On November 10, the final round of the 2024 Meiji Yasuda J2 League was thrillingly played across Japan, sealing the fate of teams aspiring for promotion to the elite J1 league as well as those seeking to redeem themselves through the playoffs. The matchday set the stage for both automatic promotions and playoff slots amid tight competition, with significant outcomes reverberated through every fixture.
At the top of the charts, Yokohama FC emerged victorious with their promotion secured. To clinch the second automatic promotion spot, they faced Renofa Yamaguchi FC away from home, trading blows but were content with just one point after the match ended in a 0-0 draw. This result placed them firmly at 76 points for the season, bringing them back to J1 after their demotion the previous year.
Meanwhile, V-Varen Nagasaki, needing to win to qualify for the upper tier automatically, faced Ehime FC at home. They took control early, with Matheus Jesus scoring the opener just 14 minutes in, followed by Marcos Guilherme who added two more to his tally, effectively demonstrating the attacking prowess of the Nagasaki side. They finished the game with a triumphant 5-2 victory, which ensured their place as third on the table, inching close to the chances of automatic promotion, yet relegated them to the playoffs with 75 points.
Trailing slightly behind the promotion contention, Montedio Yamagata had their moment of glory, facing off against JEF United Chiba. The stakes were high: winning this game was the only way to secure their spot. It was effectively game over for Chiba, who played with 10 men after defender Matsuda was sent off for denying a clear goal-scoring opportunity. Yamagata took full advantage of this numerical advantage, pummeling their opponents 4-0, thereby clinching the fourth position with 66 points and thrusting themselves straight to the playoffs.
On the other hand, Vegalta Sendai’s path to the playoffs remained tenuous. They had to secure victory against Oita Trinita to maintain their playoff hopes. The match took on drama when Sendai pulled off the win—despite precariously finding themselves needing to fend off Oita’s late charge, they held their ground for a 2-1 finish which placed them firmly at sixth with 64 total points.
Another team eagerly joining the playoff fray is Okayama, whose pragmatic draw against relegated Kagoshima United FC ended at 0-0. Finally, as the dust settled, the top six sides were clear for the upcoming J1 Promotion Playoffs slated for December 1.
The playoffs will see two semifinal matches, with Nagasaki facing Sendai and Yamagata up against Okayama. The winners of these encounters will then clash on December 7 to determine who ascends to the J1 league next season.
Compounding the excitement, the season also concluded with notable individual performances. Jeff United Chiba’s Komori Hayashi took home the J2 scoring title, netting 23 goals throughout the campaign. Achievements like this stand out against the backdrop of his team’s failure to qualify for the playoffs—a bittersweet reminder of how individual success doesn’t always correlate with team triumph.
After the flurry of action throughout the season, clubs such as Shimizu S-Pulse, who won their match against Roasso Kumamoto 1-0, also concluded with the added prestige of the league title, finishing atop the standings with 82 points.
This gripping finale has left fans buzzing, eagerly anticipating the playoff matches, where dreams are made, and aspirations realize—or shatter—on the field. Which teams will rise to the challenge, and who will find themselves reflecting on what could have been? Only time will tell as the J1 Promotion Playoffs approach, promising even more excitement as the teams battle it out for promotion and glory.
For those who have followed the season, the question lingers—who will emerge triumphant from the playoff challenges, carving their names among the legends of Japanese soccer as they strive for their next chance at J1 supremacy?
