The 2024 All Japan University Football Championship (第73回 全日本大学サッカー選手権大会; All Japan 73rd University Football Championship) is the 73rd edition of the referred annually contested cup for universities across Japan, also known as Intercollegiate.[1]For the first time, the tournament format was significantly changed. On 4 December 2023, it was announced beforehand that not only the number of teams would increase from 24 to 28 teams, but the tournament would also change from the previous single elimination tournament to a three-round, five-stage format.[2][3]
A total of 28 teams participates in the tournament. Six teams advanced directly to the final round, two advanced directly to the strenghtening round (recommended by JUFA Board of Directors), and the other 20 teams were assigned to the qualifying round. The 10 winning teams advanced to the final round, while the other 10 losing teams advanced to the strenghtening round.[1]
In the strenghtening round, then, participates 12 teams, which includes the 10 qualifying round losing teams and the two teams recommended by the JUFA. The 12 teams are split in three groups of four teams in each. All three group winners, alongside with the best second-placed team among the groups (who has their knockout stage qualification described as a "wildcard"), qualifies for the knockout stage of the round (starts at the semi-finals). The winning team of the strenghtening round will be given a direct regional slot as "strenghtening round winner" in the following year's tournament.[1]
In the final round, 16 teams participates, being them the 10 winning teams of the preliminary round and six automatically allocated teams. They are divided into four groups with four teams in each. Each group winners qualifies for the knockout stage of the round (start at the quarter-finals). The winning team of the final round will be declared as the official tournament champion.[1]
The participating universities were announced on 19 November 2024.[4] However, as the university did not submitted the application documents within the predetermined deadline, Fukuoka University had their rights to participate in the tournament removed. They would qualify as Kyushu's best-ranked representative, as champions of the Kyushu University League.[5]
The National Institute of Fitness and Sports in Kanoya participates in the tournament for the most consecutive times out of every other qualified university, having qualified for 15 straight times. Tokai University qualified for the first time in 23 years, being between the qualified the team with the current longest interval between its last participation. Niigata Sangyo University is the only debutant of the tournament.
This year's tournament did not use a draw to determine the pairings, but rather used "ranking points", assigned to each regional university football federation, previously used to determine seed slots for the Prime Minister's Cup and the Intercollegiate.[6]
Teams highlighted in bold were automatically assigned for the final round
Teams highlighted in italics were automatically assigned for the strenghtening round, as recommended by the JUFA Board of Directors
The higher-ranked teams by regional ranking points hosted each fixture, playing then, against lower-ranked teams. The sequence used to determine the match-ups started with the top-ranked home team facing the bottom-ranked away team, the second top-ranked home team facing the ninth-ranked away team, down to the lower-ranked home team facing the top-ranked away team.
To determine in what group each team would qualify to, it was utilized the total ranking points of the involved teams, with the groups having being beforehand set, although the identity of each team was only known after the round completion.
The winning teams of each match qualified to the Final Round, while the losing team advanced to the Strenghtening Round.
Updated to match(es) played on 13 December. Source: [citation needed] Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored; 4) Head-to-head performance; 5) Fair-play points
Updated to match(es) played on 13 December. Source: [citation needed] Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored; 4) Head-to-head performance; 5) Fair-play points
Updated to match(es) played on 13 December. Source: [citation needed] Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored; 4) Head-to-head performance; 5) Fair-play points
Updated to match(es) played on unknown. Source: [citation needed] Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored; 4) Head-to-head performance; 5) Fair-play points
Updated to match(es) played on unknown. Source: [citation needed] Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored; 4) Head-to-head performance; 5) Fair-play points
Updated to match(es) played on unknown. Source: [citation needed] Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored; 4) Head-to-head performance; 5) Fair-play points
Updated to match(es) played on unknown. Source: [citation needed] Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored; 4) Head-to-head performance; 5) Fair-play points
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