jpJ2 League

The city of Niigata — relegated to J2 after three seasons in the top flight.

Akita prefecture in northern Honshu.

The city of Imabari, Ehime prefecture — co-founded by former Japan national team goalkeeper Yaijiro Okada.

The city of Fujieda, Shizuoka prefecture.

Sapporo on the island of Hokkaido — relegated from J1 in the 2025 season.

The city of Iwaki, Fukushima prefecture — a club known for emphasising players' physical fitness.

The city of Iwata, Shizuoka prefecture — former Japanese champions from the 1990s, originally a Yamaha company club.

Toyama prefecture — playing in the J-League since 2009.

The city of Tendo, Yamagata prefecture.

Oita prefecture on the island of Kyushu.

The city of Saitama — taken over by Red Bull in 2024, who renamed it RB Omiya Ardija.

The city of Tosu, Saga prefecture on the island of Kyushu.

The city of Hiratsuka, Kanagawa prefecture — relegated from J1 after nine seasons in the top flight.

The town of Shintomi, Miyazaki prefecture — promoted to J2 for the first time in their history via the play-offs.

The city of Tochigi — promoted to J2 as J3 champions in 2025, a second consecutive promotion after coming up from the regional league.

The city of Tokushima on the island of Shikoku.

The city of Hachinohe, Aomori prefecture — promoted to J2 for the first time in the club's history.

The city of Sendai, Miyagi prefecture.

The city of Kofu, Yamanashi prefecture — the name refers to the Furinkazan military banner of the feudal lord Takeda Shingen.

Yokohama — relegated from J1 after one season, a club Kazuyoshi Miura has also played for.