The Japanese soccer calendar could be due for a huge shakeup in 2014, with the Emperor's Cup final being moved to December and the J. League possibly going back to the two-stage system it abandoned nine years ago.
The Japan Football Association decided on Monday to organize next season's Emperor's Cup final — traditionally held on New Year's Day — on Dec. 13 to give national team players ample rest for the 2015 Asian Cup in Australia, which starts Jan. 9.
The game will also be moved away from Tokyo's National Stadium, whose rebuilding for the 2020 Olympics will have begun by then. The venue, which must have a minimum capacity of 30,000, will be decided later this year.