The 2020 J.League Cup, known as the 2020 J.League YBC Levain Cup (Japanese: 2020 JリーグYBCルヴァンカップ) for sponsorship reasons, was the 28th edition of J.League Cup, a Japanese association footballcup competition. It began on 16 February 2020 and ended on 4 January 2021.
As FC Tokyo qualified for the AFC Champions League group stage, Matsumoto Yamaga were invited for the J. League Cup group stage.
Sixteen teams played the group stage. They were divided into four groups of four teams by their finish on the 2019 J1 and J2 Leagues (parenthesized below).
Each group was played on a home-and-away round-robin basis. Each match would be played in 90 minutes.
Group stage tiebreakers
In the group stage, teams in a group were ranked by points (3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss). If the points were tied, the following tiebreakers were applied:
Goals scored in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
Away goals scored in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
If more than two teams are tied, and applying all head-to-head criteria above remains a part of teams still tied, reapply the criteria above only for the tied teams.
Goal difference in all group matches;
Goals scored in all group matches;
Penalty shoot-out if only two teams are tied and they met in the last round of the group;
Fewer disciplinary points;
Drawing of lots.
In case of ranking third-placed teams across the groups, the following criteria were used:
Points;
Goal difference in all group matches;
Goals scored in all group matches;
Fewer disciplinary points;
Drawing of lots.
Play-off stage
The number of play-off stage participants depends on the number of teams advanced to ACL group stage.
In case four teams advanced to ACL group stage, eight teams (top two teams in each group) would play the play-off.
In case three teams advanced to ACL group stage, ten teams (top two teams in each group, and two best third-placed teams across the groups) would play the play-off.
In case two teams advanced to ACL group stage, twelve teams (top three teams in each group) would play the play-off.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the extraordinary board held a meeting on 5 June 2020 to change the tournament method as follows:[1]
The U-21 starting rules (including one or more Japanese nationals aged 21 or younger on 31 December 2020 as starters) are not applied to all matches.
The group stage was changed from the previous "Double round-robin" (six games for each team) to "Single round-robin" (three games for each team), with the combination as it was. The results of matchday 1 of the group stage remained valid.
The playoff stage was cancelled, and the best runners-up along with four group winners advanced to the prime stage.
In the prime stage, 8 clubs compete in a one-leg knockout tournament. In addition, extra time will not be played except for the final, instead the match goes straight to penalty shoot-out to determine the winners if tied after 90 minutes in the quarter-finals and semi-finals.
On 23 June, J.League announced that it would not use the video assistant referee (VAR) system.[2]
Schedule
The revised schedule was announced on 15 June 2020.[3]
^ abcMatsumoto Yamaga did not participate in the 2nd and 3rd sections due to a change in regulations, and the 2 matches were declared 0-goal victories for the opposing teams.
^ abHead-to-head points: Sanfrecce Hiroshima 3, Yokohama FC 0.
^The match was cancelled after some members of Sagan Tosu were diagnosed with COVID-19.[4] JPFL then decided that no alternative match would be held, and both teams (Sanfrecce Hiroshima and Sagan Tosu) were added 1 point to finalize the standings in accordance with the game's guidelines.[5]
Prime stage is the single-leg knockout tournament contested between the 5 clubs that qualified from the group stage and the 3 AFC Champions League participants.
The draw for the prime stage took place on 13 August 2020.[6]
Originally scheduled for 7 November 2020, the final was postponed 3 days prior after 13 of the Kashiwa Reysol club members, including their 70-year-old manager Nelsinho Baptista and three players, were tested positive for COVID-19.[9][10] It was then scheduled to play on 4 January 2021, three days after the 2020 Emperor's Cup final.[11]