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The following article refers to the Japanese football/soccer prize. The term also refers to the prize for winning a Grand Sumo Tournament in Japan. , commonly known as , is a Japanese football competition. It has the longest tradition of any football tournament in Japan, dating back to 1921, before the formation of the J. League, Japan Football League and their predecessor, Japan Soccer League. As it is a competition to decide the "best football team in Japan," the cup is open to every member club of the Japan Football Association, from J1 and J2 (J. League Divisions 1 and 2) down to teams from the JFL, regional leagues, and top college and high school teams from around the country. The Emperor's Cup is one of two well-known national football tournaments named after a monarch (the other is Spain). Since the creation of the J. League in 1992, the professional teams have dominated the competition. However, because the Emperor's Cup is contested in a knockout tournament format, the opportunity for "giant-killers" from the amateur ranks upsetting a top J. League squad is a very real possibility. A major upset almost occurred in the 2003/04 competition, when Funabashi Municipal High School took the 2003 J. League champion Yokohama F. Marinos to a penalty shootout. * The competition begins each year in September. In 2005, 48 teams took part in the 1st round - the winner from each of the 47 prefectural championships and the collegiate champion. The top two teams in the JFL standings and all J2 teams join in the 3nd round. Finally, J1 teams join in the 4th round, for a total of 80 participating teams. Since 1969, the Emperor's Cup final has been played on New Year's Day of the following year at the National Olympic Stadium (国立霞ヶ丘陸上競技場) in Tokyo and is regarded as the traditional closing match of the season. However, for the purposes of qualification to the Asian Champions League, the competition is considered the beginning of the season. For example, the Emperor's Cup champion for the 2005 season was crowned on January 1, 2006, and the winner participates in the 2007 ACL.
Past Emperors Cup winners | ||||||||
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