	Douglas	Sanfrecce Hiroshima	21
3	Takashi Usami	Gamba Osaka	19
4	Yohei Toyoda	Sagan Tosu	16
5	Cristiano	Kashiwa Reysol	14
6	Yuki Muto	Urawa Red Diamonds	13
7	Patric	Gamba Osaka	12
	Hisato Sato	Sanfrecce Hiroshima
	Shinzo Koroki	Urawa Red Diamonds
10	Genki Omae	Shimizu S-Pulse	11

Updated to games played on 22 November 2015

Source: J.League Data^[7]

Awards

Individual

Award	Recipient	Club
Most Valuable Player	Toshihiro Aoyama	Sanfrecce Hiroshima
Rookie of the Year	Takuma Asano	Sanfrecce Hiroshima
Manager of the Year	Hajime Moriyasu	Sanfrecce Hiroshima
Top Scorer	Yoshito Ōkubo	Kawasaki Frontale

Best Eleven

Position	Footballer	Club	Nationality
GK	Shusaku Nishikawa (4)	Urawa Red Diamonds	Japan
DF	Kosuke Ota (2)	FC Tokyo	Japan
DF	Masato Morishige (3)	FC Tokyo	Japan
DF	Tomoaki Makino (2)	Urawa Red Diamonds	Japan
DF	Tsukasa Shiotani (2)	Sanfrecce Hiroshima	Japan
MF	Mu Kanazaki (1)	Kashima Antlers	Japan
MF	Toshihiro Aoyama (3)	Sanfrecce Hiroshima	Japan
MF	Yasuhito Endō (12)	Gamba Osaka	Japan
FW	Douglas (1)	Sanfrecce Hiroshima	Brazil
FW	Takashi Usami (2)	Gamba Osaka	Japan
FW	Yoshito Ōkubo (3)	Kawasaki Frontale	Japan

* The number in brackets denotes the number of times that the footballer has appeared in the Best 11.

Attendances

Pos	Team	Total	High	Low	Average	Change
1	Urawa Red Diamonds	658,668	53,148	22,363	38,745	+9.1%†
2	FC Tokyo	489,336	42,604	12,727	28,784	+14.3%†
3	Yokohama F. Marinos	411,759	44,226	8,038	24,221	+4.9%†
4	Albirex Niigata	398,545	31,324	16,068	23,444	+2.0%†
5	Kawasaki Frontale	356,976	24,992	14,881	20,999	+26.0%†
6	Matsumoto Yamaga	285,992	18,906	11,743	16,823	+32.1%†
7	Kashima Antlers	279,185	29,030	6,923	16,423	−7.0%†
8	Sanfrecce Hiroshima	278,499	33,210	7,966	16,382	+9.2%†
9	Vissel Kobe	276,512	24,027	7,696	16,265	+8.4%†
10	Nagoya Grampus	276,082	33,558	9,986	16,240	−2.9%†
12	Gamba Osaka	271,984	18,842	10,702	15,999	+8.5%†
11	Shimizu S-Pulse	239,406	19,736	11,348	14,083	−0.9%†
13	Vegalta Sendai	234,442	19,375	12,488	13,791	−9.1%†
14	Sagan Tosu	228,644	20,792	7,524	13,450	−4.9%†
15	Shonan Bellmare	207,539	14,581	9,157	12,208	+44.0%†
16	Ventforet Kofu	192,042	14,176	7,015	11,297	−7.2%†
17	Kashiwa Reysol	185,609	14,055	6,701	10,918	+1.9%†
18	Montedio Yamagata	170,518	13,737	6,100	10,030	+58.0%†
	League total	5,447,602	53,148	6,100	17,803	+3.3%†

Updated to games played on 22 November 2015
Source: J. League Data
Notes:
^† Team played previous season in J2.