Excluding Ulsan, Pohang holds the key to ‘ACL ticket availability’ (SS Focus)

(Sports Seoul | Reporter Jeong Da-wo) Who will be the K-League team that will participate in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League in the 2025-2026 season?

A total of 4 ACL tickets are granted by AFC to the K-League. Give 2+1 to Elite and 1 to ACL2. According to the rules, the winning team of K League 1 and Korea Cup goes directly to the elite, and the runner-up team goes to the elite playoffs. K League 1 3rd place heads to ACL 2.

Ulsan HD, this season’s K League 1 champion, will also participate in the elite in the 2025-2026 season. This is the only confirmed team. After that, things get complicated.

It’s because of the Pohang Steelers. Pohang has advanced to the Korea Cup finals. If you win, you can aim for a ticket to the elite. The variable is K League 1 performance. The Korea Professional Football League and the Korea Football Association agreed to grant the right to advance to elite competitions, a high-level competition, to teams that have consistently performed well. Even if the team wins the Korea Cup, it has been decided that they will be given a ticket to the elite only if they finish in the top 4 in K-League 1. If they are pushed out of 4th place, they will go to ACL 2, not elite level, even if they win the Korea Cup. Pohang is currently ranked 5th in K League 1. If you do not advance in ranking through the final match, you will not be able to advance to the elite.

The team most interested in Pohang’s performance is Gangwon FC. Gangwon confirmed its place in the top 3 of K League 1. Gimcheon Sangmu, currently ranked 2nd, is not eligible to participate in club competitions. If Pohang does not win the Korea Cup, it will be the team that will benefit the most.

However, we must also look at the performance of teams currently participating in the Champions League. Gwangju FC, Ulsan, and Pohang are competing in the elite. Jeonbuk Hyundai is competing in ACL2. AFC grants elite and ACL2 winning teams the right to participate in next season’s elite playoffs.

Pohang is caught in a number of situations. Even if you don’t win the Korea Cup, if you make it to the top of the elite, you will play on the elite stage next season as well.

If Pohang wins the Korea Cup while ranked in the top 4 in K-League 1, and Gwangju is in the elite and Jeonbuk is at the top of ACL 2, Gangwon will not be able to participate in the Champions League. However, even if Pohang becomes the Korea Cup champion, if the K League 1 ranking is outside the top 4, Gangwon will qualify for ACL2.

Tickets for next season are expected to be decided based on the final performance of teams participating in the Champions League, including Pohang. weo@sportsseoul.com