Seoul Lead by 16 Points…2026 K League 1 Final Round Schedule, First-Matchup Records and Full Guide to All 12 Clubs
With Seoul leading on 67 points, the K League 1 Final Round kicks off October 31. This guide covers the schedule for 30 matches across rounds 34–38, first-matchup records, and the relegation landscape.
Translated from Korean with AI assistance. Read the original. Sources and original publication dates are retained.
Three-Line Summary
- Seoul start with 67 points, 16 ahead of second-place Ulsan, and the K League 1 title prize is 500 million won.
- The Final Round begins October 31 with Jeonbuk-Daejeon and ends December 6 at 14:00 with three Final A matches.
- In first-matchup records, Seoul have 3 wins over Incheon, Gangwon lead Ulsan 2 wins to 1 loss, and Gwangju and Gimcheon have drawn all 3 of their meetings.
The gap created by 33 regular-round matches is 16 points. Seoul 67 points, second-place Ulsan 51 points (league listing as of 2026.10.30). With 5 matches left, the most points still available is 15. If Ulsan wins all of them, they reach 66; if Seoul loses all of theirs, they still have 67. Going by the points table alone, first place is effectively decided.
K League 1 Final Round Lineup: Tied on 46 Points, Incheon and Jeju Split into 6th and 7th
Final-round cutoff line created by a 46-point tie / Source: Korea Professional Football League tournament regulations
Korea Professional Football League According to the league's announcement, the Final Round has the top six and bottom six teams each play 5 matches in rounds 34–38. Final A: Seoul, Ulsan, Daejeon, Jeonbuk, Gangwon, Incheon. Final B: Jeju, Anyang, Pohang, Gimcheon, Bucheon, Gwangju. Points carry over from regular-round results. Starting positions are shown in the table below. 2nd through 6th are within 5 points of each other.
| Rank | Club | Points | Gap from team above (points) | Group |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | FC Seoul | 67 | - | Final A |
| 2 | Ulsan HD | 51 | 16 | Final A |
| 3 | Daejeon Hana Citizen | 49 | 2 | Final A |
| 4 | Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | 48 | 1 | Final A |
| 5 | Gangwon FC | 48 | 0 | Final A |
| 6 | Incheon United | 46 | 2 | Final A |
| 7 | Jeju SK FC | 46 | 0 | Final B |
| 8 | FC Anyang | 43 | 3 | Final B |
| 9 | Pohang Steelers | 42 | 1 | Final B |
| 10 | Gimcheon Sangmu | 34 | 8 | Final B |
| 11 | Bucheon FC 1995 | 32 | 2 | Final B |
| 12 | Gwangju FC | 21 | 11 | Final B |
Incheon and Jeju are level on 46 points, but they finished 6th and 7th. Some reports explained this split by goal difference, but the 2026 K League 1 tournament regulations state that when points are equal, goals scored takes precedence over goal difference. One place makes a big difference. Once the groups are split, even if a Final B club's points exceed those of a Final A club, its ranking cannot cross into the other group. Even if Jeju wins all 5 matches to reach 61 points, its ceiling is 7th.
K League 1 Final Round Schedule: 30 Matches, Final Matchday Has 3 Simultaneous Kickoffs
According to the schedule the league announced on October 26, the first match is Jeonbuk vs. Daejeon at 14:00 on October 31 at Jeonju World Cup Stadium. On November 8 at 14:00, regular-round first-place Seoul and second-place Ulsan meet at Seoul World Cup Stadium. In the tables, the club listed first is the home team, and times are in Korea Standard Time.
| Round | Date | Time | Match (Home-Away) | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 34 | October 31 | 14:00 | Jeonbuk-Daejeon | Jeonju World Cup Stadium |
| 34 | November 1 | 14:00 | Ulsan-Gangwon | Ulsan Munsu Football Stadium |
| 34 | November 1 | 16:30 | Seoul-Incheon | Seoul World Cup Stadium |
| 35 | November 8 | 14:00 | Seoul-Ulsan | Seoul World Cup Stadium |
| 35 | November 8 | 14:00 | Daejeon-Incheon | Daejeon World Cup Stadium |
| 35 | November 8 | 16:30 | Gangwon-Jeonbuk | Gangneung Hiwon Arena |
| 36 | November 21 | 14:00 | Jeonbuk-Seoul | Jeonju World Cup Stadium |
| 36 | November 21 | 16:30 | Gangwon-Daejeon | Gangneung Hiwon Arena |
| 36 | November 21 | 16:30 | Incheon-Ulsan | Incheon Football Stadium |
| 37 | November 28 | 14:00 | Seoul-Daejeon | Seoul World Cup Stadium |
| 37 | November 29 | 14:00 | Ulsan-Jeonbuk | Ulsan Munsu Football Stadium |
| 37 | November 29 | 16:30 | Incheon-Gangwon | Incheon Football Stadium |
| 38 | December 6 | 14:00 | Daejeon-Ulsan | Daejeon World Cup Stadium |
| 38 | December 6 | 14:00 | Gangwon-Seoul | Gangneung Hiwon Arena |
| 38 | December 6 | 14:00 | Jeonbuk-Incheon | Jeonju World Cup Stadium |
| Round | Date | Time | Match (Home-Away) | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 34 | October 31 | 16:30 | Gwangju-Gimcheon | Gwangju World Cup Stadium |
| 34 | November 1 | 14:00 | Pohang-Jeju | Pohang Steel Yard |
| 34 | November 1 | 16:30 | Anyang-Bucheon | Anyang Sports Complex |
| 35 | November 7 | 14:00 | Jeju-Gwangju | Jeju World Cup Stadium |
