Sumo’s November Tournament Begins
Sumo returns for the final grand tournament of 2025. The Kyushu basho (tournament) starts on Sunday, November 9 and runs until Sunday, November 23. The 15 day tournament will crown the newest makuuchi (top division) champion and have implications for the rankings of most of the 600 or so wrestlers in the Grand Sumo system.
This tournament will be taking place at the Fukuoka Convention Center in Hakata-ku, Fukuoka, 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 Kyushu basho comes after the September tournament saw both yokozuna, Onosato and Hoshoryu, on top of their games. In that tournament it came down to the final day, and a play-off, between the two highest ranked men in the sport. Onosato just won, securing his fifth Emperor’s Cup. The tournament was the first time fans were able to see both yokozuna firing on all cylinders and it was thrilling to watch them maintain a collision course and then fight, twice, on the final day with the cup on the line.
It had been years since sumo fans had seen two yokozuna fight. Many of us are now hoping to see a repeat, with the yokozuna dominating and then fighting each other to determine the champion. And it seems like that could happen again. Both Onosato and Hoshoryu appear to have clean bills of health and both seem to have shaken off the jitters that come with becoming the most important men in the sport (and Japanese sporting culture).
There are other great stories playing out in Kyushu, though.
Aonishiki, the 21 year-old Ukrainian, has been promoted to sekiwake for the tournament. He has a shot at becoming an ozeki if he wins this. And, after what we’ve seen from him so far in his career, it’s hard to count him out of anything.
Kotozakura, a potential thorn in the side of both yokozuna, appears the healthiest he’s been all year. He’s a dark horse candidate to win if his knees hold up.
For a more in-depth preview of the tournament and this month’s Combat Press sumo power rankings, head here.
See below for the complete banzuke (rankings) for the top division for this tournament.
| East | Rank | West |
| Onosato 🇯🇵 | Yokozuna | Hoshoryu 🇲🇳 |
| Kotozakura🇯🇵 | Ozeki | |
| Aoinishiki 🇺🇦 | Sekiwake | Oho 🇯🇵 |
| Takanosho 🇯🇵 | Komusubi | Takayasu 🇯🇵 |
| Hakuoho 🇯🇵 | M1 | Wakatakakage 🇯🇵 |
| Kirishima 🇲🇳 | M2 | Wakamotoharu 🇯🇵 |
| Hiradoumi 🇯🇵 | M3 | Ura 🇯🇵 |
| Tamawashi 🇲🇳 | M4 | Oshoma 🇲🇳 |
| Yoshinofuji 🇯🇵 | M5 | Shodai 🇯🇵 |
| Atamifuji 🇯🇵 | M6 | Onokatsu 🇲🇳 |
| Churanoumi 🇯🇵 | M7 | Abi 🇯🇵 |
| Ichiyamamoto 🇯🇵 | M8 | Kinbozan 🇰🇿 |
| Midorifuji 🇯🇵 | M9 | Tobizaru 🇯🇵 |
| Daieisho 🇯🇵 | M10 | Kotoshoho 🇯🇵 |
| Shishi 🇺🇦 | M11 | Roga 🇷🇺 |
| Fujinokawa 🇯🇵 | M12 | Tomokaze 🇯🇵 |
| Gonoyama 🇯🇵 | M13 | Mitakeumi 🇯🇵 |
| Ryuden 🇯🇵 | M14 | Tokihayate 🇯🇵 |
| Nishikifuji 🇯🇵 | M15 | Shonannoumi 🇯🇵 |
| Oshoumi 🇯🇵 | M16 | Sadanoumi 🇯🇵 |
| Chiyoshoma 🇲🇳 | M17 | Asakoryu 🇯🇵 |
| Meisei 🇯🇵 | 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 Kyushu 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 (with lots of full bout videos) , subscribe to Sumo Stomp! on Substack.