2020 Emperor's Cup


The 2020 Emperor's Cup will be the 100th edition of the annual Japanese national football cup tournament. The tournament, originally scheduled to begin on 23 May, was rescheduled to begin on 16 September and to end with the final on 1 January 2021 at the National Stadium.
The number of teams was reduced to 50 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan, and subsequntly changed to 52 teams.The top team from the 2020 J2 League and the top team from the 2020 J3 League will enter at the quarter-final stage. The top two teams from the 2020 J1 League will enter at the semi-final stage.
The defending champions were Vissel Kobe.

Calendar

The revised schedule was announced on June 18.
RoundDateMatchesClubsNew entries this round
First Round16 September16
Second Round23 September1616+15+1 → 16
  • 15 prefectural cup winners
  • 1 Amateur Best Team
    • Third Round28 October816 → 8
    Fourth Round12–13 December48 → 4
    Fifth Round20 December24 → 2
    Quarter-finals23 December22+2 → 2
  • 2020 J2 Champion clubs
  • 2020 J3 Champion clubs
    • Semi-finals27 December22+2 → 2
  • 2020 J1 Top two clubs
    • Final1 January 202112 → 1

    Participating clubs

    52 clubs will compete in the tournament.

    First Round

    The match-up cards for the first through third rounds were announced on July 29, 2020.

    Second Round

    Third Round

    Fourth Round

    Fifth Round

    Quarter-finals

    Semi-finals

    Final