FC Seoul Confirm K League 1 Title for First Time in 10 Years…Final Round Schedule Begins October 31

FC Seoul confirmed their first K League 1 title in 10 years after drawing 1-1 with Gangwon on the 24th, while Ulsan also drew with Pohang. The battle for second place remains for the Final Round, which starts on the 31st.

Translated from Korean with AI assistance. Read the original. Sources and original publication dates are retained.

"Heartfelt congratulations to Coach Kim Ki-dong." Newsis reported this phrase through remarks by Gangwon FC head coach Jung Kyung-ho regarding the match on the 24th. The draw that day confirmed FC Seoul's 2026 Hana Bank K League 1 title. It is the first since 2016, in 10 years, and the club's seventh championship overall.

The match came alive in the second half. Moon Seon-min (34) scored the opener in the 13th minute of the second half; it was his 5th goal of the season. Six minutes later, in the 19th minute of the second half, Gangwon's left-side defender Kang Jun-hyuk received a pass from Kim Dae-won and scored the equalizer. At the same time, second-place Ulsan HD also drew 2-2 with Pohang. With both matches ending in draws, the title was decided regardless of the remaining five matches. According to Edaily's count, attendance that day was 30,022.

FC Seoul Confirmed as Champions with 67 Points and 61 Goals, Reaching the Summit for the First Time in 10 Years

Seoul went 20 wins, 7 draws, and 6 losses in 33 regular-round matches, accumulating 67 points. The gap with second-place Ulsan (51 points) is 16 points (as of the end of the regular round, 2026.10.24). Even if Ulsan wins all five of its remaining matches and adds 15 points, it cannot catch up. According to Sports Kyunghyang, goals scored were 61 goals, the most in the league. That is 6 more than the 55 goals in 2024 and 11 more than the 50 goals in 2025.

Coach Kim Ki-dong, who led the title, was born on January 12, 1972, and is 54 years old this year. As a player, he was a midfielder for Pohang and Bucheon SK. He took over as Pohang's head coach in April 2019, won the Coach of the Year award in 2020, and in 2023 lifted the FA Cup together with his son Kim Jun-ho, as coach and player respectively. After being appointed Seoul's head coach in December 2023, he finished 4th in 2024 and 6th in 2025, and in his third year in charge won his first K League 1 title.

K League Final Round Schedule Begins October 31; 5 Teams within 5 Points Vying for Second Place

The groups were also determined in Round 33. Incheon United beat Jeju 3-1. The two teams were tied on 46 points, but Incheon, ahead on goals scored, took the last Final A spot, per a report from MyDaily. Pohang dropped into Final B for the first time in five years. The six Final B teams are Jeju, Anyang, Pohang, Gimcheon, Bucheon, and Gwangju. Last-place Gwangju has 21 points, and Gimcheon is subject to automatic relegation.

Final A Six-Team Standings (Sports Kyunghyang tally, as of the end of the regular round, 2026.10.24)

Rank	Team	Points	Gap with Ulsan	Notes
1	FC Seoul	67	+16	Title confirmed
2	Ulsan HD	51	0	Competing for direct ACLE spot
3	Daejeon Hana Citizen	49	-2	Unbeaten in 7 matches
4	Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors	48	-3
5	Gangwon FC	48	-3
6	Incheon United	46	-5	Advanced on goals scored

Korea Professional Football League tournament guidelinesThe upper-table Final Round runs from October 31 (Sat) to December 6 (Sun). Teams in the same group meet once each across Rounds 34–38. Each team plays five matches, with 15 matches per group. However, as of the 26th, round-by-round dates, matchups, and kickoff times have not been confirmed by any announcement or report. Home matches are reportedly allocated as three or two per team.

With the champion decided, attention shifted to second place. Sports Kyunghyang analyzed on the 26th that while the title race is over, the battle for second place is only just beginning. The gap between second-place Ulsan and sixth-place Incheon is 5 points. Sports Kyunghyang reported that the Final A runner-up will earn a place in the ACLE main draw next season.

K League 1 Champion Prize Money and Category Awards (Per League Tournament Guidelines)

Category	Prize money
Champion	500 million won (trophy and medals are separate)
Runner-up	200 million won
Fair Play Award	10 million won
Top Scorer Award	5 million won
Top Assist Award	3 million won

The remaining variables are individual awards and the award ceremony. The headline of a related Newsis article included Jung Seung-won's remark, "I want to receive the MVP." Klimala is tied with Yago at 16 goals, but was ranked behind on playing time, making him the officially counted runner-up, according to an exclusive report by Top Star News. Gu Seong-yun has the league's best save rate at 73.6% through Round 32 and is also mentioned as a candidate for individual awards. No reports have yet confirmed the date and venue of the trophy presentation. The standings and points above reflect the end of the regular round, so they could change after the Final Round begins on the 31st.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. How many K League titles has FC Seoul won?

This is the club's seventh K League title overall. The previous title came in 2016, 10 years ago, and for Kim Ki-dong it is his first K League 1 title as a head coach.

Q. What is the K League Final Round schedule?

Under the league's tournament guidelines, Rounds 34–38 with five matches per team will be played from October 31, 2026 (Sat) to December 6 (Sun). As of the 26th, round-by-round dates, matchups, and kickoff times have not yet been confirmed.

Q. How much is the K League 1 championship prize?

Under the league's tournament guidelines, the champion's prize money is 500 million won, with the trophy and medals awarded separately. The runner-up prize is 200 million won.

Related Official Sites

Korea Professional Football League K League Tournament Guidelines — Confirm Final Round format and prize rules
K League official website announcement (2026 season schedule release) — Confirm season schedule announcement

Representative image · Archive photo · Not a live photo of the match in the article · Photo composite · Photo=Wikimedia Commons (Exj), CC BY-SA 3.0 · Photo=Wikimedia Commons (Exj), CC BY-SA 4.0