Four matches into the 2025 J.League 1 season, only four teams remain unbeaten. Last season’s runners-up, Sanfrecce Hiroshima, have continued their strong form but sit third in the standings. Surprisingly, the top two spots are held by last season’s strugglers, Kashiwa Reysol and Shonan Bellmare.
All three teams have won three and drawn one of their opening four matches, but Kashiwa sits atop the table thanks to a superior goal difference, with Shonan and Sanfrecce close behind.
The fourth unbeaten team, newly promoted Shimizu S-Pulse, sits in fifth place with two wins and two draws. Meanwhile, fourth-placed Kashima Antlers have also won three matches but suffered a season-opening defeat to Shonan on February 15.
Beyond their victory over Kashima, Shonan secured impressive early-season wins, edging Cerezo Osaka 2-1 away on February 22 and defeating Urawa Red Diamonds by the same scoreline at home four days later. Their winning streak, however, came to an end last weekend when Yokohama F. Marinos held them to a 1-1 draw at Nissan Stadium.
Kashiwa’s opening four matches were equally demanding. They began with a routine 1-0 away win over Avispa Fukuoka before facing a tough stretch against Kawasaki Frontale, Cerezo, and Urawa. The men in yellow navigated the challenge well, drawing 1-1 at home with Kawasaki, defeating Cerezo 2-1 in Kashiwa, and securing a crucial 2-0 away win at Urawa—a result that propelled them to the top of the table.
Last season’s third-place finishers, Machida Zelvia, are still finding their rhythm. They secured wins against city rivals FC Tokyo and Nagoya Grampus but suffered defeats to Sanfrecce Hiroshima and fellow Tokyo side Tokyo Verdy.
Gamba Osaka, last season’s fourth-place finishers, are also struggling to settle into the new campaign. They suffered a heavy 5-2 defeat to city rivals Cerezo and a shocking 2-0 loss away to debutants Fagiano Okayama but managed to secure wins against Avispa and Verdy.
Despite having former Chelsea assistant coach Steve Holland at the helm, Yokohama are still searching for their first domestic win. Their only victory under the Englishman so far came in the AFC Champions League Elite, where they defeated China’s Shanghai Port on February 19.
Yokohama have suffered just one defeat, falling to Sanfrecce, but have been held to three draws—1-1 against Albirex Niigata, 0-0 in the derby against Yokohama FC, and the previously mentioned 1-1 stalemate with Shonan.
Defending champions Vissel Kobe are in a similar position to Yokohama, having lost just once—a 1-0 home defeat to Avispa—but being held to three draws: 0-0 against Urawa, 2-2 against Nagoya, and 1-1 in a regional derby with Kyoto Sanga.
Albirex find themselves in the relegation zone at 18th, but even more surprisingly, Urawa sits in 19th, while Nagoya languishes at the bottom in 20th. Nagoya, in particular, has struggled to cope with the departure of veteran Australian goalkeeper Mitchell Langerak, leaving a glaring void between the posts.
While it’s still too early to predict this season’s J1 champion, if the early pace-setters maintain their form, we could witness a shift in the league’s power dynamics, long dominated by Kawasaki, Yokohama, and Vissel. A Sanfrecce title win would come as little surprise given their recent consistency, but if Kashiwa or Shonan sustain their impressive start, they could emerge as dark horses in the title race. That is, of course, assuming Yokohama and Vissel continue to struggle in the lower half of the table.