2022–23 WE League Cup

Football tournament season

2022–23 WE League Cup
Tournament details
Country	Japan
Dates	20 August – 1 October 2022
Teams	11
Final positions
Champions	Urawa Red Diamonds Ladies (1st title)
Runner-up	Nippon TV Tokyo Verdy Beleza
Tournament statistics
Matches played	26
Goals scored	54 (2.08 per match)
Top goal scorer(s)	Riko Ueki (6 goals)
2023–24 →

The 2022–23 WE League Cup is the 1st season of the WE League Cup, a women's football cup tournament that will be contested annually between WE League clubs. As the league have as of the 2022–23 season only 11 clubs featuring in the tournament and the plan was to make a group stage between the knockouts, it was necessary that six teams featured in a group, and five in another. The winner of each group got a ticket to the final, which will be contested by Urawa Red Diamonds and Tokyo Verdy Beleza. Despite the tournament refers to itself as if it was played between two different years, the tournament starts and ends on 2022, as the "–23" refers to the Japan professional women's football season on the WE League, which starts in 2022 and (actually) ends on 2023. The final of this edition will be played on 1 October 2022.

Schedule

	Matchday	Date^[1]^[2]^[3]
Group stage	Matchday 1	20 or 21 August
	Matchday 2	27 or 28 August
	Matchday 3	3 or 4 September
	Matchday 4	10 or 11 September
	Matchday 5	17 or 18 or 19 September
	Matchday 6	24 or 25 September
Final		1 October

Group stage

Group A

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
1	Urawa Red Diamonds Ladies	5	3	2	0	12	5	+7	11	Advance to the final
2	AC Nagano Parceiro Ladies	5	3	2	0	7	4	+3	11
3	Chifure AS Elfen Saitama	5	1	2	2	6	8	−2	5
4	Mynavi Sendai Ladies	5	1	2	2	5	8	−3	5
5	Omiya Ardija Ventus	5	1	1	3	4	6	−2	4
6	Albirex Niigata Ladies	5	1	1	3	5	8	−3	4

Source: WE League

Albirex Niigata Ladies v Chifure AS Elfen Saitama

20 August 2022 Matchweek 1	Albirex Niigata Ladies	1–1	Chifure AS Elfen Saitama	Shibata
17:03 JST	Michigami 87'	Report (WE League)	Karahashi 86'	Stadium: Shibata Ijimino Park Athletics Stadium Attendance: 213 Referee: Emi Chiba

AC Nagano Parceiro Ladies v Mynavi Sendai Ladies

20 August 2022 Matchweek 1	AC Nagano Parceiro Ladies	1–1	Mynavi Sendai Ladies	Nagano
18:00 JST	Inamura 61'	Report (WE League)	Yakata 23'	Stadium: Nagano U Stadium Attendance: 591 Referee: Miu Sone

Omiya Ardija Ventus v Urawa Red Diamonds Ladies

21 August 2022 Matchweek 1	Omiya Ardija Ventus	2–2	Urawa Red Diamonds Ladies	Saitama
18:03 JST	Nakada 30' Uetsuji 58'	Report (WE League)	Naomoto 90+1' Shiokoshi 90+3'	Stadium: NACK5 Stadium Omiya Attendance: 1,857 Referee: Minako Asakura

Urawa Red Diamonds Ladies v Albirex Niigata Ladies

27 August 2022 Matchweek 2	Urawa Red Diamonds Ladies	4–1	Albirex Niigata Ladies	Saitama
18:00 JST	Ando 11' Sugasawa 20', 67' Naomoto 82'	Report (WE League)	Yamaya 7'	Stadium: Urawa Komaba Stadium Attendance: 1,546 Referee: Chihiro Ikki

AC Nagano Parceiro Ladies v Omiya Ardija Ventus

27 August 2022 Matchweek 2	AC Nagano Parceiro Ladies	1–0	Omiya Ardija Ventus	Nagano
18:00 JST	Ito 81'	Report (WE League)		Stadium: Nagano U Stadium Attendance: 844 Referee: Haruna Kanematsu

