Sumo’s September Tournament Begins
Sumo returns for the fourth grand tournament of 2025. The aki basho (autumn tournament) begins on Sunday, September 14 and runs until Sunday, September 28. The 15 day tournament will crown the newest makuuchi (top division) champion.
This tournament will be taking place at the historic Ryōgoku Kokugikan in Tokyo, Japan. Here’s everything you need to know about the tournament, including how you can tune in and watch all the action.
Preview and Rankings
The title of top division champion at the 2025 aki basho is up for grabs in a way unlike we’ve seen so far this year. Both yokozuna, Onosato and Hoshoryu, appear to be healthy enough to compete. They are immediately the top favourites to take home a title. However, there’s a number of other wrestlers who should not be counted out. Wakatakakage, who needs 11 wins to claim promotion to ozeki, is one to watch. The 21 year-old Ukrainian phenom Aonishiki is also a potential title winner. And there are many lower ranked wrestlers who could rise from obscurity and mount a surprise title challenge — just like Kotoshoho did at the Nagoya basho in July.
For a more in-depth preview, check out the following post “Five Reasons to Watch the 2025 Aki Basho”.
See below for the complete banzuke (rankings) for the top division for this tournament.
| East | Rank | West |
| Onosato 🇯🇵 | Yokozuna | Hoshoryu 🇲🇳 |
| Kotozakura🇯🇵 | Ozeki | |
| Wakatakakage 🇯🇵 | Sekiwake | Kirishima 🇲🇳 |
| Sekiwake | ||
| Takayasu 🇯🇵 | Komusubi | Aoinishiki 🇺🇦 |
| Tamawashi 🇲🇳 | M1 | Abi 🇯🇵 |
| Hakuoho 🇯🇵 | M2 | Oho 🇯🇵 |
| Atamifuji 🇯🇵 | M3 | Gonoyama 🇯🇵 |
| Hiradoumi 🇯🇵 | M4 | Wakamotoharu 🇯🇵 |
| Kotoshoho 🇯🇵 | M5 | Ichiyamamoto 🇯🇵 |
| Onokatsu 🇲🇳 | M6 | Kusano 🇯🇵 |
| Takanosho 🇯🇵 | M7 | Oshoma 🇲🇳 |
| Ura 🇯🇵 | M8 | Kinbozan 🇰🇿 |
| Midorifuji 🇯🇵 | M9 | Fujinokawa 🇯🇵 |
| Daieisho 🇯🇵 | M10 | Churanoumi 🇯🇵 |
| Shodai 🇯🇵 | M11 | Roga 🇷🇺 |
| Takerufuji 🇯🇵 | M12 | Mitakeumi 🇯🇵 |
| Meisei 🇯🇵 | M13 | Tokihayate 🇯🇵 |
| Sadanoumi 🇯🇵 | M14 | Asakoryu 🇯🇵 |
| Tobizaru 🇯🇵 | M15 | Shonannoumi 🇯🇵 |
| Tomokaze 🇯🇵 | M16 | Nishikigi 🇯🇵 |
| Ryuden 🇯🇵 | M17 | Hitoshi 🇯🇵 |
| Shishi 🇺🇦 | M18 |
Broadcast Details
Grand Sumo tournaments are all day affairs in Japan. The top division bouts happen at the end of the day, during local prime time. These matches usually start happening at around 3 a.m. ET.
Grand Sumo highlights, with English commentary, are aired on television channel NHK World (which is included in many cable TV packages), NHK’s JME.tv app, NHK’s official website and NHK’s official YouTube channel. These programs are broadcast on a 24 hour delay.
JME.tv broadcasts live coverage of the tournament, as well as two hour long programs showing all the top division bouts along with the rituals in between. JME broadcasts those programs daily at 2 p.m ET/11 a.m. PT, 5 p.m. ET/2 p.m. PT, 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT and 11 p.m. ET/8 p.m. PT.
JME also broadcasts condensed highlights, in Japanese, after the third and fourth airings of the two hour broadcasts. JME.tv costs $25 a month. JME.tv can be viewed on desktop, mobile devices, Roku, Amazon Fire TV and most other smart TV set-ups.
You can watch sumo live through the Abema TV app. Abema costs around $8 a month and is entirely in Japanese with no English translations. Abema does not offer video on demand for their sumo broadcasts.
Matches can also be viewed on the official Grand Sumo app, which has some English translations. The Grand Sumo app features unavoidable spoilers. The free version includes ads, which are often twice as long as the actual bouts.
The Japan Sumo Association’s official YouTube channel uploads the top matches from each day, almost immediately. These are presented without commentary or replays.
More Sumo Coverage on Combat Press
Combat Press will provide more coverage of the 2025 autumn tournament. We will have results at the mid-way point and end of the tournament!
For more sumo news, and a daily results/recap newsletter, subscribe to Sumo Stomp! on Substack.