🇯🇵 Emperor Cup: TV channel, kick-off times and live streaming in the UK

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The Emperor's Cup is the oldest football competition in Japan: it has existed since 1921, long before the professional league. Its defining feature fits in one line: it is open to every level of the game, from J1 clubs to university sides and regional teams that came through their prefecture. It is therefore the one chance each year to see an amateur club face the reigning champions in a straight knockout tie, and the smaller side does sometimes go through. The competition runs from spring to the end of the year, one match per round, no second leg. Its final was long played on 1 January, which made it the first match of the year in the country and a family occasion. The winner takes a place in the AFC Champions League, which gives real weight to a club that would not have finished high enough in the league. Matches are mostly played in the evening, Japan time.