Mynavi Sendai Ladies v Albirex Niigata Ladies

3 September 2022 Matchweek 3	Mynavi Sendai Ladies	0–2	Albirex Niigata Ladies	Ishinomaki
15:01 JST		Report (WE League)	Yamamoto 4' Takikawa 69'	Stadium: Seihoku Park Ishinomaki Attendance: 483 Referee: Satomi Arakawa

Urawa Red Diamonds Ladies v AC Nagano Parceiro Ladies

3 September 2022 Matchweek 3	Urawa Red Diamonds Ladies	2–2	AC Nagano Parceiro Ladies	Saitama
18:00 JST	Ando 7' Takahashi 69'	Report (WE League)	Takizawa 32', 63'	Stadium: Urawa Komaba Stadium Attendance: 1,146 Referee: Kumiko Matsuo

Omiya Ardija Ventus v Chifure AS Elfen Saitama

3 September 2022 Matchweek 3	Omiya Ardija Ventus	1–2	Chifure AS Elfen Saitama	Saitama
18:03 JST	Murakami 66'	Report (WE League)	Nishikawa 10' Matsuyama 87'	Stadium: NACK5 Stadium Omiya Attendance: 1,828 Referee: Fusako Kajiyama

Mynavi Sendai Ladies v Chifure AS Elfen Saitama

11 September 2022 Matchweek 4	Mynavi Sendai Ladies	3–3	Chifure AS Elfen Saitama	Sendai
16:01 JST	Bulatović 44' Yakata 56' Sato 77'	Report (WE League)	Sakuma 49' Yoshida 59' Karahashi 89'	Stadium: Yurtec Stadium Sendai Attendance: 822 Referee: Mari Yamamoto

Urawa Red Diamonds Ladies v Mynavi Sendai Ladies

18 September 2022 Matchweek 5	Urawa Red Diamonds Ladies	2–0	Mynavi Sendai Ladies	Saitama
15:30 JST	Seike 85' Ando 90'	Report (WE League)		Stadium: Urawa Komaba Stadium Attendance: 931 Referee: Haruna Kanematsu

Albirex Niigata Ladies v Omiya Ardija Ventus

19 September 2022 Matchweek 5	Albirex Niigata Ladies	0–1	Omiya Ardija Ventus	Shibata
16:01 JST		Report (WE League)	Inoue 10'	Stadium: Shibata Ijimino Athletic Stadium Attendance: 1,303 Referee: Mari Yamamoto

Chifure AS Elfen Saitama v AC Nagano Parceiro Ladies

19 September 2022 Matchweek 5	Chifure AS Elfen Saitama	0–1	AC Nagano Parceiro Ladies	Kumagaya
17:03 JST		Report (WE League)	Kawafune 84'	Stadium: Kumagaya Athletic Stadium Attendance: 939 Referee: Junko Kirihara

Mynavi Sendai Ladies v Omiya Ardija Ventus

24 September 2022 Matchweek 6	Mynavi Sendai Ladies	1–0	Omiya Ardija Ventus	Onagawa
13:00 JST	Ichise 90+3'	Report (WE League)		Stadium: Onagawa Stadium Attendance: 332 Referee: Chihiro Ikki

AC Nagano Parceiro Ladies v Albirex Niigata Ladies

24 September 2022 Matchweek 6	AC Nagano Parceiro Ladies	2–1	Albirex Niigata Ladies	Nagano
18:03 JST	Takizawa 2' Okamoto 37'	Report (WE League)	Michigami 78'	Stadium: Nagano U Stadium Attendance: 984 Referee: Fusako Kajiyama

Chifure AS Elfen Saitama v Urawa Red Diamonds Ladies

25 September 2022 Matchweek 6	Chifure AS Elfen Saitama	0–2	Urawa Red Diamonds Ladies	Kumagaya
17:03 JST		Report (WE League)	Shimada 7' Ishikawa 27'	Stadium: Kumagaya Athletic Stadium Attendance: 1,755 Referee: Emi Chiba

Group B

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
1	Nippon TV Tokyo Verdy Beleza	4	2	2	0	9	3	+6	8	Advance to the final
2	INAC Kobe Leonessa	4	2	2	0	7	5	+2	8
3	JEF United Ichihara Chiba Ladies	4	1	2	1	5	5	0	5
4	Nojima Stella Kanagawa Sagamihara	4	0	2	2	3	6	−3	2
5	Sanfrecce Hiroshima Regina	4	0	2	2	5	10	−5	2

