By Yoo Jee-ho
SEOUL, Oct. 22 (Yonhap) -- Both the champion and the last-place club could be determined this weekend in South Korean football, with the top league's dozen clubs about to be split into two groups for the final stretch of the season.
The teams in the K League 1 will play their 33rd matches of the season on Saturday, with all six matches scheduled to kick off at 2 p.m.
After the weekend, the top six teams will be paired into Final A, and the bottom six will drop into Final B. The teams will then play five matches within their own group to finish out the 2026 season.
FC Seoul can clinch their first championship in 10 years Saturday, when they host Gangwon FC at Seoul World Cup Stadium.
Patryk Klimala of FC Seoul celebrates after scoring against Gimcheon Sangmu FC during the clubs' K League 1 match at Seoul World Cup Stadium in Seoul on Oct. 18, 2026, in this photo provided by the Korea Professional Football League. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
FC Seoul have 66 points, 16 ahead of Ulsan HD FC with six matches remaining. FC Seoul will secure the title with a win over Gangwon FC, regardless of Ulsan's outcome against Pohang Steelers.
If FC Seoul and Ulsan both lose or both have a draw Saturday, then FC Seoul will also lock down their championship.
Ulsan can only delay FC Seoul's championship celebration if they beat Pohang and FC Seoul lose to or end with a draw against Gangwon.
Also on Saturday, bottom-dwelling Gwangju FC will be assured of last place if they lose to Bucheon FC.
Gwangju FC are stuck at 18 points, 14 behind Bucheon. A Gwangju loss on Saturday will increase that gap to 17 points, insurmountable with five matches to go after this weekend.
The best Gwangju FC can hope for at this point is to finish in 11th place, since 10th-ranked Gimcheon Sangmu FC are already out of their reach at 34 points.
Typically, the last-place team in the K League 1 each year gets automatically relegated to the second-tier K League 2 for the following season. However, Gwangju FC will get a reprieve this year.
Gimcheon Sangmu, made up of conscripted players fulfilling their mandatory military duty, will relocate next season and begin the 2027 season in the K League 2 regardless of where they finish this year.
Gwangju FC supporters cheer on their K League 1 club in action against Ulsan HD FC at Gwangju World Cup Stadium in the southwestern city of Gwangju on Oct. 11, 2026, in this file photo provided by the Korea Professional Football League. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
In this case, the last-place team will play in a promotion-relegation playoff against a K League 2 opponent.
Gwangju FC have managed just two wins in 32 matches this season, along with 12 draws and 18 losses. They recently endured a 28-match winless skid, the longest in K League history.
The top-four clubs, FC Seoul, Ulsan, Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors and Gangwon, have already locked down their seats in Final A. Daejeon Hana Citizen FC are in fifth place with 46 points, tied with Jeju SK FC in points but ahead of them in the goals scored tiebreaker, 51-38. Incheon United are in seventh with 43 points, having netted 40 goals.
Given the large gap in the goals scored department, Incheon United are unlikely to overtake Daejeon for fifth place even if they end up tied in points. However, Incheon United can still get past Jeju for the last remaining spot in Final A, and these two clubs will face each other Saturday at Incheon Football Stadium in Incheon, just west of Seoul.
Jeju can hang on to sixth spot with a draw but a Jeju loss will see Incheon finish sixth instead.
Jeju will have to contain Incheon forward Stefan Mugosa, currently in third place in the league with 14 goals. Mugosa has scored in each of his past two matches.
jeeho@yna.co.kr
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