# 2024 J.League Cup

The 2024 J.League Cup, known as the 2024 J.League YBC Levain Cup (Japanese: 2024 JリーグYBCルヴァンカップ) for sponsorship reasons, was the 32nd edition of J.League Cup, a Japanese association football cup competition. This season, all 60 J.League clubs participated in an updated tournament format, aimed to grow the J2 and J3 Leagues and improve the J.League as a whole.
The defending champions were Avispa Fukuoka, who were eliminated in the third round.

## Format

In a change from previous seasons, all clubs from the season's J1, J2, and J3 Leagues participated, thus including the clubs from all J.League divisions for the first time since 2001. As many as 29 teams participated in the tournament for the first time in their history.
The tournament was divided into three sections each with a different format: the first round, the play-off round and the prime round.

### First round

57 clubs took part in the first round, split into 10 groups. The three clubs participating in the 2023–24 AFC Champions League knockout stage (Kawasaki Frontale, Yokohama F. Marinos and Ventforet Kofu) were introduced to the tournament at the prime round. Each group participated in a single-elimination tournament, leaving 10 clubs to advance to the play-off round. The draw for the first round was based on rankings from the 2023 league season. As a general rule, the lower league club played their fixture at home. In the case of clubs being in the same league, the club with the lower ranking from the 2023 season served as the home team. In the case of a draw, games go to extra time and penalties to determine a winner if necessary.
The first round groups are as follows:
Teams participating in the first round of the 2024 J.League Cup :
| Group | Teams | Teams | Teams | Teams | Teams | Teams |
| 1 | Vissel Kobe (J1 1st) | Shimizu S-Pulse (J2 4th) | Montedio Yamagata (J2 5th) | Kataller Toyama (J3 3rd) | FC Imabari (J3 4th) | - |
| 2 | Sanfrecce Hiroshima (J1 3rd) | Tokyo Verdy (J2 3rd) | JEF United Chiba (J2 6th) | Kagoshima United (J3 2nd) | Nara Club (J3 5th) | - |
| 3 | Urawa Reds (J1 4th) | Júbilo Iwata (J2 2nd) | V-Varen Nagasaki (J2 7th) | Ehime FC (J3 1st) | Gainare Tottori (J3 6th) | - |
| 4 | Kashima Antlers (J1 5th) | Machida Zelvia (J2 1st) | Oita Trinita (J2 9th) | Zweigen Kanazawa (J2 22nd) | Vanraure Hachinohe (J3 7th) | Giravanz Kitakyushu (J3 20th) |
| 5 | Nagoya Grampus (J1 6th) | Yokohama FC (J1 18th) | Fagiano Okayama (J2 10th) | Omiya Ardija (J2 21st) | FC Gifu (J3 8th) | Tegevajaro Miyazaki (J3 19th) |
| 6 | Avispa Fukuoka (J1 7th) | Kashiwa Reysol (J1 17th) | Thespa Gunma (J2 11th) | Renofa Yamaguchi (J2 20th) | Matsumoto Yamaga (J3 9th) | SC Sagamihara (J3 18th) |
| 7 | Cerezo Osaka (J1 9th) | Gamba Osaka (J1 16th) | Fujieda MYFC (J2 12th) | Tochigi SC (J2 19th) | Iwate Grulla Morioka (J3 10th) | FC Ryukyu (J3 17th) |
| 8 | Albirex Niigata (J1 10th) | Shonan Bellmare (J1 15th) | Blaublitz Akita (J2 13th) | Iwaki FC (J2 18th) | FC Osaka (J3 11th) | Kamatamare Sanuki (J3 16th) |
| 9 | FC Tokyo (J1 11th) | Sagan Tosu (J1 14th) | Roasso Kumamoto (J2 14th) | Mito HollyHock (J2 17th) | YSCC Yokohama (J3 12th) | Fukushima United FC (J3 15th) |
| 10 | Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo (J1 12th) | Kyoto Sanga (J1 13th) | Tokushima Vortis (J2 15th) | Vegalta Sendai (J2 16th) | Azul Claro Numazu (J3 13th) | AC Nagano Parceiro (J3 14th) |

### Notes

Teams in italic participated in their first J.League Cup tournament.