Source: WE League

INAC Kobe Leonessa v JEF United Ichihara Chiba Ladies

20 August 2022 Matchweek 1	INAC Kobe Leonessa	3–2	JEF United Ichihara Chiba Ladies	Sakai
19:03 JST	Sakaguchi 11', 25' Aikawa 17'	Report (WE League)	Kamogawa 37' Kishikawa 75'	Stadium: J-GREEN SAKAI S1 Main Field Attendance: 936 Referee: Michiko Fujita

JEF United Ichihara Chiba Ladies v Nippon TV Tokyo Verdy Beleza

27 August 2022 Matchweek 2	JEF United Ichihara Chiba Ladies	0–0	Nippon TV Tokyo Verdy Beleza	Chiba
18:00 JST		Report (WE League)		Stadium: Fukuda Denshi Arena Attendance: 461 Referee: Kazue Kusadokoro

Nojima Stella Kanagawa Sagamihara v INAC Kobe Leonessa

28 August 2022 Matchweek 2	Nojima Stella Kanagawa Sagamihara	0–0	INAC Kobe Leonessa	Sagamihara
18:00 JST		Report (WE League)		Stadium: Sagamihara Gion Stadium Attendance: 634 Referee: Saori Takahashi

JEF United Ichihara Chiba Ladies v Nojima Stella Kanagawa Sagamihara

4 September 2022 Matchweek 3	JEF United Ichihara Chiba Ladies	2–1	Nojima Stella Kanagawa Sagamihara	Chiba
18:00 JST	Hasuwa 8' Osawa 50'	Report (WE League)	Fujiwara 66'	Stadium: Fukuda Denshi Arena Attendance: 443 Referee: Minako Asakura

Sanfrecce Hiroshima Regina v Nippon TV Tokyo Verdy Beleza

4 September 2022 Matchweek 3	Sanfrecce Hiroshima Regina	1–5	Nippon TV Tokyo Verdy Beleza	Hiroshima
18:03 JST	Kawashima 33'	Report (WE League)	Muramatsu 47' Fujino 53', 90+2' Ueki 76' (82)	Stadium: Hiroshima Koiki Park Football Stadium No.1 Attendance: 968 Referee: Ayano Yanagi

Nippon TV Tokyo Verdy Beleza v INAC Kobe Leonessa

10 September 2022 Matchweek 4	Nippon TV Tokyo Verdy Beleza	2–2	INAC Kobe Leonessa	Kita
15:00 JST	Ueki 17', 20'	Report (WE League)	Moriya 62' Tanaka 90+4'	Stadium: AGF Field Attendance: 816 Referee: Yoshimi Yamashita

Nojima Stella Kanagawa Sagamihara v Sanfrecce Hiroshima Regina

10 September 2022 Matchweek 4	Nojima Stella Kanagawa Sagamihara	2–2	Sanfrecce Hiroshima Regina	Sagamihara
15:33 JST	Fujiwara 84' Own goal 90+4'	Report (WE League)	Tachibana 87' Kawashima 90+2'	Stadium: Sagamihara Gion Stadium Attendance: 744 Referee: Miu Sone

Nippon TV Tokyo Verdy Beleza v Nojima Stella Kanagawa Sagamihara

17 September 2022 Matchweek 5	Nippon TV Tokyo Verdy Beleza	2–0	Nojima Stella Kanagawa Sagamihara	Tama
15:00 JST	Fujino 51' Utsugi 73'	Report (WE League)		Stadium: Tama Athletic Stadium Attendance: 594 Referee: Kazue Kusadokoro

Sanfrecce Hiroshima Regina v JEF United Ichihara Chiba Ladies

20 September 2022 Matchweek 5	Sanfrecce Hiroshima Regina	1–1	JEF United Ichihara Chiba Ladies	Hiroshima
19:00 JST	Taniguchi 90'	Report (WE League)	Kamogawa 23'	Stadium: Hiroshima Koiki Park Football Stadium No.1 Attendance: 458 Referee: Asaka Koizumi

