2008 J.League Division 1
The 2008 J.League Division 1 season is the 44th season of the top-flight club football in Japan and the 16th season since the establishment of J1 League. The season began on March 8 and ended on December 6.
A total of eighteen clubs participated in double round-robin format. Starting this season, top three clubs received automatic qualification to the following years' AFC Champions League. The bottom two clubs were relegated to J2 League by default, while 16th-placed club had to defend their spot in the top-flight in the pro/rele series.
Clubs
Following eighteen clubs played in J.League Division 1 during 2008 season. Of these clubs, Consadole Sapporo, Tokyo Verdy, and Kyoto Sanga FC are newly promoted clubs.| Club Name | Home Town | Note |
| Albirex Niigata | Niigata & Seirō, Niigata | |
| Consadole Sapporo | Sapporo, Hokkaido | Promoted from J2 League in 2007 |
| FC Tokyo | Tokyo | |
| Gamba Osaka | Suita, Osaka | 2008 ACL Participant |
| JEF United Chiba | Chiba & Ichihara, Chiba | |
| Júbilo Iwata | Iwata, Shizuoka | |
| Kashima Antlers | Southwestern cities/towns of Ibaraki | 2008 ACL Participant The Defending Champions |
| Kashiwa Reysol | Kashiwa, Chiba | |
| Kawasaki Frontale | Kawasaki, Kanagawa | |
| Kyoto Sanga | Southwestern cities/town in Kyoto | Promoted from J2 League in 2007 |
| Nagoya Grampus | Nagoya, Aichi | Renamed from Nagoya Grampus Eight |
| Oita Trinita | All cities/towns in Ōita | |
| Omiya Ardija | Saitama | |
| Shimizu S-Pulse | Shizuoka | |
| Urawa Red Diamonds | Saitama | 2008 ACL Participant |
| Tokyo Verdy | Tokyo | Promoted from J2 League in 2007 Renamed from Tokyo Verdy 1969 |
| Vissel Kobe | Kobe, Hyōgo | |
| Yokohama F. Marinos | Yokohama & Yokosuka |
Format
Eighteen clubs will play in double round-robin format, a total of 34 games each. A club receives 3 points for a win, 1 point for a tie, and 0 points for a loss. The clubs are ranked by points, and tie breakers are, in the following order:- Goal differential
- Goals scored
- Head-to-head results
- Disciplinary points
;Changes from Previous Year
- Introduction of Disciplinary points for tie breaker
- Top three clubs will qualify to AFC Champions League
- The J.League will not qualify to the abolished A3 Champions Cup.
Table