The second round, featuring J1 and J2 teams, will take place over three weeks starting 7 June - Emperor's Cup #football

Tue, 06 Jun 2023 12:48:38 +0900
The second round, featuring J1 and J2 teams, will take place over three weeks starting 7 June - Emperor's Cup JFA 103rd Japan Football Championship

The second round of the Emperor's Cup JFA 103rd Japan Football Championship will take place on Wednesday 7, Wednesday 14, and Wednesday 21 June.

From the second round, 18 teams from J1 and 22 teams from J2 will make their appearance. The battle will surely heat up as regional representatives and amateur seeded teams that have advanced past the first round try to pull off an upset against teams from higher categories.

In the first round, J3 teams such as Kataller Toyama (Toyama) and AC Nagano Parceiro (Nagano) showed their supremacy against regional representatives. However, there were some upsets, with JFL teams beating J3 teams. Veertien Mie (Mie) defeated Gainare Tottori (Tottori) 2-0, while Honda FC (amateur seed) edged Nara Club (Nara) 1-0. Sony Sendai FC (Miyagi) and Reilac Shiga FC (Shiga) defeated Vanraure Hachinohe (Aomori) and Azul Claro Numazu (Shizuoka) respectively after extra time.

The only match-up between J3 sides, which saw Giravanz Kitakyushu (Fukuoka) and Kagoshima United FC (Kagoshima) go against each other, went down to a penalty shoot-out, where Kitakyushu came out on top 4-1.

Among the university teams, Kansai University (Osaka) and Yamanashi Gakuin University PEGASUS (Yamanashi) advanced past the first round. Both teams will play J1 teams in the second round, with Kansai University facing Urawa Red Diamonds (J1) and Yamanashi Gakuin University facing Kashiwa Reysol (J1). The power of university teams has been proven in the past, with Juntendo University defeating J1 side FC Tokyo 2-1 in the 101st tournament. For Kansai University, this will be their third consecutive challenge against a J1 side, following the 101st and 102nd editions of the competition. Having lost to Gamba Osaka and Cerezo Osaka in the previous two outings, both by a score of 1-3, it will be interesting to see if their third time is the charm.

Defending champions Ventforet Kofu (J2) will play their first match against V-Varen Nagasaki (J2). Last year, they defeated International Pacific University 5-1 in the second round, before going on a five game winning streak against J1 clubs to claim the coveted title. All eyes will be on them to see if they can build on last year's successful run.

Vissel Kobe (J1), current leaders of the J1 League after 16 matches, will be challenged by AC Nagano Parceiro, while second-placed Yokohama F. Marinos (J1) take on Briobecca Urayasu (Chiba). Elsewhere, Honda FC will take on Kashima Antlers (J1), while J2 sides Vegalta Sendai and Fujieda MYFC, and JEF United Chiba and Omiya Ardija, will face off in what should be a hotly contested match-up.

Last year, all the regional representatives were eliminated in the second round, as the J1 and J2 sides showcased their superiority. What will happen in this year’s tournament. Please stay tuned!