| Season | 2018 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 2 March – 2 December 2018 |
| Champions | Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors (6th title) |
| Relegated | Jeonnam Dragons |
| Champions League | Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors Gyeongnam FC Ulsan Hyundai Daegu FC |
| Matches | 228 |
| Goals | 620 (2.72 per match) |
| Best Player | Marcão |
| Top goalscorer | Marcão (26 goals) |
| Biggest home win | Gangwon 7–0Incheon (19 August 2018) |
| Biggest away win | Gyeongnam 0–4Jeonbuk (11 April 2018) Seoul 0–4Jeonbuk (20 May 2018) |
| Highest scoring | Jeonnam 6–4Suwon (19 August 2018) |
| Longest winning run | 9 matches Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors |
| Longest unbeaten run | 10 matches Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors |
| Longest winless run | 14 matches Incheon United |
| Longest losing run | 6 matches Daegu FC |
| Highest attendance | 30,122 Seoul 2–1Suwon (5 May 2018) |
| Lowest attendance | 290 Sangju 0–1Gangwon (24 November 2018) |
| Average attendance | 5,381 |
←2017 2019 → | |
The2018 K League 1 was the 36th season of the top division of professionalfootball inSouth Korea since its establishment in 1983, and the sixth season of theK League 1, former K League Classic. The K League Classic was changed its name to "K League 1" in this season. As the2018 FIFA World Cup start on 14 June, the last round before stoppage will be held on 19–20 May. The league will resume games on 7 July.
| Daegu FC | Gangwon FC | Gyeongnam FC | Incheon United | Jeju United | Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daegu Stadium | Chuncheon Songam Leports Town | Changwon Football Center | Incheon Football Stadium | Jeju World Cup Stadium | Jeonju World Cup Stadium |
| Capacity:66,422 | Capacity:20,000 | Capacity:20,245 | Capacity:20,891 | Capacity:35,657 | Capacity:42,477 |
 |  |  |  |  | |
| Jeonnam Dragons | Pohang Steelers | Sangju Sangmu | FC Seoul | Suwon Samsung Bluewings | Ulsan Hyundai |
| Gwangyang Football Stadium | Pohang Steel Yard | Sangju Civic Stadium | Seoul World Cup Stadium | Suwon World Cup Stadium | Ulsan Munsu Football Stadium |
| Capacity:13,496 | Capacity:17,443 | Capacity:15,042 | Capacity:66,704 | Capacity:44,031 | Capacity:44,102 |
 |  |  |  |  |
Restricting the number of foreign players strictly to four per team, including a slot for a player fromAFC countries. A team could use four foreign players on the field each game including a least one player from the AFC confederation. Players name inbold are registered during the mid-season transfer window.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors(C) | 38 | 26 | 8 | 4 | 75 | 31 | +44 | 86 | Qualification forChampions League group stage |
| 2 | Gyeongnam FC | 38 | 18 | 11 | 9 | 59 | 44 | +15 | 65 | |
| 3 | Ulsan Hyundai | 38 | 17 | 12 | 9 | 61 | 46 | +15 | 63 | Qualification forChampions League play-off round |
| 4 | Pohang Steelers | 38 | 15 | 9 | 14 | 47 | 48 | −1 | 54 | |
| 5 | Jeju United | 38 | 14 | 12 | 12 | 41 | 41 | 0 | 54 | |
| 6 | Suwon Samsung Bluewings | 38 | 13 | 11 | 14 | 53 | 54 | −1 | 50 | |
| 7 | Daegu FC | 38 | 14 | 8 | 16 | 47 | 56 | −9 | 50 | Qualification forChampions League group stage[a] |
| 8 | Gangwon FC | 38 | 12 | 10 | 16 | 56 | 60 | −4 | 46 | |
| 9 | Incheon United | 38 | 10 | 12 | 16 | 55 | 69 | −14 | 42 | |
| 10 | Sangju Sangmu | 38 | 10 | 10 | 18 | 41 | 52 | −11 | 40 | |
| 11 | FC Seoul(O) | 38 | 9 | 13 | 16 | 40 | 48 | −8 | 40 | Qualification forrelegation play-offs |
| 12 | Jeonnam Dragons(R) | 38 | 8 | 8 | 22 | 43 | 69 | −26 | 32 | Relegation toK League 2 |
Leaders
Qualification forChampions League group stage
Qualification forChampions League play-off round
Qualification forrelegation play-offs
Relegation toK League 2
| Team ╲ Round | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Gyeongnam FC | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Ulsan Hyundai | 11 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 6 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Suwon Samsung Bluewings | 9 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 |
| Pohang Steelers | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 |
| Jeju United | 7 | 10 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 |
| Gangwon FC | 5 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 5 | 8 | 8 | 5 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 7 |