### Playoff round

The 10 clubs that qualified from the first round would be drawn into five, two-legged fixtures and would play each other home and away. The remaining five clubs would advance to the prime round.

### Prime round

A single-elimination tournament would be held between eight clubs: the five clubs that qualified from the playoff round plus the AFC Champions League clubs — Kawasaki Frontale, Yokohama F. Marinos, and Ventforet Kofu. Each round would be a two-legged home and away fixture, except the final which would be a one-game tie played at a neutral venue. The draw for the brackets would be held on July 2.

## Schedule

The schedule was announced on 19 December 2023. All the matches took place in 2024.
| Stage | Round | Date |
| First round | Round 1 | 6–13 March |
| First round | Round 2 | 17–24 March |
| First round | Round 3 | 22 May |
| Playoff round | Playoff round | 5 June (First leg) 9 June (Second leg) |
| Prime round | Quarter-finals | 4 September (First leg) 8 September (Second leg) |
| Prime round | Semi-finals | 9 October (First leg) 13 October (Second leg) |
| Prime round | Final | 2 November |

## First round
### Group 1

| Round 1 | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Round 3 |
| | | 17 April – Imabari | 17 April – Imabari | |
| | | FC Imabari | 1 |
| | | Vissel Kobe | 2 |
| | | | | 22 May – Toyama | 22 May – Toyama |
| | | | | Kataller Toyama | 1 (5) |
| 13 March – Toyama | 13 March – Toyama | | | | Kataller Toyama | 1 (5) |
| 13 March – Toyama | 13 March – Toyama | | | Vissel Kobe | 1 (4) |
| Kataller Toyama | 2 | | | Vissel Kobe | 1 (4) |
| Kataller Toyama | 2 | 24 April – Toyama | 24 April – Toyama | | |
| Montedio Yamagata | 1 | 24 April – Toyama | 24 April – Toyama | | |
| Montedio Yamagata | 1 | Kataller Toyama | 0 | | |
| | | Shimizu S-Pulse | 0 |

### Group 2

| Round 1 | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Round 3 |
| | | 24 April – Nara | 24 April – Nara | |
| | | Nara Club | 0 |
| | | Sanfrecce Hiroshima | 6 |
| | | | | 22 May – Chofu | 22 May – Chofu |
| | | | | Tokyo Verdy | 2 |
| 6 March – Kagoshima | 6 March – Kagoshima | | | | Tokyo Verdy | 2 |
| 6 March – Kagoshima | 6 March – Kagoshima | | | Sanfrecce Hiroshima | 3 |
| Kagoshima United | 1 | | | Sanfrecce Hiroshima | 3 |
| Kagoshima United | 1 | 17 April – Kagoshima | 17 April – Kagoshima | | |
| JEF United Chiba | 0 | 17 April – Kagoshima | 17 April – Kagoshima | | |
| JEF United Chiba | 0 | Kagoshima United | 0 | | |
| | | Tokyo Verdy | 1 |

### Group 3

| Round 1 | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Round 3 |
| | | 24 April – Tottori | 24 April – Tottori | |
| | | Gainare Tottori | 2 |
| | | Urawa Red Diamonds | 5 |
| | | | | 22 May – Isahaya | 22 May – Isahaya |
| | | | | V-Varen Nagasaki | 1 |
| 6 March – Matsuyama | 6 March – Matsuyama | | | | V-Varen Nagasaki | 1 |
| 6 March – Matsuyama | 6 March – Matsuyama | | | Urawa Red Diamonds | 0 |
| Ehime FC | 3 | | | Urawa Red Diamonds | 0 |
| Ehime FC | 3 | 17 April – Isahaya | 17 April – Isahaya | | |
| V-Varen Nagasaki | 4 | 17 April – Isahaya | 17 April – Isahaya | | |
| V-Varen Nagasaki | 4 | V-Varen Nagasaki | 1 | | |
| | | Júbilo Iwata | 0 |

