How can FC Seoul clinch the 2026 K League title against Gangwon FC?

A victory over Gangwon FC on Saturday would begin the title celebrations at Seoul World Cup Stadium. Seoul is 16 points ahead with six matches remaining, and only Ulsan HD can theoretically catch it.

Why has FC Seoul struggled in the AFC Champions League Two this season?

Coach Kim Gi-dong rested most regular starters for the first two group matches because Seoul had unexpectedly qualified and built its squad to focus solely on the domestic league. He said the club lacked the opportunity to recruit additional players for a two-front campaign.

Who has driven FC Seoul’s strong attacking season in the K League?

FC Seoul has scored 60 goals in 32 games, nine more than any other team. Patryk Klimala has 16 goals, while Jeong Seung-won, Lee Seung-mo and Song Min-gyu have contributed eight, six and five respectively, giving the attack a broad distribution of scoring.

Seoul's title wait almost over but Asia still elusive

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Summary

FC Seoul moved within reach of ending its 10-year K League title drought with a victory over Gangwon FC on Saturday at Seoul World Cup Stadium. The club leads the standings by 16 points with six games remaining, while Ulsan HD is the only theoretical challenger. Seoul has scored 60 goals in 32 games, but early losses in the AFC Champions League Two have left its pursuit of a first continental trophy nearly over.

Key Facts

FC Seoul last won the Korean title in 2016, its third championship in six years.
Ulsan HD would need to win all six remaining games and Seoul would have to win none to overtake the leader.
Patryk Klimala leads Seoul with 16 goals, followed by Jeong Seung-won with eight, Lee Seung-mo with six and Song Min-gyu with five.
Seoul lost its first two AFC Champions League Two group matches against Indonesia’s Persib Bandung and Australia’s Melbourne Victory.
Coach Kim Gi-dong said Seoul assembled a squad focused solely on the league and could not recruit additional players after unexpectedly qualifying for the continental tournament.

By John Duerden

Published Oct 20, 2026 10:27 am KST

FC Seoul starting players pose before the AFC Champions League Two football match against Melbourne Victory at Melbourne Rectangular Stadium in Melbourne, Oct. 14. AFP-Yonhap

FC Seoul’s 10-year wait for the K League title is almost over. The capital club was last champion of Korea in 2016, then a third triumph in six years. At the time, Seoul was a powerhouse of soccer in the Land of the Morning Calm and had the mighty goal machine Dejan Damjanovic in attack. The team was unlucky to lose the final of the Asian Champions League in 2013. The last decade has, however, been one to forget.

Victory over Gangwon FC on Saturday will start the celebrations in front of the home fans at Seoul World Cup Stadium. It would be the perfect way to do it, for coach Kim Gi-dong to get the party started up by the banks of the Han River.

Fans have been waiting for some time but this season looked different from the start. Seoul has been at the top of the standings from the get-go. At the moment, the club is 16 points clear with six games remaining. Only Ulsan HD can theoretically catch the leader but the Tigers will have to win all six (highly unlikely as the team has won just 15 of the 32 so far) and hope that Seoul does not manage a single victory. In short, it is 99.99 percent done.

Seoul’s attack has been the standout, with 60 goals from the 32 games, nine more than any other. Coach Kim will be especially delighted that those goals are not just dependent on one attacker. Polish striker Patryk Klimala has 16 goals with Jeong Seung-won on eight, Lee Seung-mo has six with Song Min-gyu on five, a healthy spread. The defense has not been bad either.

There is one negative to the season. Seoul has qualified for the AFC Champions League Two, the continent’s second-tier tournament. It does not have the stature or the profile of the Champions League Elite but Seoul has never won any continental trophy.

So it was disappointing to see coach Kim rest most of his regular starters for the first two games in the group. It meant that Seoul lost to Indonesia’s Persib Bandung and then to Melbourne Victory all the way down in Australia.

Coach Kim’s excuse was that he did not expect to be participating in the tournament at all and was surprised to qualify at the end of last season. The meaning is that the team was not capable of competing on two fronts.

"We were not in a position to participate in the ACL this season,” he said after facing criticism for his rotation policy. “We ended up entering suddenly and hastily." He added that in the early part of the season, "we assembled a squad capable of focusing solely on the league. Once we qualified for the ACL, we were not in a position to recruit additional players."

It means that Seoul is unlikely to finish in the top two in its group and a path to a first Asian trophy is already almost closed off. Kim’s excuse would have been better had Seoul not been so far ahead in the K League. The title has been in the bag for weeks meaning there was room to shift the focus toward Asia.

Despite that, 2026 is going to be a historic season for FC Seoul as fans celebrate a long-awaited title. Even if it does not happen this weekend, it is only a matter of time.

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