K League 1 standings: 8 teams within 9 points...Final A competition with 3 regular matches remaining
3 regular matches remain in K League 1. 8 teams from 2nd-place Ulsan to 9th-place Anyang are clustered within 9 points, and there is only a 2-point difference between 6th place, the last line for Final A, and 9th place.
Translated from Korean with AI assistance. Read the original. Sources and original publication dates are retained.
Three-line summary
- As of the end of Round 30, 8 teams from 2nd-place Ulsan (47 points) to 9th-place Anyang (38 points) are clustered within 9 points.
- The difference between 6th-place Daejeon (40 points) and 9th-place Anyang is 2 points, and 2 head-to-head matches will be held in Round 31 on October 9.
- The leader FC Seoul (62 points) will clinch the championship prize of 500 million won and first place for the first time in 10 years if they add 10 points from their remaining 8 matches.
2 points. This is the distance between 6th-place Daejeon Hana Citizen (40 points), the last spot for Final A, and 9th-place FC Anyang (38 points). Pohang Steelers (40) and Incheon United (39) are wedged in between. This is a gap where four teams can switch positions with a single match result. The regular round now has only Rounds 31-33, just 3 matches remaining (as of October 8, 2026, at the end of Round 30).
If you expand the scope, it's even more crowded.Sports KyunghyangLooking at the standings organized from 2nd-place Ulsan HD (47) to 9th-place Anyang, 8 teamswithin 9 points are clustered. The league leader FC Seoul is 15 points ahead of 2nd place with 62 points. Seoul is counting down the magic number, while the remaining 8 teams are counting each other's points this season.
K League 1 standings: the difference between 6th and 9th place is 2 points
| Rank | Team | Points | Points difference with 6th | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | FC Seoul | 62 | +22 | 19 wins, 5 draws, 6 losses, fewest goals allowed 25 |
| 2 | Ulsan HD | 47 | +7 | 15 points behind leader |
| 3 | Jeju SK | 46 | +6 | 5 matches unbeaten recently (3 wins, 2 draws) |
| 4 | Jeonbuk Hyundai | 44 | +4 | |
| 5 | Gangwon FC | 43 | +3 | |
| 6 | Daejeon Hana Citizen | 40 | 0 | 4 matches unbeaten |
| 7 | Pohang Steelers | 40 | 0 | tied, lower in ranking criteria |
| 8 | Incheon United | 39 | -1 | |
| 9 | FC Anyang | 38 | -2 | 9 wins, 11 draws, 10 losses |
The fourth column of the table is the points difference with 6th-place Daejeon that we calculated. 5th-place Gangwon FC (43) is only 3 points ahead of Daejeon. If Gangwon loses once and Daejeon wins once, they immediately become tied.
Arithmetically, it's even more dramatic. If 9th-place Anyang wins all 3 remaining matches, 38 plus 9 equals 47 points, which equals 2nd-place Ulsan's current points.
Round 31 Daejeon-Jeonbuk, Incheon-Pohang head-to-head 8 matches schedule
| Round | Head-to-head |
|---|---|
| 31R | Daejeon-Jeonbuk, Incheon-Pohang |
| 32R | Jeonbuk-Jeju, Gangwon-Incheon, Pohang-Anyang |
| 33R | Ulsan-Pohang, Incheon-Jeju, Anyang-Jeonbuk |
Round 31 opens with matches worth 6 points from the start.Best ElevenAccording to this source, on October 9 (Friday) at 2 p.m. at Daejeon World Cup Stadium, the Daejeon-Jeonbuk match, and at 4:30 p.m. at Incheon Football Stadium, the Incheon-Pohang match will be held. 6th place faces 4th place, and 8th place faces 7th place. On the 10th, the Seoul-Jeju match continues at Seoul World Cup Stadium.
Sports Kyunghyang counted all head-to-head matches between teams ranked 2-9 as 8 matches, but cross-verification has not been done since it is a single media count. Ilgan Sports recorded head-to-head matches between competing teams in Round 31 as 3 matches. It appears to be a difference in whether the Seoul-Jeju match was included.
Final A cut-off score of 40, if tied, goals scored comes first
When Round 33 ends, the league splits in two. Teams ranked 1-6 go to Final A, and teams ranked 7-12 go to Final B and play 5 more matches in each group. It's 38 matches per team. For Daejeon and Pohang, who are tied with 40 points, the rest of the season changes completely depending on which group they go to.
If points are the same, who goes up?Korean Professional Football League competition rulesdetermine rankings in the order of: points, goals scored, goal difference, head-to-head wins, head-to-head goal difference, disciplinary points, and drawing. Goals scored comes beforegoals scoredis key. Pohang is tied with Daejeon in points but ranked lower in ranking criteria and reported as 7th place. We could not verify the goals scored for both teams.
K League 1 championship prize 500 million won, FC Seoul magic number 10
Calculations for the leader are simple.TopStar NewsAccording to this source, FC Seoul, from their remaining 8 matches consisting of 3 regular round matches and 5 final round matches,10 pointswill guarantee an independent championship. Even if Ulsan wins all 8 matches, the maximum is 47 plus 24 equals 71 points. When Seoul reaches 72 points, it's over. It's the top spot for the first time in 10 years since 2016.
According to the league competition rules, K League 1 championship prize is500 million won, runner-up is 200 million won, and the Fair Play Award is 10 million won. Seoul, with the fewest goals allowed (25) and Klimala jointly leading in scoring with 13 goals, meets Jeju on the 10th. The focus is on how much Seoul will reduce the magic number in this match.
Ilgan Sports predicted that player condition after Asian Games and A-match call-ups will greatly influence results through Round 33 ending on October 24. Sports Kyunghyang reporter Yoon Eun-yong pointed out the current situation like this: "The boundary between Final A and Final B can be reversed with just one match result."
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. How much is the K League 1 championship prize?
According to the Korean Professional Football League competition rules, the championship prize is 500 million won, and the runner-up prize is 200 million won. The Korea Cup championship prize is set separately.
Q. How is K League 1 Final A determined?
When Round 33 ends, teams ranked 1-6 enter Final A and play 5 more matches. If points are the same, rankings are determined in order of goals scored, goal difference, head-to-head wins, head-to-head goal difference, disciplinary points, and drawing.
Q. What are the conditions for FC Seoul to clinch the championship?
As of the end of Round 30, if 10 points are added from the remaining 8 matches, the championship is clinched regardless of 2nd-place Ulsan's results. It is the championship for the first time in 10 years since 2016.
Related Official Sites
- K League Official Homepage - Competition Rules (Korean Professional Football League) — Original text of ranking determination criteria and prize regulations
- K League Official Homepage — Real-time standings and match schedule by round
Featured image · archival photo · not a field photo of the current match in the article · photo composite · photo=Wikimedia Commons(Exj), CC BY-SA 3.0 · photo=Wikimedia Commons(Exj), CC BY-SA 4.0 · photo=Wikimedia Commons(Explicit), CC BY-SA 4.0
Related Resources
·Spanish striker who competed with Messi and Ronaldo joins K League 2 Paju..."Scored 18 goals"
Wessaccer editor · View profile · See more articles