| Daegu FC | 12 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 |
| FC Seoul | 6 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 |
| Sangju Sangmu | 10 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 |
| Jeonnam Dragons | 4 | 7 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 |
| Incheon United | 8 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 |
| Team ╲ Round | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Gyeongnam FC | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Ulsan Hyundai | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Pohang Steelers | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Jeju United | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 5 |
| Suwon Samsung Bluewings | 4 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 6 |
| Daegu FC | 7 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 7 |
| Gangwon FC | 8 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 |
| Incheon United | 12 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 9 |
| Sangju Sangmu | 10 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 10 |
| FC Seoul | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 11 |
| Jeonnam Dragons | 11 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 |
Teams play each other twice, once at home, once away.
| Home \ Away | DGU | GWN | GNM | ICU | JJU | JHM | JND | PHS | SJS | SEO | SSB | USH |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daegu FC | — | 2–1 | 0–2 | 2–1 | 1–4 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 2–2 | 0–2 | 0–2 |
| Gangwon FC | 0–3 | — | 1–3 | 2–1 | 3–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 2–3 | 3–3 |
| Gyeongnam FC | 1–1 | 0–1 | — | 3–0 | 2–0 | 0–4 | 3–0 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 0–0 | 2–2 | 0–0 |
| Incheon United | 0–0 | 3–3 | 2–3 | — | 1–2 | 3–2 | 2–2 | 1–2 | 0–1 | 2–1 | 2–3 | 1–1 |
| Jeju United | 1–2 | 3–5 | 0–0 | 4–2 | — | 0–1 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 1–1 |
| Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | 2–1 | 3–1 | 0–1 | 3–3 | 1–0 | — | 3–0 | 0–3 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 |
| Jeonnam Dragons | 1–1 | 1–4 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 0–3 | 0–0 | — | 2–3 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 0–2 | 1–2 |
| Pohang Steelers | 3–0 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 3–1 | — | 0–2 | 0–3 | 1–1 | 2–1 |
| Sangju Sangmu | 0–1 | 3–0 | 0–1 | 3–2 | 0–0 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 2–1 | — | 1–2 | 1–1 | 2–3 |
| FC Seoul | 3–0 | 1–2 | 2–3 | 1–1 | 3–0 | 0–4 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 0–0 | — | 2–1 | 1–1 |
| Suwon Samsung Bluewings | 2–0 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 5–2 | 2–3 | 0–3 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 0–0 | — | 0–0 |
| Ulsan Hyundai | 2–0 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 0–2 | 1–0 | 1–0 | — |
Teams play every other team once (either at home or away).
| Home \ Away | DGU | GWN | GNM | ICU | JJU | JHM | JND | PHS | SJS | SEO | SSB | USH |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daegu FC | — | 2–0 | 2–2 | 1–2 | — | — | 2–1 | — | — | — | 4–2 | 0–2 |
| Gangwon FC | — | — | — | 7–0 | — | — | — | 1–1 | 2–3 | 0–0 | 1–0 | — |
| Gyeongnam FC | — | 2–1 | — | — | 0–1 | 0–2 | — | — | 2–1 | 2–1 | — | 3–3 |
| Incheon United | — | — | 2–2 | — | — | — | 3–1 | — | 0–0 | — | 0–0 | 3–2 |
| Jeju United | 2–3 | 2–2 | — | 0–0 | — | — | 1–0 | — | — | 1–0 | 0–0 | — |
| Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | 2–1 | 3–2 | — | 3–2 | 4–0 | — | 1–0 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Jeonnam Dragons | — | 0–1 | 3–3 | — | — | — | — | 3–2 | — | 1–0 | 6–4 | 1–0 |
| Pohang Steelers | 2–1 | — | 0–3 | 1–0 | 2–2 | 5–2 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Sangju Sangmu | 2–5 | — | — | — | 1–1 | 2–2 | 1–2 | 1–2 | — | — | 1–2 | — |
| FC Seoul | 0–2 | — | — | 1–1 | — | 1–2 | — | 0–1 | 2–2 | — | — | — |
| Suwon Samsung Bluewings | — | — | 1–0 | — | — | 0–0 | — | 2–0 | — | 1–2 | — | 2–2 |
| Ulsan Hyundai | — | 2–0 | — | — | 3–2 | 2–2 | — | 2–0 | 4–1 | 4–1 | — | — |
After 33 matches, the league splits into two sections of six teams each, with teams playing every other team in their section once (either at home or away). The exact matches are determined upon the league table at the time of the split.
