Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors players and coaches celebrate their win over Daejeon Hana Citizen FC for the K League Super Cup title at Jeonju World Cup Stadium in Jeonju, North Jeolla Province, Saturday. Yonhap
The new season in Korean football will kick off this weekend, as defending champions Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors seek their second straight title in the top flight.
The K League 1 season will begin with three matches Saturday, followed by two more on Sunday and one on Monday.
The first day will feature Incheon United, promoted back from the K League 2 after one season in the second division, against FC Seoul at 2 p.m. Incheon Football Stadium is in Incheon, just west of the capital city.
Jeonbuk will begin their title defense at 2 p.m. Sunday against newly promoted Bucheon FC 1995 at Jeonju World Cup Stadium in the southwestern city of Jeonju.
The 12 teams in the K League 1 will each play 33 matches and then will be split into Final A for the top six clubs and Final B for the bottom six teams. They will then play five more matches within their groups.
The league will go on a World Cup break from the end of May to early July.
Jeonbuk, now under new head coach Chung Jung-yong, are widely considered the favorites. Although they have parted ways with several veterans from their 2025 championship squad, they have filled those holes with other stars, including former K League 2 scoring champion Bruno Mota, national team defender Park JI-soo and former Pohang Steelers midfielder Oberdan.
Daejeon Hana Citizen FC, runners-up in 2025, will try to dethrone Jeonbuk and win their first title.
Their key offseason signings include two former Ulsan HD FC players that won a title together in 2024 — wingers Um Won-sang and Gustav Ludwigson.
Source: Korea Times News
