The 2024 Japan Club Youth U-18 Football Championship (Japanese: 第48回 日本クラブユースサッカー選手権(U-18)大会) was the 48th edition of the contested tournament, held exclusively for Japan youth clubs affiliated with both J.League and Japan Club Youth Football Federation. Gamba Osaka defended their title, winning it consecutively on 2023 and 2024.[1][2]
Outline
As usual, the tournament was held with 32 participating teams. With no direct entry or automatic qualification for the tournament, all participants had to qualify through regional qualification. The number of slots for each region were predetermined by the JFA prior to the qualifiers. The determined slot distribution was as follows:
The tournament started with a group stage, held with eight groups of four teams in each. Only the winner of each group qualifies for the quarter-finals. Each match during the group stage was 70-minutes long, with two 35-minute halves and a 10-minute halftime break. From the quarter-finals onwards, the matches was 80-minutes long, with two 40-minute halves and a 15-minute halftime break. In case of a draw, the match would directly proceed into penalty shoot-outs. On the final, a draw in regulation time would lead to a 20-minute extra-time, with penalty shoot-outs being held should the draw persists.[1]
The qualifying rounds for this tournament was considered as the same competition for disciplinary reasons, and any unused suspensions due to red card offenses at the end of the qualifying rounds was applied in the tournament.
A player who accumulates two yellow cards during the tournament would face an one-match suspension.
Accumulated yellow cards given from the group stage to the quarterfinals would not be carried over to the semifinals. However, any unused suspensions given from the group stage to the quarterfinals was carried over to the semifinals and applied.