For K League clubs, complex result calculus will determine ACLE ...

Published: 26 Nov. 2024, 17:25 Updated: 26 Nov. 2024, 17:34

PAIK JI-HWAN [email protected]

  The 2024 K League 1 regular season wrapped up on Sunday, but Korean club participation in the 2025-26 AFC Champions League Elite (ACLE) has yet to be fixed due to yet-to-be-determined outcomes for the Korea Cup and ongoing 2024-25 AFC competitions.  

K League 1 champions Ulsan HD will play in the ACLE next season regardless of other results, but complicated scenarios await FC Seoul, who finished the league in fourth, while AFC Champions League Two (ACL Two) or even ACLE hopes remain for No. 6 Pohang Steelers.   Here is a breakdown of which K League teams can qualify for the ACLE and ACL Two next year after the two tournaments and the Korea Cup wrap up this season.     Ulsan, Gangwon FC and FC Seoul to the ACLE   Under the current rules, a maximum of three K League 1 teams can qualify for the ACLE. No matter what happens in the ongoing ACLE or ACL Two, no more teams can enter the top competition next season.   The K League 1 champions and runners-up as well as Korea Cup winners who finished the K League 1 in fourth or above book tickets to the ACLE. K League 1 runners-up first head to the playoffs, while the other two directly reach the tournament.  

  Ulsan will compete in the ACLE as they directly qualified by winning the K League 1, but if they also win the Korea Cup final against the Steelers on Saturday, No. 4 FC Seoul will qualify for the tournament alongside runners-up Gangwon.   In such a scenario that sees the league champions claim the cup as well, they are joined by the runners-up and the third-placed team, but because third place went to Gimcheon Sangmu — ineligible for AFC competitions due to the club's status as a military team — No. 4 FC Seoul would book a berth instead.   Should this happen, No. 5 Suwon FC will enter the ACL Two, where one K League 1 team can qualify. However, if No. 6 Steelers win the Korea Cup, they will claim the ACL Two ticket instead. Gangwon to the playoffs, if the Steelers or Gwangju FC lift the ACLE trophy   Gangwon could lose their direct ticket to the ACLE, but instead reach the tournament's playoffs, if either the Steelers or Gwangju win the ongoing 2024-25 ACLE.   If either club wins the title, they will reach the ACLE alongside Ulsan, while Gangwon will head to the playoffs.   To make the odds more complicated for Gangwon, the club could also end up in the ACL Two if Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors win the second-tier tournament this season. ACL Two winners automatically reach the ACLE playoffs the next season.  

  This is the worst-case scenario for FC Seoul, as the capital side will not qualify for either tournament under such a circumstances. Ongoing AFC competitions   The 2024-25 AFC competitions last through next May, with the league stage wrapping up in February next year.   As things stand, Gwangju sit in second place on the 12-team table, while the Steelers are in seventh and Ulsan are at the bottom as of press time Tuesday. The top eight teams from East Asia advance to the knockout stage.   Over in the ACL Two, Jeonbuk sit at the top of Group H, with the knockout stage starting next February.   With AFC competition tickets on the line, the K League clubs can focus more in the ongoing Champions League now that the domestic league is over.   Ulsan were due to play their next ACLE match against Shanghai Port at home on Tuesday evening as of press time. Gwangju will play fellow Shanghai team Shanghai Shenhua at home on Wednesday, the same time the Steelers face Yokohama F. Marinos in Japan.

BY PAIK JI-HWAN [[email protected]]