### Group 4

| Round 1 | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Round 3 |
| 6 March – Kitakyushu | 6 March – Kitakyushu | | |
| Giravanz Kitakyushu | 1 | | |
| Giravanz Kitakyushu | 1 | 17 April – Kitakyushu | 17 April – Kitakyushu | |
| Oita Trinita | 0 | 17 April – Kitakyushu | 17 April – Kitakyushu |
| Oita Trinita | 0 | Giravanz Kitakyushu | 1 |
| | | FC Machida Zelvia | 2 |
| | | | | 22 May – Machida | 22 May – Machida |
| | | | | FC Machida Zelvia | 2 |
| 13 March – Hachinohe | 13 March – Hachinohe | | | | FC Machida Zelvia | 2 |
| 13 March – Hachinohe | 13 March – Hachinohe | | | Kashima Antlers | 0 |
| Vanraure Hachinohe | 0 | | | Kashima Antlers | 0 |
| Vanraure Hachinohe | 0 | 17 April – Hachinohe | 17 April – Hachinohe | | |
| Zweigen Kanazawa | 0 | 17 April – Hachinohe | 17 April – Hachinohe | | |
| Zweigen Kanazawa | 0 | Vanraure Hachinohe | 1 | | |
| | | Kashima Antlers | 2 |

### Group 5

| Round 1 | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Round 3 |
| 13 March – Gifu | 13 March – Gifu | | |
| FC Gifu | 1 | | |
| FC Gifu | 1 | 17 April – Saitama | 17 April – Saitama | |
| Omiya Ardija | 2 | 17 April – Saitama | 17 April – Saitama |
| Omiya Ardija | 2 | Omiya Ardija | 0 |
| | | Nagoya Grampus | 2 |
| | | | | 22 May – Yokohama | 22 May – Yokohama |
| | | | | Yokohama FC | 1 |
| 6 March – Shintomi | 6 March – Shintomi | | | | Yokohama FC | 1 |
| 6 March – Shintomi | 6 March – Shintomi | | | Nagoya Grampus | 3 |
| Tegevajaro Miyazaki | 1 | | | Nagoya Grampus | 3 |
| Tegevajaro Miyazaki | 1 | 24 April – Okayama | 24 April – Okayama | | |
| Fagiano Okayama | 4 | 24 April – Okayama | 24 April – Okayama | | |
| Fagiano Okayama | 4 | Fagiano Okayama | 3 | | |
| | | Yokohama FC | 3 |

### Group 6

| Round 1 | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Round 3 |
| 13 March – Matsumoto | 13 March – Matsumoto | | |
| Matsumoto Yamaga | 3 | | |
| Matsumoto Yamaga | 3 | 17 April – Matsumoto | 17 April – Matsumoto | |
| Renofa Yamaguchi | 3 | 17 April – Matsumoto | 17 April – Matsumoto |
| Renofa Yamaguchi | 3 | Matsumoto Yamaga | 1 (2) |
| | | Avispa Fukuoka | 1 (4) |
| | | | | 22 May – Kashiwa | 22 May – Kashiwa |
| | | | | Kashiwa Reysol | 2 |
| 6 March – Maebashi | 6 March – Maebashi | | | | Kashiwa Reysol | 2 |
| 6 March – Maebashi | 6 March – Maebashi | | | Avispa Fukuoka | 1 |
| Thespa Gunma | 4 | | | Avispa Fukuoka | 1 |
| Thespa Gunma | 4 | 24 April – Maebashi | 24 April – Maebashi | | |
| SC Sagamihara | 1 | 24 April – Maebashi | 24 April – Maebashi | | |
| SC Sagamihara | 1 | Thespa Gunma | 1 | | |
| | | Kashiwa Reysol | 3 |

### Group 7

| Round 1 | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Round 3 |
| 13 March – Morioka | 13 March – Morioka | | |
| Iwate Grulla Morioka | 1 | | |
| Iwate Grulla Morioka | 1 | 17 April – Morioka | 17 April – Morioka | |
| Tochigi SC | 0 | 17 April – Morioka | 17 April – Morioka |
| Tochigi SC | 0 | Iwate Grulla Morioka | 0 |
| | | Cerezo Osaka | 1 |
| | | | | 22 May – Okinawa | 22 May – Okinawa |
| | | | | FC Ryukyu | 0 |
| 6 March – Okinawa | 6 March – Okinawa | | | | FC Ryukyu | 0 |
| 6 March – Okinawa | 6 March – Okinawa | | | Cerezo Osaka | 1 |
| FC Ryukyu | 2 | | | Cerezo Osaka | 1 |
| FC Ryukyu | 2 | 24 April – Okinawa | 24 April – Okinawa | | |
| Fujieda MYFC | 1 | 24 April – Okinawa | 24 April – Okinawa | | |
| Fujieda MYFC | 1 | FC Ryukyu | 2 | | |
| | | Gamba Osaka | 1 |

