There are plenty of football leagues played in Asia that have been founded for years. Apart from the history of the leagues, the players transferred, top players in the league, the average attendance, fans and followers of the league are also some of the contributing factors for the popularity of the league.
In order to pick the top football leagues in Asia, we have considered their recent season’s attendance and listed the top Leagues. Know more about the top leagues by checking out the list we have shared below.
Originated – 2004
Country – China
Number of teams – 16
Reigning Champion – Shanghai SIPG (2018)
Most Successful team – Guangzhou Evergrande Taobao (7 titles)
Average Attendance – 2018: 24,107
The Chinese Super League is the highest tier of professional football in China, which is governed by the Chinese Football Association (CFA). Initially, 12 teams participated in the league which later in 2006, expanded to 16. Since the league’s inception, 7 teams have won the title and 31 teams have competed in the league.
Club Guangzhou Evergrande Taobao is considered the most successful team in the Chinese Super League as they have been crowned as the winner for a record of 7 times in a row. They defended their title from 2011 to 2017 and their winning streak came to an end by Shanghai SPIG having grabbed the title in 2018 and Guangzhou was the runner-up.
Originated – 1992
Country – Japan
Number of teams – 55 + 3 under-23 teams
Reigning Champion – J1: Kawasaki Frontale, J2: Matsumoto Yamaga, J3: FC Ryuku
Most Successful team – Kashima Antlers (7 titles)
Average Attendance – 2018: 19,064
The J League was founded in 1992 which includes three professional football leagues namely the first division J1 League, second division J2 League and third division J3 League. Having formed in 1992, the J League has 8 clubs drawn from the Japan Soccer League (JSL) First Division, 1 from the Second Division, and the newly formed team Shimizu S-Pulse.
The first official J League was organized in 1993 with 10 clubs. Later the league had 9 more teams joining from the semi-professional JFL, formerly called JSL and 1 club from J. League to create a 2-division system. J League Division 1 (J1) became the top flight with 16 clubs, whereas, in 1999, the J League Division 2 (J2) was formed with 10 clubs.