Seeking the honor of being Japan's No. 1 soccer club and a cash prize of 100 million yen, qualifiers from each prefecture and teams from the semi-pro Japan Football League will challenge J. League clubs in the upcoming Emperor's Cup.
In the annual season-ending tournament, J. League Division Two teams, including champion Oita Trinita, will begin their campaigns in the first round Sunday. Division One clubs will be idle over the first two rounds before making their first appearance Dec. 15.
Among the qualifiers are Centro de Futebol Edu of Mie Prefecture, a club run by Japan coach Zico's brother Edu, and Okinawa Kariyushi FC, which recently fired technical director and former Japan midfielder Ruy Ramos.
J. League champion Jubilo Iwata is in the top half of the draw and could meet archrival Kashima Antlers in the semifinals, assuming both teams advance that far.
Kashima, however, has been put in the same quarter of the draw with Gamba Osaka and Tokyo Verdy, two teams that have enjoyed a good second stage in the regular season.
Defending champion Shimizu S-Pulse is in the other half of the draw, which also includes the Urawa Reds, Yokohama F. Marinos and last year's runnerup, Division One-promoted Cerezo Osaka.
The fourth round will be Dec. 22 and the quarterfinals Dec. 25, with the semifinals slated for Dec. 28. The final will be staged Jan. 1 at National Stadium in Tokyo.