Foreign player restrictions and unfavorable schedules lead K League coaches and players to have low expectations for the AFC Champions League.

Written by Han Bing. On September 4th, the Korea Professional Football League hosted a media day for the four teams participating in the 2025/26 AFC Champions League two-tier competition. The Elite League participants—Ulsan Hyundai, FC Seoul, and Gangwon FC—and Pohang Steelers from the second-tier league were represented by their coaches and captains. The K League clubs will start their AFC Champions League journey on September 16th, with Gangwon FC playing Shanghai Shenhua and FC Seoul facing Machida Zelvia.

Although this media day was supposed to be a rallying event, the coaches of the three Elite League teams did not proclaim championship ambitions, instead modestly stating they aim to "perform at league level." Currently, these three teams face tough situations in the K1 League; Jeonbuk Hyundai leads by a large margin, making the title out of reach, while Pohang Steelers (4th) and FC Seoul (5th) focus on securing AFC Champions League Elite League qualification. Gangwon FC (7th) and Ulsan Hyundai (8th) are even aiming just to avoid relegation playoffs. Gangwon FC head coach Jung Kyung-ho expressed helplessness: “The last five matches of the K1 regular season are crucial; we must prioritize the K League over the AFC Champions League.”

Ulsan Hyundai’s new coach Shin Tae-yong voiced the shared sentiment of coaches: “If K1 League teams want to compete for the title, they must have an environment that allows them to challenge the top 8.” Shin pointed out that clubs like Malaysia’s Johor Darul Ta'zim register as many as 11 foreign players, and Saudi clubs even more, enabling foreign players to be registered separately for league and AFC competitions. Currently, K1 League teams can register six foreign players and field four, but Shin believes the league should align with the AFC's foreign player policy: “K League must completely remove foreign player limits to compete with opponents who often start with seven or even nine foreign players.”

Korean media mentioned Gwangju FC, who reached the AFC Champions League Elite League quarterfinals last season, suffered a crushing 7-0 defeat against Al Hilal in their Saudi debut. The Saudi giants started with nine foreign players, including Moroccan goalkeeper Bounou, Serbian internationals Milinković and Mitrović, Portuguese international right-back Cancelo, right winger Neves, and Brazilian players Malcolm, Leonardo, and Lodi. Gwangju FC only had three foreign starters, and the 0-7 loss shocked the entire Korean football community.

Besides foreign player restrictions, the schedule also disadvantages Korean teams’ performance in the AFC Champions League. September and October mark the final sprint of the K League regular season, deciding whether teams enter championship or relegation playoffs. Similar to the Chinese Super League, the domestic league’s sprint affects rankings, naturally lowering teams’ focus on the AFC competition. However, Ulsan Hyundai captain Kim Young-gwon stated that this does not mean Korean teams will give up on the AFC Champions League: “We fully understand the importance of the AFC Champions League; it is an honor for players.”

Gangwon FC captain Lee Yu-hyeon emphasized the pride of the team’s first participation: “Gangwon FC needs to achieve good results in the AFC Champions League while also developing players and giving them valuable experience.”

FC Seoul returns to the AFC Champions League after five years. Head coach Kim Ki-dong admitted that while they aim for good results, the team can only rotate players to a certain extent to cope with competing on two fronts.

Last season, only Gwangju FC among the three Korean teams reached the Round of 16, a situation last seen in 2017 when Jeju United advanced. In the 2023/24 AFC Champions League, all three Korean teams made it to the Round of 16, with Ulsan Hyundai and Jeonbuk Hyundai reaching the quarterfinals. Ulsan Hyundai narrowly lost in a penalty shootout to Yokohama F. Marinos in the semifinals, missing the final. Shin Tae-yong expressed his concerns: “K League teams’ poor AFC Champions League results are disappointing. But we must focus on performing well in this year’s league first and set new goals for next year.”

Starting summer 2026, the J League will switch to a cross-year schedule, aligning with the two AFC Champions League tiers and European leagues. Korean football previously discussed changing to a cross-year schedule but it never materialized. The J League removed foreign player limits as early as 2019 and has recently achieved much better AFC Champions League results than the K League.