The draw for the Round 16 of the 96th Emperor's Cup All Japan Football Championship was held on Tuesday 4 October at the virtual stadium in the Japan Football Museum.

The top 16 teams include nine J1 teams, two J2 teams and Honda FC (Shizuoka/JFL), who pulled off a ‘GIANT KILLING’ (or a real upset), a characteristic part of the Emperor's Cup. Four seeded teams from the AFC Champions League (ACL) will join the cup to play for the title.

Mr. TASHIMA Kohzo (JFA President), Mr. MATSUZAKI Yasuhiro (Chairman of the Organising Committee of the Emperor's Cup and Standing Member of the JFA Executive Committee), and Mr. OKANO Mitsuyoshi (the President and the CEO of SURUGA bank Ltd., which is the special sponsor of the Cup), attended the draw. Mr. YAMAGUCHI Motohiro, who won the cup three times in the past, and Mr. NAKATA Koji with two cup titles, were the drawers at the event. 

JFA President Tashima gave a speech at the beginning: ‘this draw is vital for forecasting the favourites. I hope the fixtures will be good and the players will perform at full strength, so that we can have a great Emperor's Cup.’ Mr. Yamaguchi commented: ‘I expect exciting matches in an excellent championship, starting with this draw.’ Mr. Nakata also noted: ‘I’m very excited, but nervous at the same time. I’d like to draw good fixtures.’ The four drawers, President Tashima, President Okano, Mr. Yamaguchi and Mr. Nakata, seemed to be a little nervous choosing balls from the pot. 

Gamba Osaka (J1), who aim to win three consecutive Emperor's Cup for the first time in history, was first to be drawn, since the Suita City Football Stadium, in which the final will be held, is their home ground. The team will meet Shimizu S-pulse (J2), who were once led by the coach HASEGAWA Kenta. The up-and-coming Honda FC will play against F.C. Tokyo (J1), who were the last to be drawn. A match between two strong teams, Kawasaki Frontale (J1) and Urawa Reds (J1) – both of which are having a strong season being the top teams in the J1 – will square off in the Round of 16 as well. 

Chairman Matsuzaki commented: ‘in a nutshell, there will be exciting games among J1 teams, in addition to the fixtures with teams which are strong enough to pull off upsets.’ The Round 16 will be held on Wednesday 9 November and on Saturday 12 November.  

* When the final is held at the main stadium of a J1 team, the team is drawn first so that they can be positioned as a home side in case that team advances to the final. 

Round of 16 Matches

*Venue and kick-off time will be decide at a future date

Comments

TASHIMA Kohzo, President of the JFA
Many teams are gradually getting into good condition. I believe there are various aspects to the championship, including whether a team can book a place in the J.League Championship at the end of the season that might affect the Emperor's Cup. The final of this year’s Cup will be held at Suita City Football Stadium in Osaka. As it’s been quite a while since it was held in Kansai, whichever teams play in the final, I hope many supporters will come and join the site.

OKANO Mitsuyoshi, President and the CEO of SURUGA bank Ltd.
The Emperor's Cup is an inspirational championship, whereby an amateur team representing different region across the country can grab an opportunity to play against professional one. The winner of this title will book a place in the ACL giving them the ticket to compete against top-class club teams in Asia. ‘To dream’ is our company’s mission. This is also a wonderful opportunity for us to support all football-related dreams by sponsoring this cup.

Mr. YAMAGUCHI Motohiro
As the Emperor's Cup is one of the last championships of the season, along with the J. League and the YBC Levain CUP, many teams, who haven’t won any silverware, are eager to win. Thinking of the stadium for the final, I believe Gamba Osaka want to at least reach the finals. I’m also interested in the game between Honda FC and F.C. Tokyo.

Mr. NAKATA Koji
There seems to be many genuinely interesting games. Unlike the league matches, it’s a one-shot deal. So performing well in the league does not guarantee any team to attain a promising result. As the J2 teams and Honda FC will be highly motivated to ‘beat the J1 teams’, I expect to see exciting matches.

96th Emperor's Cup All Japan Football Championship

【Round of 16 (fourth round)】 9 November(Wed.) - J.League teams in the second (J2) and the third (J3) divisions advancing to the round of 16; 12 November(Sat.) - Seeded teams of the top division (J1) in the J. League who particiapted in the ACL
【Quarterfinals】24 December (Sat.)
【Semifinals】29 December (Thu.)
【Finals】 1 January 2017／ New Years Day (Sun.)

More Information