New Japan Cup 2025 Full Bracket Revealed: 24 Wrestlers Competing for IWGP World

The full field for the New Japan Cup 2025 has been officially announced, with the tournament winner earning an opportunity to challenge for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship.

The tournament will feature a total of 24 competitors. Of these, 16 wrestlers will face off in first-round matchups, while the other eight have been randomly selected to receive a first-round bye. Those receiving byes are David Finlay, YOSHI-HASHI, Zack Sabre Jr., Taichi, Shota Umino, Jeff Cobb, TJP, and Shingo Takagi.

Here is the complete bracket:

Left side:

• Yota Tsuji vs. EVIL (winner faces David Finlay in the next round)
• Yuya Uemura vs. SANADA (winner faces YOSHI-HASHI in the next round)
• Ryohei Oiwa vs. Chase Owens (winner faces Zack Sabre Jr. in the next round)
• Gabe Kidd vs. Ren Narita (winner faces Taichi in the next round)

Right side:

• El Phantasmo vs. Great-O-Khan (winner faces Shota Umino in the next round)
• Tetsuya Naito vs. Callum Newman (winner faces Jeff Cobb in the next round)
• Tomohiro Ishii vs. Drilla Moloney (winner faces TJP in the next round)
• Oleg Boltin vs. Bad Luck Fale (winner faces Shingo Takagi in the next round)

The action kicks off on March 7 and runs through March 20, with the winner receiving their title shot at Sakura Genesis on April 5. Hirooki Goto, the newly crowned IWGP World Heavyweight Champion, will have one title defense before Sakura Genesis, taking on Hiroshi Tanahashi at NJPW’s 53rd Anniversary show in March.