The 'Yoon Jung-hwan Magic' Is Not Over: Incheon Eyes the 'Asian Stage' in Its First Season After Promotion [On Location in Incheon]

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

It is truly the 'Yoon Jung-hwan Magic.'

Incheon United of the professional K League 1 has caught the last train to Final Group A (the upper split). Just two years ago, the club was languishing at the bottom of K League 1 and suffered its first-ever relegation to K League 2 in its history. However, since Manager Yoon Jung-hwan took charge, Incheon rose to the top of K League 2 and earned immediate re-promotion, only to reach the Final A stage in their very first season back. This marks the ninth time in history that a promoted team has advanced to Final A in its first season after promotion.

On the 24th, Incheon thoroughly defeated Jeju SK 3-1 in the final match of the regular season, Round 33 of the Hana Bank K League 1 2026, held at the Incheon Football Stadium. With this victory, Incheon accumulated 46 points (12 wins, 10 draws, 11 losses), tying Jeju on points. However, Incheon dramatically climbed to sixth place by outscoring Jeju (39 goals) with 43 goals, securing a spot in Final A. Incheon was in a must-win situation, while Jeju could have advanced to Final A even with a draw. The result was a valuable achievement earned by overcoming this disadvantageous scenario.

The significance was all the greater given that they reached Final A in their first season after promotion. Generally, the primary goal for a promoted team in its first season is survival, which is itself no easy feat. In light of this, Incheon's advancement to Final A in their promotion season is an even more dazzling achievement. Incheon fans, who shed tears when their club's first-ever relegation was confirmed two years ago, once again shed tears of emotion this year after the K League 2 title and re-promotion a year later, followed by this dramatic push into Final A.

Of course, it was not easy. The team struggled early in the season, managing only one draw and three losses in their first four matches, and at one point even fell to the bottom of the standings. Manager Yoon Jung-hwan noted, "There were difficulties when we first started," adding, "We would turn leads into draws, or fail to win matches that we absolutely had to take." Nevertheless, rather than making drastic changes, Manager Yoon gradually adjusted the preparations he had made for this season to find areas for improvement. Thanks to this approach, Incheon capitalized on Jeju's losing streak near the end of the regular season to close the gap, ultimately pulling off a dramatic upset in their head-to-head final match to secure Final A.

However, it is not yet over. Incheon's season does not end with just advancing to Final A. Their gaze is now directed toward even higher goals: competing for a spot in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League (ACL) for the 2027-2028 season. Immediately after the victory, a banner reading 'Back to ASIA' was hung in the Incheon supporters' section. This cheering banner carries the aspiration not only to reach Final A for the first time in three years but also to qualify for the ACL for the first time in four seasons. Incheon previously finished fourth in K League 1 during the 2022 season, earning its first-ever ACL berth the following year.

Although Incheon caught the last train to Final A as the sixth-place cutoff, there is still ample room for competition. The gap between Incheon and second-place Ulsan HD (51 points) is five points, while the difference from third-place Daejeon Hana Citizen (49 points) down to fourth-place Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors and fifth-place Gangwon FC (both with 48 points) is only two to three points. Combined with a recent unbeaten run of five matches (two wins, three draws) and the momentum from their dramatic Final A qualification, the team has every reason to be confident.

Manager Yoon Jung-hwan directly declared his intention to challenge for ACL qualification. Manager Yoon stated, "Judging by the current atmosphere, it seems the players are hungry for more. It appears they have developed a belief that they can do it." He continued, "If we prepare well with that belief, I think it is worth attempting and competing for. Rather than being satisfied here, we will adjust our goals to aim higher and prepare diligently."

Within the squad as well, the will to aim even higher has already begun to take root. Captain Lee Myung-ju said, "We have advanced to the upper split (Final A), which was our primary goal. Now that there is an opportunity for the ACL, we want to prepare hard for the remaining matches and finish strong in pursuit of ACL qualification." He added, "I told the players that since we have reached the upper split we had targeted, let's run hard for the team in the remaining five matches and prepare well."

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original