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FOOTBALL · 21 CLUBS · 653 PLAYERS

J1 League player wages

The 21 clubs we track in J1 League pay a combined AU$3,410,015 a week. Erik is the best paid, on AU$68,040 a week.

WEEKLY WAGE BILLAU$3.4m
YEARLY WAGE BILLAU$177.3m
AVERAGE WEEKLY AU$8k
CLUBS TRACKED21
Transfers

Wage bill by club

Total weekly spend on player wages

Top club spends 49.5× the bottom club
Vissel Kobe
AU$384k Kashima Antlers
AU$330k FC Machida Zelvia
AU$273k Sanfrecce
AU$235k Cerezo Osaka
AU$206k Avispa
AU$205k F Marinos
AU$201k Kawasaki Frontale
AU$200k Kashiwa Reysol
AU$194k Nagoya Grampus
AU$190k Urawa Reds
AU$176k Shimizu S-Pulse
AU$153k Gamba Osaka
AU$150k FC Tokyo
AU$112k Sagamihara Topolino
AU$103k Fagiano Okayama
AU$100k Kyoto Sanga F.C.
AU$83k Tokyo Verdy 1969
AU$74k JEF United Chiba
AU$21k Mito Hollyhock
AU$11k V-Varen Nagasaki
AU$8k

Highest paid in J1 League

Top 10 earners take 14% of the league's wage bill

FULL TOP 100 →
01 Erik Vissel Kobe
AU$68,040
02 Oriol Romeu Avispa
AU$66,150
03 Yûya Ôsako Vissel Kobe
AU$64,260
04 Yuki Soma FC Machida Zelvia
AU$52,920
05 Yoshinori Mutô Vissel Kobe
AU$47,250
06 Takuma Asano Sanfrecce
AU$41,580
07 Kewin (Kewin Oliveira Silva) Fagiano Okayama
AU$37,800
08 Aleksandar Čavrić Kashima Antlers
AU$37,800
09 Mateus Santos Nagoya Grampus
AU$34,020
10 Jackson Irvine Cerezo Osaka
AU$32,130
11 Elber Kashima Antlers
AU$32,130
12 Leo Ceara Kashima Antlers
AU$32,130
13 Na Sangho FC Machida Zelvia
AU$30,240
14 Din David F Marinos
AU$30,240
15 Gaku Shibasaki Kashima Antlers
AU$28,350
16 Akihiro Ienaga Kawasaki Frontale
AU$28,350
17 Gotoku Sakai Vissel Kobe
AU$28,350
18 Gen Shoji FC Machida Zelvia
AU$24,570
19 Naomichi Ueda Kashima Antlers
AU$24,570
20 Boniface Nduka Vissel Kobe
AU$24,570

What a J1 League player actually earns

Weekly wage across the 421 players aged 22 or over that we hold a wage for, of the 653 in the squad lists

Under AU$2k
20% 86 players
AU$2k-AU$4k
15% 62 players
AU$4k-AU$9k
38% 158 players MEDIAN AVERAGE
AU$9k-AU$19k
20% 83 players
AU$19k-AU$47k
6% 27 players
AU$47k-AU$189k
1% 5 players

Median AU$5,670 a week against an average of AU$7,919, across the 421 players this covers.

What each position earns

Average weekly wage, and share of the wage bill, across players aged 22 or over that we hold a wage for

Goalkeepers
AU$4,999 · 8%
Defenders
AU$6,534 · 26%
Midfielders
AU$7,679 · 21%
Attackers
AU$10,045 · 45%

Peak earning years

Average weekly wage by age band

AU$474 16-19
AU$1k 20-22
AU$3k 23-25
AU$6k 26-28
AU$9k 29-31
AU$9k 32-34
AU$11k 35+

Where J1 League players come from

Ten most common nationalities in the league

Japan
553 players Brazil
52 players South Korea
13 players Spain
6 players Germany
4 players Australia
3 players Serbia
2 players Israel
2 players Colombia
2 players Kosovo
1 player

Every J1 League club

Wage bill, squad size and top earner. Click a heading to sort.

