The 2008 edition of the J. League Cup, officially the 2008 J.League Yamazaki Nabisco Cup, sponsored by Nabisco began on March 20. The top team in each of the four qualifying group automatically qualified for the quarter-finals along with the best two remaining runners-up. Both Gamba Osaka and Kashima Antlers received a bye to the quarter-final stage due to their participation in the group stage of the Asian Champions League.

The J.League Cup is a Japanese football (soccer) competition organised by J.League, the men's association football league in Japan. It has been sponsored by Yamazaki Biscuits (YBC) of Yamazaki Baking since its inception in 1992. It is a.k.a. J.League YBC Levain Cup or YBC Levain Cup . It was a.k.a. J.League Yamazaki Nabisco Cup or Nabisco Cup until August 2016.