Aiming for victory against Kofu after past bitter defeats, with sights set on the Round of 16.
The third round of the Emperor's Cup JFA 106th Japan Football Championship brings us a matchup against Kofu.
We advanced to the third round after defeating the Mie prefecture representative, Atletico Suzuka, in our first match of the tournament on Wednesday, August 26. In that match, Kaito Chida, Čavrić, and Leo Ceara found the back of the net. Since these are "all-or-nothing" knockout matches, there have been many precedents where lower-division clubs have defeated J1 teams, but Kashima Antlers must not allow that to happen.
Our history against Kofu in the Emperor's Cup includes some bitter memories. In the 2022 Emperor's Cup JFA 102nd Japan Football Championship, we faced them in the semi-finals and were defeated at home, missing out on a spot in the final. That year, Kofu became only the second club in history to win the tournament while playing in the J2 League.
We also faced them the following year in the 2023 Emperor's Cup JFA 103rd Japan Football Championship. Just like this tournament, we met in the third round and were defeated on penalties at Kofu's home ground. In a sense, Kofu is an opponent against whom Kashima Antlers have allowed "giant killings" for two consecutive tournaments. We must approach this match with a must-win mentality and secure our place in the Round of 16.
Although we achieved a victory against Newcastle in the AFC Champions League Elite in September, we remained winless in four league matches (1 draw, 3 losses). In our most recent 2026 Meiji Yasuda J1 League match against Kawasaki Frontale, we also missed out on a win after being pegged back by a late equalizer.
Following the match against Kofu, the team will enter a two-week break from official matches due to the international match window until early October. This is the final match of a difficult September. Let us unite our feelings with the players and fight together to win this game.
