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The J.League was founded in 1993, with ten teams. The league was founded in response to rising interest in football in Japan following the national team's exciting (but eventually unsuccessful) run for qualification in the 1994 World Cup. The league was formed of teams from the former Japan Soccer League, which had been a semi-professional league for about 20 years prior to 1993. In the initial year, ten teams were selected from among the teams active in the two divisions of the former JSL.
The Original Ten were selected not solely on the basis of their rank in the division, but also based on such considerations as the amount of money that the sponsors were willing to invest to form a J.League franchise, the availability of a top-notch stadium and the level of local fan support.
One of the surprise founding members of the J.League was Sumitomo Metals, located in a backwater area of Ibararaki Prefecture. The team was fortunate enough to have a strong corporate sponsor, a tremendously loyal fan base, a fine stadium (Kashima Stadium) and a star player by the name of Zico. The team would go from the second division of the JFL to the winners of the first-ever J.League stage championship, and their success has been so great that they remain the winningest team in J.League history.
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JFL League Table | | . | Rank | Team | Destination in 1993 Season |
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Div.
One | 1 | Yomiuri Club | J.League |  | Verdy Kawasaki | | 2 | Nissan FC | J.League | | Yokohama Marinos | | 3 | Yamaha | JFL Div1 | . | . | | 4 | Toshiba | JFL Div1 | . | . | | 5 | Matsushita Electric | J.League | | Gamba Osaka | | 6 | Mazda Motor | J.League | | Sanfrece Hiroshima | | 7 | JR Furukawa | J.League | | JEF United | | 8 | ANA | J.League | | Yokohama Flugels | | 9 | Hitachi | JFL Div1 | . | . | | 10 | Honda Motor | JFL Div1 | . | . | | 11 | Mitsubishi Heavy Ind. | J.League | | Urawa Reds | | 12 | Toyota Motor | J.League | | Nagoya Grampus | Div.
Two | 1 | Fujita | JFL Div1 | . | . | | 2 | Sumitomo Metals | J.League | | Kashima Antlers | | 3 | Yanmar | JFL Div1 | . | . | | 4 | NKK Steel | JFL Div1 | . | . | | 5 | Fujitsu | JFL Div1 | . | . | | 6 | Otsuka Pharmaceutical | JFL Div1 | . | . | | 7 | Tokyo Gas | JFL Div1 | . | . | | 8 | Kawasaki Steel | JFL Div 2 | . | . | | 9 | NTT Kanto | JFL Div 2 | . | . | | 10 | Kofu Club | JFL Div 2 | . | . | | 11 | Cosmo Oil | JFL Div 2 | . | . | | 12 | Chuo Security | JFL Div 2 | . | . | | 13 | Togo Titanium | JFL Div 2 | . | . | | 14 | Kyoto UV Technology | JFL Div 2 | . | . | | 15 | Tanabe Pharmaceutical | JFL Div 2 | . | . | | 16 | Yomiuri Junior FC | JFL Div 2 | . | . |
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National Team
Overseas Players
