Current season or competition: 2020 Top Challenge League | |
 | |
| Sport | Rugby union |
|---|---|
| Instituted | 2003 |
| Inaugural season | 2004 |
| Ceased | 2021 |
| Replaced by | Japan Rugby League One |
| Number of teams | 8 |
| Country | Japan (Japan Rugby Football Union) |
| Website | Top League |
| Related competition | Top League |
The Top Challenge League was a professional rugby union competition in Japan. It was the second-highest level of rugby competition in the country and is a companies league; all the teams are owned by major companies and the players are generally employees of their company. The Japan Rugby Football Union created the Top League Challenge Series in 2003 in order to give teams playing in the second-tier regional leagues a pathway to progress to the top tier Top League; this became the Top Challenge League in 2017 when a second-tier league was introduced. The competition was disbanded following the creation of the fully-professional Japan Rugby League One ahead of 2022, with the Top League and Top Challenge League being absorbed together to form one three division tournament.[1]
- ^ "La nouvelle ligue japonaise s'appelle la Japan Rugby League One". Asie Rugby (in French). 16 July 2021. Retrieved 16 July 2021.