*This content was translated by AI.
The Korea Football Association held its first board meeting in 2026 at Korea Football Park on the 27th, and deliberated and decided on major agendas such as reorganizing the platform system from K League 2 to K3 and K4 League and revising the leader education regulations.
The board of directors confirmed the number of teams participating in the K3 and K4 leagues in the 2026 season at 14 teams and 13 teams, respectively. In addition, the overall promotion regulations linking the K League 2–K3–K4 leagues were reorganized with the aim of strengthening the stability and competitiveness of the K3 League, which is directly connected to the professional league.
The promotion between the K League 2 and K3 League, which will be applied from the results of this season, will be determined through the promotion match between the K3 League winner and the lowest K League 2 team. The promotion match will be held in a single match and will be held at the home stadium of the lowest team in K League 2. However, only if the winning team of the K3 League acquires the K League 2 license within a set period, the promotion decision will be held.
The K League 2 license application for the K3 League team will be held until February 28, and the final screening of the license will be completed by June 30. Separately, if a civic team with a population of 500,000 or more or a corporate team of Korea's top 200 companies is established, the "fast track" system, which allows them to join K League 2 immediately, will be maintained according to the existing policy. However, a grace system for some provisions of K-League licenses will also be operated to ease realistic restrictions on clubs promoted to the platform system and settle the platform system.
The promotion system between the K3 and K4 leagues will also be reorganized. Until now, when a K4 league team is promoted to the K3 league, some teams have been passive in the second half of the league to avoid promotion due to environmental changes such as increased operating costs and restrictions on the use of social service players. In order to solve these problems and clarify the step-by-step structure and role of each league, the association decided to introduce a new promotion structure centered on teams wishing to be promoted.
As a result, the existing automatic promotion of the K4 League winners and the automatic relegation system of the lowest K3 League teams will be abolished. Among the K4 league teams in the future, teams wishing to be promoted must express their intention to be promoted by June 30 of the season, and will be automatically promoted if the team that has expressed its intention to be promoted wins the K4 league. If the team ranks second, it will play a match against the lowest team in the K3 League. In addition, automatic relegation will not be implemented until the K3 League settles down to a 16-team system.
At the same time, the board of directors revised the regulations for approval and operation of international competitions. As international friendly matches have become more frequent recently, the association has made it mandatory for non-member organizations to co-host tournaments with sponsors of medium-sized companies or more when holding competitions of a certain size or larger to protect soccer fans and workers in the soccer industry. The standard for mid-sized companies is companies that can issue certificates of mid-sized companies in the mid-sized company information field.
Meanwhile, the association received a report on the 2026 business plan and budget decided through the board of directors at the end of last year through a general meeting of delegates held on the afternoon of the same day, and confirmed various national competitions and league schedules.
The general budget for 2026 of the Korea Football Association, which was decided through the board of directors last year, is 104.8 billion (excluding the Korea Football Park budget), of which a total of 32 billion (about 30% of the total general budget) is spent on the men's and women's senior teams and national teams by age.
In addition, the first round of the Hana Bank Korea Cup will begin in July from this year, and the final will be held in June next year. The W Korea Cup, in which women's university departments and WK League clubs participate, will also be launched for the first time this year.
Siheung Citizens' Soccer Team, Pocheon Citizens' Soccer Team, Daejeon Korail, Gyeongju KHNP, Busan Transportation Corporation, Changwon FC, Yangpyeong FC, FC Gangneung, Chuncheon Citizens' Soccer Team, Ulsan Citizens' Soccer Team, Jeonbuk Hyundai N Team, FC Mokpo, Dangjin Citizens' Soccer Team (Advancement)
Namyangju Citizens Football Team, Pyeongchang United, Gijang-gun Citizens Football Team, Geoje Citizens Football Team, Jinju Citizens Football Team, Pyeongtaek Citizen, Sejong SA, Jungnang Football Team
New teams: Jecheon Citizens' Soccer Team, Jincheon HRFC, Geumsan Ginseng FC, Seosan FC, Haman County Citizens' Soccer Team
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*This content was translated by AI.