### Group 8

| Round 1 | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Round 3 |
| 13 March – Higashiōsaka | 13 March – Higashiōsaka | | |
| FC Osaka | 0 | | |
| FC Osaka | 0 | 17 April – Iwaki | 17 April – Iwaki | |
| Iwaki FC | 2 | 17 April – Iwaki | 17 April – Iwaki |
| Iwaki FC | 2 | Iwaki FC | 0 |
| | | Albirex Niigata | 2 |
| | | | | 22 May – Akita | 22 May – Akita |
| | | | | Blaublitz Akita | 0 |
| 6 March – Marugame | 6 March – Marugame | | | | Blaublitz Akita | 0 |
| 6 March – Marugame | 6 March – Marugame | | | Albirex Niigata | 2 |
| Kamatamare Sanuki | 0 | | | Albirex Niigata | 2 |
| Kamatamare Sanuki | 0 | 24 April – Akita | 24 April – Akita | | |
| Blaublitz Akita | 2 | 24 April – Akita | 24 April – Akita | | |
| Blaublitz Akita | 2 | Blaublitz Akita | 2 | | |
| | | Shonan Bellmare | 1 |

### Group 9

| Round 1 | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Round 3 |
| 6 March – Yokohama | 6 March – Yokohama | | |
| YSCC Yokohama | 1 | | |
| YSCC Yokohama | 1 | 17 April – Yokohama | 17 April – Yokohama | |
| Mito HollyHock | 0 | 17 April – Yokohama | 17 April – Yokohama |
| Mito HollyHock | 0 | YSCC Yokohama | 0 |
| | | FC Tokyo | 4 |
| | | | | 22 May – Tosu | 22 May – Tosu |
| | | | | Sagan Tosu | 1 (4) |
| 13 March – Fukushima | 13 March – Fukushima | | | | Sagan Tosu | 1 (4) |
| 13 March – Fukushima | 13 March – Fukushima | | | FC Tokyo | 1 (5) |
| Fukushima United FC | 1 | | | FC Tokyo | 1 (5) |
| Fukushima United FC | 1 | 24 April – Kumamoto | 24 April – Kumamoto | | |
| Roasso Kumamoto | 2 | 24 April – Kumamoto | 24 April – Kumamoto | | |
| Roasso Kumamoto | 2 | Roasso Kumamoto | 0 | | |
| | | Sagan Tosu | 1 |

### Group 10

| Round 1 | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Round 3 |
| 6 March – Numazu | 6 March – Numazu | | |
| Azul Claro Numazu | 3 | | |
| Azul Claro Numazu | 3 | 17 April – Numazu | 17 April – Numazu | |
| Vegalta Sendai | 2 | 17 April – Numazu | 17 April – Numazu |
| Vegalta Sendai | 2 | Azul Claro Numazu | 1 |
| | | Consadole Sapporo | 3 |
| | | | | 22 May – Nagano | 22 May – Nagano |
| | | | | AC Nagano Parceiro | 1 (3) |
| 13 March – Nagano | 13 March – Nagano | | | | AC Nagano Parceiro | 1 (3) |
| 13 March – Nagano | 13 March – Nagano | | | Consadole Sapporo | 1 (5) |
| AC Nagano Parceiro | 5 | | | Consadole Sapporo | 1 (5) |
| AC Nagano Parceiro | 5 | 24 April – Nagano | 24 April – Nagano | | |
| Tokushima Vortis | 1 | 24 April – Nagano | 24 April – Nagano | | |
| Tokushima Vortis | 1 | AC Nagano Parceiro | 3 | | |
| | | Kyoto Sanga | 2 |

#### Notes

* ↑ Since Sagamihara's home stadium, Sagamihara Gion Stadium was unusable due to renovation work, the game was held as a home game for Gunma.

