The KSL Cup, or Kansai Soccer League Cup, is a soccer tournament held every year between October and December, organised by the Kansai Soccer League.
The KSL Cup is a football tournament involving clubs from the Kansai Soccer League (Divisions 1 and 2). Initially, all 16 clubs are divided into four groups of four teams each for a group-stage round-robin phase. The top two clubs from each group (eight in total) advance to a knockout stage that continues through to the final. In some years, however, the tournament skips the group stage and is held entirely in a single-elimination format from the first round.
The competition occasionally allows for matchups between Division 1 and Division 2 teams, offering a unique experience different from the regular league format. Prize money is awarded to the top three teams: ÃÂ¥300,000 to the champion, ÃÂ¥200,000 to the runner-up, and ÃÂ¥100,000 to the third-place team.
From 2013, the KSL Cup winner played a special match called the KSL Island Shield of Awaji against the Kansai Soccer League Division 1 champion. However, due to scheduling conflicts with other tournaments, such as Emperor's Cup prefectural qualifiers, this event has not been held since 2017.
The tournament was suspended from 2020 to 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It resumed in 2023 with an expanded format that included youth teams from the Kansai Club Youth Soccer Federation, such as J.League academy sides and town club youth teams. The tournament increased to 20 teams, with 16 league clubs divided into four groups for a round-robin phase. The four group winners and the two best-performing runners-up (six teams) advanced to the final stage, along with two youth teams recommended by the Kansai Club Youth Soccer Federation. These eight teams then competed in a knockout format, including a third-place playoff. With the new format, the tournament was officially titled The KSL Ast Enji Cup, sponsored by Ast Enji Co., for both the 2023 and 2024 seasons.