The main changes are as follows. Details such as match schedules and fixtures are scheduled to be announced by J-League on Monday, June 15.
■2020 Meiji Yasuda Life J1 League:
(1) Season Period
February 21 (Fri) - December 19 (Sat)
(2) Match Rules
Priority will be given to matches against nearby clubs from the perspective of infection prevention.
(3) Player Substitution Limit
Expanded to 5 players
Number of substitutions limited to 3 times, excluding halftime.
■2020 J.League YBC Levain Cup:
(1) Season Period
Undecided (Group Stage Matchday 1 has already been completed on February 16 (Sat))
(2) Competition Format
・Group Stage: Changed from double round-robin to single round-robin.
・Playoff Stage: Abolished.
・Prime Stage: Changed to a single-match knockout tournament with a total of 8 teams.
*Teams participating in the Prime Stage: A total of 4 teams ranked 1st in each group, the top 1 team among the 2nd-ranked teams, and the 3 teams participating in the AFC Champions League.
(3) Player Substitution Limit
Expanded to 5 players
Number of substitutions limited to 3 times, excluding halftime.
*If extra time is played, the player substitution limit will be 6 players, and the number of substitutions will be limited to 4 times.
(4) Player Selection Rules
U-21 starting lineup rule (at least one Japanese national player aged 21 or under as of December 31, 2020, must be included in the starting lineup) will not be applied.
*Antlers are in Group A, with Kawasaki F, Shimizu, and Nagoya (ranked 3rd with 0 wins and 1 loss at the end of Matchday 1).
For more details, please refer to the J.League official website.
Changes to the format of the 2020 Meiji Yasuda Life J-League
Changes to the format of the 2020 J.League YBC Levain Cup