Basic Information

League Overview

The Nihon Joshi Soccer League (Japanese: 日本女子サッカーリーグ, Nihon joshi sakkā rīgu, "Japanese Women's Football League", English: Japan Women's Football League) is the three-tiered professional (Division 1), semi-professional (Division 2), and amateur (Division 3) women's football league of the Nihon Soccer Kyōkai (English: Japan Football Association). It is also called the L. League (L・リーグ, L. rīgu) in reference to the men's J. League, where L stands for ladies.

Since the 2021/22 season, the WE League has been the top league in Japanese women's football.

League Structure

Historical Champions (1989-2022)

2016 Nadeshiko League Teams

Historical Context

From 1980 onwards there was the Zen-Nihon Joshi Soccer Senshuken Taikai (全日本女子サッカー選手権大会, "All-Japan Women's Football Tournament"), an annual nationwide women's football tournament in which mainly factory, university and school teams took part after regional qualification competitions and which was later integrated into the emerging league structure as a type of cup competition.

In 1989 the Japanese Women's Football League began operations with initially six teams. In the 1990s, when the Nihon Pro Soccer League, the Japanese [men's] professional football league (English: Japan Professional Football League, short: J. League), was created, the L. League began the development of a league system in women's football with two divisions.

The league was subsequently reorganized several times, and in 2010, its current structure was created, with ten teams in the first division. After the main sponsor, the food retail company Plenus (purenasu), the leagues are currently officially called plenus Nadeshiko League and plenus Challenge League.