J.League’s National Stadium experiment is unlocking Tokyo’s football potential

One of the J.League’s most successful recent initiatives has been staging matches at Japan National Stadium, now known as MUFG Stadium.

The stadium sits in central Tokyo, within walking distance of stations serving three railway and subway lines. It is also less than ten minutes by taxi from Shibuya’s world-famous scramble crossing.

That accessibility has helped matches there attract crowds averaging close to 50,000.

Turning a national landmark into a J.League platform

The J.League began experimenting with regular National Stadium fixtures in 2022.

League rules generally require clubs to stage at least 80 per cent of their home matches at a stadium within their designated hometown. The J.League has traditionally placed considerable importance on clubs playing inside their local communities.

No club has registered the National Stadium as its permanent home. Matches there were therefore historically reserved for special occasions, much like Wembley Stadium in London. It functioned as a national stage for exceptional events rather than as an ordinary league venue.

That approach began to change after the stadium was rebuilt for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, which were eventually held in 2021 because of the pandemic.

The league adopted a more flexible interpretation of its venue rules and decided to use the new stadium as a platform for strengthening the J.League brand.

From anniversary matches to “THE KOKURITSU DAY”

In May 2023, the league marked its 30th anniversary by staging FC Tokyo against Kawasaki Frontale and Kashima Antlers against Nagoya Grampus at the National Stadium.

Three more fixtures followed: FC Tokyo against Vissel Kobe, Shonan Bellmare against Kawasaki Frontale and Vissel Kobe against Kashima Antlers.

In 2024, the league formalised the initiative under the name “THE KOKURITSU DAY” and staged 13 matches at the national venue.

The programme became a major commercial and attendance success. Those matches attracted an average crowd of 50,320. Ten fixtures followed in 2025, drawing an average of approximately 48,000.

The scale becomes clearer when compared with some of Europe’s largest clubs. Manchester City averaged 52,640 during the 2025/26 season, while Paris Saint-Germain averaged 47,577. The J.League’s National Stadium crowds sit comfortably within that range.

A record start to the new calendar

The initiative is continuing in 2026. During the new 2026/27 season, which began in August, 18 matches are scheduled to take place at the National Stadium.

The opening fixture between Yokohama F. Marinos and Kashima Antlers attracted 63,960 spectators, setting a new J.League attendance record.

The success of the programme illustrates the football potential of Tokyo, a metropolitan market of approximately 14 million people. When supporters are offered a major fixture at an accessible central venue, the league can reasonably expect crowds approaching 50,000.

The case for a football stadium in central Tokyo

The National Stadium includes an athletics track and was not designed exclusively for football.

Its performance nevertheless raises a larger question. If a purpose-built football stadium were developed in central Tokyo, could it regularly attract crowds comparable with Real Madrid or Bayern Munich?

Average attendances approaching 70,000 would no longer appear unrealistic.

A project bringing together a football club, a property developer and local government could create a new kind of sporting asset for the city. The evidence produced by “THE KOKURITSU DAY” suggests that the audience already exists.

A football-specific stadium in central Tokyo could move Japan’s football business into an entirely new phase.