Group A[edit]
Source:K League Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win. | Group B[edit]
Source:K League Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.
|
The promotion-relegation play-offs were held between the winners of the 2018 K League 2 play-offs and the 11th-placed club of the 2018 K League 1. The winners on aggregate score after both matches earned entry into the2019 K League 1.
| Busan IPark | 1–3 | FC Seoul |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
|
| FC Seoul | 1–1 | Busan IPark |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
|
FC Seoul won 4–2 on aggregate and therefore both clubs remain in their respective leagues.
Source:[1]
| Rank | Player | Club | Assists |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Cesinha | Daegu FC | 11 |
| 2 |  Elías Aguilar | Incheon United | 10 |
| 3 |  Lee Yong | Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | 9 |
| 4 | Hong Chul | Sangju Sangmu Suwon Samsung Bluewings | 8 |
| 5 | Han Seung-gyu | Ulsan Hyundai | 7 |
| Negueba | Gyeongnam FC |
Source:[1]
The 2018 K League Awards was held on 3 December 2018.
Source:[2]
Source:[2]
| Month | Manager | Club | Division |
|---|---|---|---|
| March | Jung Gab-suk | Bucheon FC 1995 | K League 2 |
| April | Choi Kang-hee | Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | K League 1 |
| May | Nam Ki-il | Seongnam FC | K League 2 |
| July | Kim Jong-boo | Gyeongnam FC | K League 1 |
| August | Ko Jong-soo | Daejeon Citizen | K League 2 |
| September | Ko Jong-soo | Daejeon Citizen | K League 2 |
| October | Jo Sung-hwan | Jeju United | K League 1 |
Attendants who entered with free ticket are not counted.
| Pos | Team | Total | High | Low | Average | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | 226,224 | 19,108 | 5,005 | 11,907 | +1.9%† |
| 2 | FC Seoul | 219,665 | 30,122 | 4,714 | 11,561 | −29.1%† |
| 3 | Ulsan Hyundai | 142,944 | 14,228 | 1,059 | 7,523 | −11.1%† |
| 4 | Pohang Steelers | 140,668 | 15,393 | 3,073 | 7,404 | −11.6%† |
| 5 | Suwon Samsung Bluewings | 114,943 | 13,853 | 2,940 | 6,709 | −23.6%† |
| 6 | Incheon United | 84,151 | 7,282 | 1,402 | 4,429 | −25.3%† |
| 7 | Daegu FC | 66,837 | 13,351 | 477 | 3,518 | +5.3%† |
| 8 | Jeonnam Dragons | 62,615 | 11,036 | 1,830 | 3,296 | −19.8%† |
| 9 | Gyeongnam FC | 62,615 | 13,082 | 932 | 3,170 | +32.3%† |
| 10 | Jeju United | 60,033 | 8,354 | 1,215 | 3,160 | −22.1%† |
| 11 | Gangwon FC | 25,765 | 4,530 | 569 | 1,356 | −41.2%† |
| 12 | Sangju Sangmu | 25,050 | 2,317 | 290 | 1,318 | −19.9%† |
| League total | 1,241,667 | 30,122 | 290 | 5,445 | −16.3%† |
Updated to games played on 7 December 2018
Source:K League
Notes:
† Teams that played previous season in K League Challenge.
