Both staying and promotion of the "2026 K-League's Perceptual Change" will become easier. "An all-time opportunity has been opened." [K League's great revolution①]

*This content was translated by AI.

The 2026 professional soccer K-League will kick off on the 28th. It is a season in which three teams (Yongin, Paju, and Gimhae) join the K League 2 and 29 teams (12 K-League teams and 17 K-League teams) participate, the most ever. As much as the number of participating teams has increased, the K-League is expected to be more exciting this season as changes in various systems have been predicted. Star News introduces the prospects and effects of this year's different K-League systems, including the reform of the platform system, foreign player system, and the abolition of the under-22 (U-22) system, in a series to mark the Lunar New Year. /Editor's note

This year, the K-League faces a big change. This is because the Korea Professional Football Federation will introduce a major regulatory reform plan this season, which was announced after the end of last season. The key is 'expanding opportunities'. In particular, changes in the platform and split system are considered factors that will shake the game itself.

The most noticeable change is the lifting method. In conclusion, it has become easier to remain in the K League 1, and the door to promotion from K League 2 to the first division has widened.

As the federation approved the membership of three new teams, Gimhae FC 2008, Yongin FC, and Paju Frontier, the K-League has grown in size this season. The composition of 12 teams in K League 1 and 17 teams in K League 2 was completed.

With the need to change the composition of the first and second divisions steadily raised due to the increase in the total number of teams, the federation decided to switch K League 1 from 12 to 14 teams from the 2027 season last December.

On top of that, as Gimcheon Sangmu's related agreement expired at the end of the 2026 season, it became possible to promote up to four teams in the K League 2 this year. If Gimcheon Sangmu ranks at the bottom of the K League 1, only Gimcheon Sangmu will be demoted, and the first and second-place teams in the K League will be automatically promoted. The third- to sixth-ranked teams will then go through the playoffs to determine additional promoted teams. If Gimcheon Sangmu is not the lowest, the lowest team in K League 1 will participate in the promotion playoff.

This is expected to be a strong motivation for K League 2 clubs. An official from the K League 2 club said, "In the past, there have been cases where investment has been hesitant because it is difficult to guarantee promotion unless it has an overwhelming history. However, this year, clubs who aggressively recruited for direct promotion stand out," he said.

On the other hand, there is also an opinion that competition is still fierce even though the promotion gate has grown. K League 2 club official B predicted, "As all clubs want to be promoted directly, the K League 2's ranking fight for the top spot from the beginning of the season will be fiercer than ever."

Suwon Samsung, which recruited master Lee Jung-hyo, has reorganized its power and is considered the 0th favorite. Seoul E-Land and Seongnam FC, which unfortunately suffered at the threshold of promotion last season, are also aiming for direct promotion with solid power. On top of that, the promotion war is expected to develop into a mixed battle with unknown prospects from Yongin FC, which has emerged as a dark horse since its first year by recruiting a large number of veteran players such as Shin Jin-ho and Seok Hyun-jun.

Another club official also expected a unique performance as the lower-ranked teams in the K League 1 are less likely to be relegated. Official C expected, "Unlike the passive game focused on defense due to the relegation, there may be teams trying to change their offensive tactics."

The split system, introduced in 2012, started with 16 teams (8/8) and has settled into 12 teams (6/6) since 2014, maintaining a 38-game system, including 33 regular and 5 split games. Until now, Final A has competed for the league title and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) tournament, while Final B has competed for the remaining position. In particular, in the "1+2 relegation system," there was a fierce competition in which half of the six Final B teams were on the verge of relegation.

In this way, the split system (final round), which was the highlight of the second half of the league, will also change clothes. The federation announced that it will abolish the split system and operate K League 1 as a three-round robin method (39 rounds in total) with a 14-team system starting in the 2027 season.

Meanwhile, the K-League opener will kick off at 2 p.m. on the 28th. In the K League 1, the "advanced team" Incheon United and FC Seoul's "Gyeongin Derby" will be held at the Incheon Football Stadium. At the same time, the newly joined Gimhae FC 2008 will face the Ansan Greeners at Gimhae Stadium.

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*This content was translated by AI.