Osaka Metro
Osaka plays futsal on rooftop courts, school grounds and indoor halls spread across the Kansai plain, and amateur teams here are used to booking a slot and turning up with a full squad. MCC arrives in 2027 with three grounds, Suita/North, Higashiosaka/East and Sakai/South, running through April and into the first week of May.
Three grounds, three champions
Two halves of 15 minutes on a stop clock. Every team plays three group matches in a group of four, and the top two go into the playoffs, where a tie level after two halves goes to penalties. Five weeks of football on each ground leave Osaka Metro with three Pitch Champions, and each goes straight to the Country Championship.
Suita/North
64 to 128 teams · $20,000 to its Pitch Champion
Higashiosaka/East
64 to 128 teams · $20,000 to its Pitch Champion
Sakai/South
64 to 128 teams · $20,000 to its Pitch Champion
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Futsal in Osaka's neighbourhoods
Futsal is the everyday name for small-sided football in Japan, and Osaka has plenty of it. Company teams book courts after work, university clubs in Suita and Sakai run their own sides, and friends groups rent a pitch by the hour in the commuter towns around the centre. Gamba Osaka and Cerezo Osaka give the city two professional clubs to argue about, which keeps the amateur game talked about all year.
MCC takes the same five-a-side idea and gives it a longer arc. Squads hold up to nine, each match is two 15-minute halves against a stop clock, and the best team on each ground wins $20,000 and a seat at the Japan Country Championship.
Suita, Higashiosaka and Sakai on one map
The three grounds follow the compass. The Suita ground covers the north, close to the Midosuji and Hankyu lines and the Senri area. Higashiosaka covers the east, reached on the Kintetsu lines and the Osaka Metro Chuo line towards Ikoma. Sakai covers the south along the Nankai and Hankanasen routes. Most Osaka teams already commute along one of these corridors, so the ground that fits a squad's trains is usually obvious.
Every Osaka ground takes between 64 and 128 teams and gets a single venue. The venue is confirmed by the MCC pitch owner programme and named here after its agreement is signed, and the cards above show which of the three already has one.
April and May in Kansai
Spring in Osaka is mild and dry for most of the Pitch Round, with warm afternoons and cool evenings. Group fixtures fill three weekends: 9 to 11 April, 16 to 18 April and 23 to 25 April. Playoffs open on 30 April, and Golden Week holidays cover much of that stretch.
Every ground plays its final on 9 May, before the rainy season arrives in June. The three Osaka champions then meet the winners from Tokyo Metro at the Japan Country Championship, and the continental stage and the World Final on 7 July 2027 follow.
How MCC compares with a one-day cup
Osaka teams know the one-day futsal cup: a morning of short group games and an afternoon final. MCC spreads the contest across five weeks, adds a playoff round with penalties for a level tie, and pays a fixed $20,000 to each ground's champion. Amateurs only, with a Team President on every entry and zero tolerance for misconduct.
The road out of Osaka Metro
- 01 · 9 Apr - 9 May 2027
Pitch Round
Groups of four on every pitch, three group matches each. The top two of every group go into the playoffs, and penalties settle a level playoff tie.
$20,000 - 02 · 28-30 May 2027
Country Championship
The Pitch Champions of each country play for the national title: two halves of 15 minutes, a league table, then the playoffs.
$150,000 - 03 · 2027
Continental Championship
Country Champions compete within their region for a place on the world stage.
$500,000 - 04 · 7 Jul 2027
World Championship
A five-team mini-league, then the World Final: two halves of 15 minutes, penalties if level. One MCC World Champion.
$5,000,000
Questions from Osaka Metro
How does a team enter MCC in Osaka Metro?
Register on this site and pick one of Osaka Metro's three grounds: Suita/North, Higashiosaka/East, Sakai/South. One Team License per team: USD 1,200 for one year until 1 March 2027 (then 2,500), or 5,000 for three years. Payment and KYC verification follow the application.
When does the tournament start in Osaka Metro?
The Pitch Round runs 9 April to 9 May 2027 on all three Osaka Metro grounds. The group matches are played on 9-11, 16-18 and 23-25 April, the playoffs from 30 April, and each ground's final on 9 May. Pitch Champions go straight to the Country Championship on 28-30 May 2027.
How many teams can play in Osaka Metro?
Up to 384: each of the three grounds takes up to 128 teams, and each needs a minimum of 64 to run its round. A full ground puts an entry on its waitlist instead of turning it away.
What can a Osaka Metro team win?
$20,000 per Pitch Champion, $150,000 for the Japan title, $500,000 continental and $5,000,000 for the World Champion - plus championship rings from Country level up.
Can a company or university futsal team enter in Osaka?
Yes. A workplace side, a campus club or a group of friends can hold a Team License, provided the players are amateurs and the squad has no more than nine. A Team President is named on the entry and answers for conduct.
Which Osaka ground suits a team living in Kita-ku or Namba?
Pick by train line and the evening you can reach it. Suita is the natural choice for the north and Midosuji corridor, Sakai for the south on the Nankai line, and Higashiosaka for the east. Each runs a complete round.
Will Golden Week affect the Osaka fixtures?
The playoffs start on 30 April and run into early May, so some Golden Week days fall in the playoff period. Teams should check fixture times once the group stage is drawn and plan travel around the holiday.
Is futsal fitness enough for the 15-minute halves?
Most regular futsal players will find the pace familiar. The halves are 15 minutes on a stop clock, so dead time is not counted, and a squad of up to nine allows rotation across a 40-minute slot.
Also hosting in Japan
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Claim a pitch in Osaka Metro
One Team License per team, for one year or three years. Squads of up to 9 are built in the MCC app after licensing. Registration takes the team, its coach and its Team President.
- USD1,200One year
- 5,000Three years