## Playoff round

Kataller Toyama from J3 League were the lowest-ranked team remaining in the competition.

### Summary

| Team 1 | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
| Kataller Toyama (3) | 2–3 | (1) Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo | 1–1 | 1–2 |
| Sanfrecce Hiroshima (1) | 5–2 | (1) FC Tokyo | 2–1 | 3–1 |
| V-Varen Nagasaki (2) | 2–3 | (1) Albirex Niigata | 1–2 | 1–1 |
| Machida Zelvia (1) | 5–3 | (1) Cerezo Osaka | 3–1 | 2–2 |
| Nagoya Grampus (1) | 2–1 | (1) Kashiwa Reysol | 1–1 | 1–0 |

### Matches
## Prime round

The pairings and match-ups for the prime round were announced on 2 July 2024.

### Quarter-finals
#### Summary

| Team 1 | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
| Sanfrecce Hiroshima (1) | 2–2 (3–1 p) | (1) Nagoya Grampus | 1–0 | 1–2 (a.e.t.) |
| Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo (1) | 4–7 | (1) Yokohama F. Marinos | 1–6 | 3–1 |
| Ventforet Kofu (2) | 1–2 | (1) Kawasaki Frontale | 0–1 | 1–1 |
| Machida Zelvia (1) | 2–5 | (1) Albirex Niigata | 0–5 | 2–0 |

#### Matches
### Summary

| Team 1 | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
| Nagoya Grampus (1) | 4–3 | Yokohama F. Marinos (1) | 1–3 | 1–2 |
| Kawasaki Frontale (1) | 1–6 | Albirex Niigata (1) | 4–1 | 0–2 |

#### Matches
### Final
## Top scorers

| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
| 1 | Motoki Nagakura | Albirex Niigata | 6 |
| 2 | Yota Komi | Albirex Niigata | 4 |
| 2 | Yuki Ohashi | Sanfrecce Hiroshima | 4 |
| 4 | Mutsuki Kato | Sanfrecce Hiroshima | 3 |
| 4 | Kensuke Nagai | Nagoya Grampus | 3 |
| 4 | Patric | Nagoya Grampus | 3 |
| 4 | Kaito Taniguchi | Albirex Niigata | 3 |
| 4 | Shosei Usui | Kataller Toyama | 3 |
| 9 | Jun Amano | Yokohama F. Marinos | 2 |
| 9 | Mitchell Duke | Machida Zelvia | 2 |
| 9 | Seiya Inoue | Avispa Fukuoka | 2 |
| 9 | Matheus Jesus | V-Varen Nagasaki | 2 |
| 9 | Juanma | V-Varen Nagasaki | 2 |
| 9 | Edigar Junio | V-Varen Nagasaki | 2 |
| 9 | Yuki Kobayashi | Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo | 2 |
| 9 | Takashi Kondo | Nagano Parceiro | 2 |
| 9 | Tomoya Miki | Tokyo Verdy | 2 |
| 9 | Na Sang-ho | Machida Zelvia | 2 |
| 9 | Shoya Nakajima | Urawa Red Diamonds | 2 |
| 9 | Katsuhiro Nakayama | Nagoya Grampus | 2 |
| 9 | Takato Nonomura | Matsumoto Yamaga | 2 |
| 9 | Hinata Ogura | Yokohama FC | 2 |
| 9 | Yuta Sato | FC Ryukyu | 2 |
| 9 | Haruto Shirai | Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo | 2 |
| 9 | Daiki Suga | Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo | 2 |
| 9 | Yudai Tanaka | Fagiano Okayama | 2 |
| 9 | Asahi Uenaka | Yokohama F. Marinos | 2 |
| 9 | Masashi Wada | Thespa Gunma | 2 |
| 9 | Hokuto Shimoda | Machida Zelvia | 2 |
| 9 | Daiya Tono | Kawasaki Frontale | 2 |
| 9 | Shunki Higashi | Sanfrecce Hiroshima | 2 |
| 9 | Yuya Yamagishi | Nagoya Grampus | 2 |