Finally, the last moment has come. Hana Bank’s K League 1 2024 has only 38 rounds to go. Kick-off will begin on Friday for the third round of Final A (1st to 6th), and kick-off will occur simultaneously for the third round of Final B (7th to 12th).
However, not many have been decided yet. Ulsan HD has lost three consecutive games for the first time in a row, and Incheon United, the lowest ranking (12th), has been demoted to the K League 2. Ulsan plans to hold a coronation ceremony, which has been postponed in its home game against Suwon FC, which will take place at the Ulsan Munsu Stadium on Sunday.
The highlight of Final A is the competition to qualify for the AFC Champions League (ACL) in the 2025-2026 season. The K-League provides up to four ACL tickets, including two ACL elite teams at the highest level, a berth to the playoff, and one ACL2 team at the lower level. The K-League 1 champion and the Korea Cup (FA Cup) winner will advance to the ACLE finals, while the second-ranked team in the K-League 1 will advance to the PO. ACL 2 belongs to the second-ranked team in the K-League 1.
There are various “number of cases” in this season. Ulsan is aiming for a double (two gold medals) by reaching the final round of the Korea Cup. Ulsan will compete with the Pohang Steelers for the Korea Cup title at the Seoul World Cup Stadium on Wednesday. If Ulsan becomes the third double star after Pohang (2013) and Jeonbuk Hyundai (2020), it will have the opportunity to play in the ACLE up to the third place in the K-League 1.
On the other hand, if Pohang wins the Korea Cup, the second-ranked team in the K League 1 will move to the ACLE PO, which also has a variable to it. Kim Cheon-sang (63 points), who is ranked second until the 37th round, cannot play in the AFC-hosted international competition due to the unique characteristics of the military team. Therefore, chances are high not only for Gangwon FC (61 points), which is ranked third at least, but also for FC Seoul (55 points), Pohang FC (ranked fifth), and Suwon FC (53 points), which are ranked sixth, respectively. This is why we need to watch the Gimcheon-Seoul match and the Gangwon-Pohang match. Pohang should focus more on the Korea Cup final, but considering that it remains the runner-up, it will be able to win at least the ACL2 ticket only when it is ranked fifth. 먹튀검증
The highlight of Final B is the direction of 10th and 11th places. Jeonbuk, which boasts the most wins (nine times) in the league, had the worst season ever, staying in the 10th place (41 points) until the 37th round. The gap with 11th-ranked Daegu FC (40 points) is narrow. For Jeonbuk, it can maintain the 10th place only when it wins an away game against Gwangju FC. If Jeonbuk loses or draws, and Daegu wins a home game against Incheon, the ranking will be reversed.
The 10th place should be the winner of the K League 2 playoff (PO) (final third), and the 11th place should be placed with South Chungcheong Province and Asan, which are ranking second in the K League 2, at home and away. Whether it is Jeonbuk or Daegu, having a showdown with a team that passed the K League 2 PO can increase the survival probability even slightly.