| 35 | November 7 | 16:30 | Gimcheon-Anyang | Gimcheon Sports Complex |
| 35 | November 8 | 16:30 | Bucheon-Pohang | Bucheon Sports Complex |
| 36 | November 21 | 14:00 | Pohang-Anyang | Pohang Steel Yard |
| 36 | November 22 | 14:00 | Gimcheon-Jeju | Gimcheon Sports Complex |
| 36 | November 22 | 14:00 | Gwangju-Bucheon | Gwangju World Cup Stadium |
| 37 | November 28 | 14:00 | Anyang-Jeju | Anyang Sports Complex |
| 37 | November 28 | 16:30 | Pohang-Gwangju | Pohang Steel Yard |
| 37 | November 28 | 16:30 | Bucheon-Gimcheon | Bucheon Sports Complex |
| 38 | December 5 | 14:00 | Jeju-Bucheon | Jeju World Cup Stadium |
| 38 | December 5 | 14:00 | Anyang-Gwangju | Anyang Sports Complex |
| 38 | December 5 | 14:00 | Gimcheon-Pohang | Gimcheon Sports Complex |
According to Newspim and the league's announcement, the final matchday is December 5 for Final B and December 6 for Final A. Each group's 3 matches all kick off at 14:00 simultaneously. The previous four rounds are split between 14:00 and 16:30, but round 38 has a single kickoff time. This means no team can adjust its approach based on results from other matches that finish earlier.
Final Round First-Matchup Records: Seoul 3 Wins, Gwangju-Gimcheon 3 Draws
| Match (this season's regular rounds, as of 2026.10.31 04:00) | Record | Edge | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jeonbuk-Daejeon | 1 win, 1 draw, 1 loss each | Even | League, Pofotu |
| Gwangju-Gimcheon | 3 draws | Even | League |
| Pohang-Jeju | Pohang 1 win, 2 losses; Jeju 2 wins, 1 loss | Jeju | Jeju club |
| Ulsan-Gangwon | Ulsan 1 win, 2 losses; Gangwon 2 wins, 1 loss | Gangwon | Ulsan club, Sports Kyunghyang |
| Seoul-Incheon | Seoul 3 wins, Incheon 3 losses | Seoul | League, Incheon club |
| Anyang-Bucheon | 1 win, 1 draw, 1 loss each | Even | From Bucheon's perspective 1-0, 2-3, 1-1 / Bucheon club, Newsian |
Across the 6 round-34 matchups (18 matches in total), 3 show one side ahead and 3 are even. Seoul are unbeaten in 3 meetings against Incheon. The one that has flipped is Ulsan-Gangwon.According to Sports Kyunghyang and the Ulsan club's announcement, Ulsan's all-time record is 29 wins, 7 draws and 7 losses in 43 matches, a winning rate of 67% (29÷43). This year, after a 3-1 win on February 28, they lost 0-2 on May 17 and 2-3 on August 16, for 1 win and 2 losses.
| Jeju's Record vs. Opponents (per Jeju club announcement, as of 2026.10.31 04:00) | W | D | L |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pohang | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| Gwangju | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Gimcheon | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Anyang | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Bucheon | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Total | 7 | 5 | 3 |
Gwangju-Gimcheon's 3 matches all ended in draws. Per the Jeju club's announcement, Jeju-Gimcheon also finished 3 draws, so Gimcheon had no wins or losses in its 6 matches against the two teams. Combining Jeju club data, Jeju went 7 wins, 5 draws and 3 losses in 15 matches against the 5 Final B opponents, earning 26 points (7 wins × 3 points + 5 draws). The only opponent Jeju trailed is Anyang.
K League 1 Title Prize 500 Million Won; Remaining Issues Are 2nd Place, Asia Qualification, and Relegation Survival
Under Article 31 of the tournament regulations, the title prize is 500 million won, and the runner-up prize is 200 million won. The gap between the title and runner-up prizes is 300 million won. For the five teams below Seoul, the realistic money is the 200 million won tier. If Incheon, currently 6th, wins all 5 matches, it would reach 61 points, surpassing current 2nd-place Ulsan's 51. The math shows that all 5 Final A teams can mathematically finish 2nd.
The competition the league previewed before the season covers the Final A spots for Asian club competitions and Final B relegation, along with relegation format changes depending on Gimcheon's final position. Which positions earn qualification and the details of the relegation format were not confirmed in this material. The points gaps are visible: Gwangju's 21 points are 11 behind 11th-place Bucheon and 13 behind 10th-place Gimcheon, and the gap between 9th-place Pohang and 10th-place Gimcheon is 8 points.
Related Official Sites
- K League Official Website — check match schedules and official club news
- K League Data Portal — look up team and match records
- K League Official Tournament Regulations — check ranking rules and prize regulations
Related Reading
· “Watch Live and Tour the Region Too”…K League Trip Day Expands to 12 Non-Capital Clubs
· Chungbuk Cheongju FC Win 2026 K League Queen Cup…Club's First Unified Title, Choi Da-yeon Named MVP
· FC Seoul Clinch First K League 1 Title in 10 Years…Final Round Schedule Starts October 31
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