INAC Kobe Leonessa v Sanfrecce Hiroshima Regina

25 September 2022 Matchweek 6	INAC Kobe Leonessa	2–1	Sanfrecce Hiroshima Regina	Sakai
15:30 JST	Tanaka 32' (pen.) Narumiya 80'	Report (WE League)	Ueno 30'	Stadium: J-GREEN SAKAI S1 Main Field Attendance: 969 Referee: Kumiko Matsuo

Final

1 October 2022^[4]^[3]

16:00 JST

Urawa Red Diamonds Ladies	3–3	Nippon TV Tokyo Verdy Beleza
Seike 75' Ando 76' Sugasawa 84'	Report (WE League)	Ueki 25', 29' Muramatsu 72'
Penalties
Sugasawa Shiokoshi Naomoto Seike	4–2	Ueki Utsugi Miura Fujino

Ajinomoto Field Nishigaoka^[4]^[3], Kita, Tokyo

Attendance: 3,546

Referee: Asaka Koizumi

Awards

Award	Player	Club
MVP

Top scorers

As of 1 October 2022

Rank	Player	Club	Goals^[5]^[6]^[7]
1	Riko Ueki	Nippon TV Tokyo Verdy Beleza	6
2	Kozue Ando	Urawa Red Diamonds Ladies	4
3	Yuika Sugasawa	Urawa Red Diamonds Ladies	3
	Aoba Fujino	Nippon TV Tokyo Verdy Beleza
	Rio Takizawa	AC Nagano Parceiro Ladies
6	Miyu Yakata	MyNavi Sendai	2
	Hikaru Naomoto	Urawa Red Diamonds Ladies
	Kiko Seike	Urawa Red Diamonds Ladies
	Mayu Karahashi	Chifure AS Elfen Saitama
	Miho Kamogawa	JEF United Chiba Ladies
	Tomoko Muramatsu	Nippon TV Tokyo Verdy Beleza
	Kana Fujiwara	Nojima Stella Kanagawa Sagamihara
	Ayaka Michigami	Albirex Niigata Ladies
	Mina Tanaka	INAC Kobe Leonessa
	Moeno Sakaguchi	INAC Kobe Leonessa
	Haruna Kawashima	Sanfrecce Hiroshima Regina

TV broadcasting

BS TV Tokyo Corporation (final match only)

Internet live streaming

2022-23 WE League Cup playlist on YouTube^[8]^[9] (all matches)

References

^ "「2022-23 WEリーグカップ」開催決定！グループステージは8/20・21・22開幕、決勝は10/1(土)". weleague.jp (in Japanese). 8 July 2022. Retrieved 8 July 2022.
^ "「2022-23 WEリーグカップ」試合日程が決定決勝は10/1(土) 味の素フィールド西が丘で開催". weleague.jp (in Japanese). 8 July 2022. Retrieved 8 July 2022.
^ ^a ^b ^c Dan Orlowitz (16 August 2022). "WE League aims to build on first-season challenges". The Japan Times. Tokyo. Retrieved 25 September 2022. Fans will be able to witness one of the first signs of improvement on Saturday with the launch of the WE League Cup, which will see teams compete in round-robin group action before an Oct. 1 final in Tokyo.
^ ^a ^b "2022-23 WE League Cup: Match schedule confirmed. Final will be held on Saturday, 1st October at Ajinomoto Field Nishigaoka". WE League. Tokyo. 20 July 2022. Retrieved 26 September 2022.
^ "Stats". weleague.jp. Japan Women's Empowerment Professional Football League WE League. Retrieved 25 September 2022.
^ "2022-23 WE League Cup Group Stage Group A Scorers". WE League Data Site. Retrieved 25 September 2022.
^ "2022-23 WE League Cup Group Stage Group B Scorers". WE League Data Site. Retrieved 25 September 2022.
^ "2022-23 WE LEAGUE CUP: Group Stage matches will be streamed live on WE LEAGUE's official YouTube Channel!". weleague.jp. WE League. 22 August 2022. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
^ "「2022-23 WEリーグカップ」グループステージはWEリーグ公式YouTubeでライブ配信！". weleague.jp (in Japanese). Retrieved 18 August 2022.