100 Year Vision League

The J League is in the midst of switching from summer to winter football. The 2025 season ended in December. The next season, 2026-27, will begin in August. That leaves a seven-month gap, which will be filled by a one-off tournament called the 100 Year Vision League. The name comes from the JFA’s 100 Year Plan, promulgated in 1992, to build toward 100 professional clubs and a World Cup championship by 2092.

For the purposes of this tournament the J1 League is divided into two ten-team sections, East and West. Each section will play a double round robin and the two first-place finishers will meet in a playoff for the overall championship and a place in the 2026-27 AFC Champions League Elite.

Mito HollyHock are in the East section. By happy chance all ten East teams are located in the Kanto region, making this a kind of super Kanto League. (The next Kanto league down is in tier five.) The East section is loaded with powerhouses: Kashima Antlers, Kashiwa Reysol, Machida Zelvia, Urawa Red Diamonds, Kawasaki Frontale, FC Tokyo, Yokohama F Marinos, Tokyo Verdy, Mito HollyHock and JEF United Chiba. If Mito finish better than ninth or tenth it’ll be a notable accomplishment. But it doesn’t matter — there will be no relegation at the end of the tournament.

J1 East, matchday 1:
Yokohama F Marinos 2 – 3 Machida Zelvia (yesterday)
JEF United [0 – 2] Urawa Red Diamonds
FC Tokyo [2 – 1] Kashima Antlers
Kawasaki Frontale [5 – 3] Kashiwa Reysol (tomorrow)
Tokyo Verdy [3 – 1] Mito HollyHock (tomorrow)

J2 and J3 also have a tournament going on. Their clubs have been lumped together and divided into four ten-team sections. And the JFL will have a thing called the JFL Cup, but it doesn’t start till March.

Meanwhile, it’s the Scottish Cup, Round Five:
Airdrieonians 1 – 2 St Mirren (yesterday)
Dundee United vs The Spartans [postponed]
Dunfermline Athletic [2 – 0] Kelty Hearts
Elgin City [2 – 3] Partick Thistle
Celtic [2 – 1] Dundee
These two met in the Scottish Cup, round three, on January 19th, 1895, and Dundee won 1 – 0.
Aberdeen vs Motherwell [postponed]
Rangers [8 – 0] Stranraer Queen’s Park (tomorrow)
These two met in the Scottish Cup, round six, March 22nd, 1879, and Rangers won 1 – 0.
Stenhousemuir [0 – 2] Falkirk (tomorrow)
These two met in the Scottish Cup, round two, on September 29th, 1883, and Falkirk won 9 – 1.

There was one Championship match midweek:
Queen’s Park 0 – 1 Ross County (February 3)

Morton have signed 20-year-old centre-back Reuben Lopata-White on loan from Leeds United. Dylan Corr has left the club for Kelty Hearts. Morton have also signed 33-year-old striker Curtis Main, formerly of Darlington, Middlesbrough, Shrewsbury Town, Doncaster Rovers, Oldham Athletic, Portsmouth, Motherwell, Aberdeen, St Mirren, Bengaluru, Dundee and Ayr United. And Kerr Robertson has been loaned out to East Kilbride.

Scottish Challenge Cup, QF:
Arbroath 2 – 2 Airdrieonians (Airdrie win on PK) (February 3)
St Johnstone vs Ayr United [postponed]

Other matches: Lipno Stęszew [0 – 3] Sroda (sparring match)
Karlsruher SC [1 – 1] Fortuna Düsseldorf (tomorrow)
Wick Academy vs Forres Mechanics (February 4) (postponed)
Nairn County [1 – 1] Wick Academy
Berwick Rangers vs Clydebank (postponed)
Johnstone Burgh [3 – 1] Largs Thistle
Blantyre Victoria [2 – 0] Greenock
Port Glasgow [1 – 0] Craigmark Burtonians
Harthill Royal [2 – 4] Coldstream
Golspie Sutherland [2 – 2] Alness United
Renfrew [6 – 0] Morton Women (tomorrow)

Lowland League Cup, R1:
Bo’ness United 2 – 3 Tranent (February 3)

West of Scotland League Cup, R4:
Shotts Bon Accord [2 – 4] Muirkirk

Scottish Junior Cup, R5:
Fraserburgh United vs Largs Thistle (postponed)
Dundee Violet vs Johnstone Burgh (postponed)

Scottish Junior Cup, QF:
Auchinleck Talbot [2 – 0] Kirkintilloch Rob Roy
Pollok [1 – 1] Buchanhaven Hearts [Buchanhaven win on PK]

Concacaf Champions Cup, R1, leg 1:
Forge 0 – 0 UANL (February 3)
Vancouver FC 0 – 3 Cruz Azul (February 4)

Historical matches:
1891/2/7 Morton 1 – 1 Thistle
1931/2/7 Morton 0 – 1 Celtic
1953/2/7 Cowdenbeath 0 – 1 Morton (Sc Cup R2)
1981/2/7 Aberdeen 0 – 1 Morton

SFL results 1890-91:
1891/2/7 Celtic 3 2 St Mirren
1891/2/7 Vale of Leven 2 – 1 Cowlairs
1891/2/7 Abercorn 1 – 1 Rangers
1891/2/7 Dumbarton 0 – 1 Hearts (Sc Cup final)