Every J1 League club, with its weekly and yearly wage bill, squad size, average senior wage and highest earner.
CLUB WEEKLY BILL YEARLY BILL AVERAGE 22+ SQUAD HIGHEST EARNER ON
Vissel Kobe AU$384,483 AU$19,993,100AU$20m AU$14,646 31 Erik AU$68,040
Kashima Antlers AU$330,013 AU$17,160,671AU$17.2m AU$15,343 28 Aleksandar Čavrić AU$37,800
FC Machida Zelvia AU$273,063 AU$14,199,298AU$14.2m AU$11,637 27 Yuki Soma AU$52,920
Sanfrecce AU$235,260 AU$12,233,501AU$12.2m AU$9,613 29 Takuma Asano AU$41,580
Cerezo Osaka AU$205,587 AU$10,690,505AU$10.7m AU$9,297 26 Jackson Irvine AU$32,130
Avispa AU$204,668 AU$10,642,741AU$10.6m AU$6,371 35 Oriol Romeu AU$66,150
F Marinos AU$200,529 AU$10,427,508AU$10.4m AU$7,503 32 Din David AU$30,240
Kawasaki Frontale AU$199,902 AU$10,394,879AU$10.4m AU$8,159 33 Akihiro Ienaga AU$28,350
Kashiwa Reysol AU$194,277 AU$10,102,398AU$10.1m AU$5,713 39 Taiyo Koga AU$14,364
Nagoya Grampus AU$190,259 AU$9,893,454AU$9.9m AU$7,503 30 Mateus Santos AU$34,020
Urawa Reds AU$175,951 AU$9,149,475AU$9.1m AU$9,087 31 Miki Yamane AU$20,790
Shimizu S-Pulse AU$153,423 AU$7,977,977AU$8m AU$5,619 33 Diego AU$17,766
Gamba Osaka AU$150,164 AU$7,808,543AU$7.8m AU$8,180 28 Takashi Usami AU$18,900
FC Tokyo AU$111,905 AU$5,819,061AU$5.8m AU$7,673 30 Yuto Nagatomo AU$18,900
Sagamihara Topolino AU$102,735 AU$5,342,206AU$5.3m AU$4,296 30 Hiroaki Okuno AU$15,498
Fagiano Okayama AU$99,938 AU$5,196,752AU$5.2m AU$4,997 30 Kewin (Kewin Oliveira Silva) AU$37,800
Kyoto Sanga F.C. AU$83,306 AU$4,331,888AU$4.3m AU$5,865 27 Masaya Okugawa AU$14,931
Tokyo Verdy 1969 AU$74,260 AU$3,861,519AU$3.9m AU$3,398 32 Yuta Arai AU$8,127
JEF United Chiba AU$21,393 AU$1,112,431AU$1.1m - 35 Erison AU$13,797
Mito Hollyhock AU$11,134 AU$578,967AU$579k - 35 Mizuki Ando AU$3,591
V-Varen Nagasaki AU$7,768 AU$403,931AU$404k - 32 Juanma Delgado AU$5,859

Frequently asked questions

J1 League wages

What is the total J1 League wage bill?

The 21 clubs we track in J1 League pay a combined AU$3,410,015 per week, or AU$177,320,805 per year, across 653 players.

Who is the highest paid player in J1 League?

Erik of Vissel Kobe, on AU$68,040 per week — AU$3,538,080 a year.

Which J1 League club has the biggest wage bill?

Vissel Kobe, at AU$384,483 per week across 31 players.

What is the average J1 League salary?

AU$7,919 a week across the 421 players aged 22 or over that we hold a wage for. The median is AU$5,670.

Compare other leagues

Premier League AU$72.9m Serie A AU$34.9m Bundesliga AU$32.8m Saudi Pro League AU$31.2m La Liga AU$30.5m Championship AU$20m Ligue 1 AU$17.1m Major League Soccer AU$16m Süper Lig AU$15.6m Brasileirão Série A AU$8.7m Primeira Liga AU$7.2m 2. Bundesliga AU$6.5m