# WE League

The WE League (WEリーグ), officially the Japan Women's Empowerment Professional Football League (Japanese: 日本女子プロサッカーリーグ, Hepburn: Nihon Joshi Puro Sakkā Rīgu, "Japan Women Pro Football League"), also known as the SOMPO WE League (Japanese: SOMPO WEリーグ) for sponsorship reasons, is the top flight of women's association football in Japan, starting from the 2021–22 season. It is the first fully-professional women's football league in Japan.

## History

On 3 June 2020, the Japan Football Association (JFA) announced the formation of the WE League to become Japan's new top-flight, professional women's football league. The semi-professional Nadeshiko League would become the second level on the women's football pyramid in Japan once the WE League began play in the autumn of 2021. United States–based business executive and former Japan international footballer Kikuko Okajima was announced as the WE League's inaugural chairwoman.
17 clubs applied to join the WE League. On 15 October 2020, 11 clubs were announced as founding members of the WE League, including seven with J. League affiliations.
In the 2023–24 season, Cerezo Osaka Ladies from the Nadeshiko League entered the WE League as an expansion team.

## Competition format

The WE League's 2023–24 season features 12 teams playing a double round-robin, home-and-away competition. Unlike the Nadeshiko League, the WE League will play a winter season that conforms with most European leagues. There will be no relegation from the WE League to the Nadeshiko League, but teams may be promoted from the latter in the first several seasons for the WE League to reach a desired number of teams.
Each team in the WE League must have at least 15 players signed to fully professional contracts, which are not subject to a salary cap. In addition to bringing professionalism to Japanese women's football, the WE League also implemented measures to bringing in international players. The JFA subsidizes salaries for players from Southeast Asian member federations, while the league itself subsidizes players from top-ranked FIFA countries. The league actively recruits players from top-ranked federations such as France, Germany, the Netherlands, and the United States, and it also provides additional subsidies to encourage internationalization for expenses such as interpreters.

## Clubs
### 2023–24 season

The following 12 clubs competed in the WE League in the 2023–24 season.
| Club | Position in the 2022–23 season | First season in top division | First season in WE League | First season of current spell in top division | Top division titles | Most recent top division title |
| AC Nagano Parceiro | 7th | 2003 | 2021–22 | 2021–22 | 0 | — |
| Albirex Niigata | 10th | 2007 | 2021–22 | 2007 | 0 | — |
| AS Elfen Saitama | 11th | 2002 | 2021–22 | 2021–22 | 0 | — |
| Cerezo Osaka Yanmar | — | 2018 | 2023–24 | 2023–24 | 0 | — |
| INAC Kobe Leonessa | 2nd | 2006 | 2021–22 | 2006 | 4 | 2021–22 |
| JEF United Chiba | 8th | 2000 | 2021–22 | 2009 | 0 | — |
| Mynavi Sendai | 4th | 2013 | 2021–22 | 2013 | 0 | — |
| Nojima Stella Kanagawa | 9th | 2017 | 2021–22 | 2017 | 0 | — |
| Omiya Ardija Ventus | 6th | 2021–22 | 2021–22 | 2021–22 | 0 | — |
| Sanfrecce Hiroshima Regina | 5th | 2021–22 | 2021–22 | 2021–22 | — | — |
| Tokyo Verdy Beleza | 3rd | 1989 | 2021–22 | 1989 | 17 | 2019 |
| Urawa Red Diamonds | 1st | 1999 | 2021–22 | 1999 | 5 | 2022–23 |

## List of winners

| Season | Champions | Runners-up |
| 2021–22 | INAC Kobe Leonessa | Urawa Red Diamonds |
| 2022–23 | Urawa Red Diamonds | INAC Kobe Leonessa |
| 2023–24 | Urawa Red Diamonds | INAC Kobe Leonessa |

## Sponsorship
### Title Partner

| Company | Period |
| Yogibo Japan (Webshark) | 2021–2023 |
| SOMPO Holdings | 2024–present |

### Cup Title Partner

| Company | Period |
| Kracie | 2024–present |

### Gold Partner/Grassroots Partner

| Company | Period |
| Daihatsu | 2021–present |

### Silver Partners

| Company | Period |
| Plenus | 2021–2023 |
| Asahi Kasei | 2021–present |
| MediQttO | 2021–2022 |
| x-girl | 2021–present |
| Persol | 2021–present |
| TRE Holdings | 2022–2023 |
| Kracie | 2023–present |

### Social Impact Partner

| Provider | Period |
| KPMG | 2023–present |

### Official Broadcasting Partner

| Provider | Period |
| DAZN | 2021–present |

### Official Media Partners

| Provider | Period |
| Yomiuri Shimbun | 2024–present |

### Official Equipment Partner

| Provider | Period |
| Molten | 2021–present |

### Official Ticketing Partner

| Provider | Period |
| Pia | 2021–present |