| Emperor's Cup | |
| Year: | 2024 |
| Country: | Japan |
| Num Teams: | 88 |
| Count: | 2 |
| Runner-Up: | Gamba Osaka |
| Continentalcup1: | Champions League Elite |
| Continentalcup1 Qualifiers: | Vissel Kobe |
| Matches: | 87 |
| Goals: | 301 |
| Top Goal Scorer: | Riku Gunji Juanma Daiju Sasaki (4 goals) |
| Attendance: | 288,919 |
| Prevseason: | 2023 |
| Nextseason: | 2025 |
The 2024 Emperor's Cup [Emperor's Cup JFA 104th Japan Football Championship ([[Japanese language|Japanese]]: 天皇杯 JFA 第104回全日本サッカー選手権大会)] was the 104th edition of the annually known contested cup.[1] As usual it featured 88 teams representing the prefectural football associations, university football federation, J1 League, J2 League and Japan Football League.[2]
Kawasaki Frontale were the defending champions, winning the 2023 final on penalties against Kashiwa Reysol.
On 19 September 2023, it was announced by JFA that Urawa Red Diamonds was banned from participating in this tournament following supporters clash after a 0–3 loss against Nagoya Grampus in the 4th round of the previous year's edition.[3] For this reason, instead of one, two specially-designated amateur clubs were designated by JFA, being them 2023 Japan Football League champions Honda FC and 2023 University Championship winners Meiji University. Both teams were given a bye from prefectural qualifications, as usual.
The schedule for the first round to the quarter-finals was announced on 15 December 2023 in JFA's 12th Board of Directors meeting.[4] [5]
| Round | Date | Backup date(s) | Matches | Clubs | New entries this round |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First round | 25–26 May | 29 May | 24 |
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| Second round | 12 June | 19 June | 32 | 64 (24+20+19+1) → 32 |
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| Third round | 10 July | 17 July | 16 | 32 → 16 | None |
| Round of 16 | 21 August | 28 August | 8 | 16 → 8 | |
| Quarter-finals | 18 September | 11 and 25 September | 4 | 8 → 4 | |
| Semi-finals | 27 October | – | 2 | 4 → 2 | |
| Final | 23 November | – | 1 | 2 → 1 |
See main article: article and 2024 Emperor's Cup prefectural qualifiers. As only J1 and J2 League clubs qualify directly for the first round, teams from outside of it who wants to qualify to the Emperor's Cup (exception being made to the JFA-seeded team), have to undergo a prefectural qualification, with regulations and schedules varying from one association to another. In total, there are 47 prefectural cup qualifications, with the winners of each prefectural cup earning their right to play in the Emperor's Cup, with all of them assigned to start the competition in the first round.
In bold, it's displayed the teams that won each final, and not necessarily the home team.
All teams playing in the 2024 J1 League (except Urawa Red Diamonds, who were disqualified) join in the second round.
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All 20 teams playing in the 2024 J2 League join in the second round.
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Urawa Red Diamonds, as a J1 club, would be automatically assigned to the second round. As they were excluded from this year's cup, 2023 Japan Football League winners Honda FC filled the automatic entry slots for the second round. Another team was then, needed to fill the automatic entry slots of the first round. JFA assigned for this slot the 2023 University Championship winners, Meiji University.
Meiji University is the last university team to be awarded a direct entry since Osaka University of Health and Sport Sciences, who were specially designated to the 2011 Emperor's Cup. Until 2011, it was an annual practice by JFA to give an automatic entry to Prime Minister's Cup champions.
| Team | Prefecture | League | Apps. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Meiji University | Tokyo | Kanto University League D1 | 5 | 15th |
| Honda FC | Shizuoka | Japan Football League | 4 | 44th |
All the 47 prefectural tournaments winners (prefectural representatives) joins in the first round.[6]
| Prefecture | Team | League | Apps. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hokkaido | 5 | 2nd | ||
| Aomori | 3 | 12th | ||
| Iwate | J3 League | 3 | 12th | |
| Miyagi | 4 | 25th | ||
| Akita | Tohoku Soccer League D2 North | 6 | 3rd | |
| Yamagata | Tohoku Soccer League D2 South | 6 | 3rd | |
| Fukushima | J3 League | 3 | 12th | |
| Ibaraki | Kanto University League D1 | 5 | 34th | |
| Tochigi | Japan Football League | 4 | 14th | |
| Gunma | Kanto Soccer League D2 | 6 | 8th | |
| Saitama | J3 League | 3 | 29th | |
| Chiba | Briobecca Urayasu | Japan Football League | 4 | 7th |
| Tokyo | Japan Football League | 4 | 6th | |
| Kanagawa | J3 League | 3 | 3rd | |
| Yamanashi | Yamanashi Football League | 7 | 6th | |
| Nagano | J3 League | 3 | 12th | |
| Niigata | Hokushinetsu Football League D1 | 5 | 14th | |
| Toyama | J3 League | 3 | 15th | |
| Ishikawa | J3 League | 3 | 20th | |
| Fukui | Hokushinetsu Football League D1 | 5 | 16th | |
| Shizuoka | J3 League | 3 | 3rd | |
| Aichi | Tokai University League D1 | 5 | 8th | |
| Mie | Japan Football League | 4 | 4th | |
| Gifu | J3 League | 3 | 18th | |
| Shiga | Kansai University League D1 | 5 | 7th | |
| Kyoto | Kansai University League D1 | 5 | 6th | |
| Osaka | Kansai University League D1 | 5 | 19th | |
| Hyogo | Kansai University League D1 | 5 | 2nd | |
| Nara | J3 League | 3 | 15th | |
| Wakayama | Kansai Soccer League D1 | 5 | 16th | |
| Tottori | J3 League | 3 | 26th | |
| Shimane | 5 | 3rd | ||
| Okayama | 5 | 16th | ||
| Hiroshima | 5 | 4th | ||
| Yamaguchi | 5 | 4th | ||
| Kagawa | J3 League | 3 | 24th | |
| Tokushima | 5 | 9th | ||
| Ehime | J3 League | 3 | 12th | |
| Kochi | Japan Football League | 4 | 9th | |
| Fukuoka | J3 League | 3 | 15th | |
| Saga | 5 | 4th | ||
| Nagasaki Football League | 7 | 11th | ||
| Kumamoto | Kyushu University League D1 | 5 | 5th | |
| Oita | Kyushu Soccer League | 5 | 1st | |
| Miyazaki | J3 League | 3 | 4th | |
| Kagoshima | Kyushu University League D1 | 5 | 13th | |
| Okinawa | Japan Football League | 4 | 5th | |
On 12 March 2024, the JFA announced the schedule from the first to the third round.[7]
A draw was held on 12 July to determine the pairings for this round onwards.[8] [9]
| Rank | Player | Team | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Riku Gunji | Shimizu S-Pulse | 4 |
| Juanma | V-Varen Nagasaki | ||
| Daiju Sasaki | Vissel Kobe | ||
| 4 | Motoki Ohara | Sanfrecce Hiroshima | 3 |
| Peter Utaka | Ventforet Kofu | ||
| Kazumasa Shimizu | Fukushima United | ||
| Douglas Vieira | Sanfrecce Hiroshima | ||
| Vinícius Araújo | Sagan Tosu | ||
| Asahi Uenaka | Yokohama F. Marinos | ||
| Kyota Funahashi | Ehime FC | ||