 | |
| Season | 2021 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 27 February – 5 December 2021 |
| Champions | Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors (9th title) |
| Relegated | Gwangju FC |
| Champions League | Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors Ulsan Hyundai Daegu FC |
| Matches played | 228 |
| Goals scored | 563 (2.47 per match) |
| Best Player | Hong Jeong-ho |
| Top goalscorer | Joo Min-kyu (22 goals) |
| Biggest home win | Ulsan 5–0Gangwon (1 March 2021) |
| Biggest away win | Daegu 0–5Jeju (31 October 2021) |
| Highest scoring | Seoul 3–4Jeonbuk (5 September 2021) |
| Highest attendance | 6,199 |
| Lowest attendance | 1,218 |
←2020 2022 → | |
The2021 K League 1, also known as theHana 1Q K League 1 for sponsorship reasons, was the 39th season of the top division of professionalfootball in South Korea, and the ninth season of theK League 1.Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors won their ninth title and fifth consecutive title.
After progressing 33 regular rounds, the league was divided into two groups, the top six and the bottom six, and each team played five matches against other teams in its group.
Relegated toK League 2
Promoted fromK League 2
The following twelve clubs competed in the K League 1 during the 2021 season.[1]
| Team | City/Province | Abbreviation |
|---|---|---|
| Daegu FC | Daegu | Daegu |
| Gangwon FC | Gangwon | Gangwon |
| Gwangju FC | Gwangju | Gwangju |
| Incheon United | Incheon | Incheon |
| Jeju United | Jeju | Jeju |
| Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | Jeonbuk | Jeonbuk |
| Pohang Steelers | Pohang | Pohang |
| Seongnam FC | Seongnam | Seongnam |
| FC Seoul | Seoul | Seoul |
| Suwon Samsung Bluewings | Suwon | Suwon |
| Suwon FC | Suwon | Suwon FC |
| Ulsan Hyundai | Ulsan | Ulsan |
| Jeju United | Daegu FC | Incheon United |
|---|---|---|
| Jeju World Cup Stadium | DGB Daegu Bank Park | Incheon Football Stadium |
| Capacity:29,791 | Capacity:12,415 | Capacity:20,891 |
 |  |  |
| Pohang Steelers | Suwon FC | Seongnam FC |
| Pohang Steel Yard | Suwon Stadium | Tancheon Stadium |
| Capacity:17,443 | Capacity:11,808 | Capacity:16,146 |
 |  |  |
| FC Seoul | Suwon Samsung Bluewings Suwon FC | |
| Seoul World Cup Stadium | Seoul Olympic Stadium | Suwon World Cup Stadium |
| Capacity:66,704 | Capacity:69,950 | Capacity:44,031 |
 |  |  |
| Gwangju FC | Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | |
| Gwangju World Cup Stadium | Gwangju Football Stadium | Jeonju World Cup Stadium |
| Capacity:40,245 | Capacity:12,000 | Capacity:42,477 |
 |  | |
| Gangwon FC | Ulsan Hyundai | |
| Chuncheon Songam Leports Town | Gangneung Stadium | Ulsan Munsu Football Stadium |
| Capacity:20,000 | Capacity:22,333 | Capacity:44,102 |
 |  | |
| Team | Manager | Main sponsor | Kit manufacturer | Other sponsor(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daegu FC |  Lee Byung-keun | Daegu Government | Goal Studio | DGB Daegu Bank AJIN Industrial Co., Ltd. |
| Gangwon FC | Kim Byung-soo | Gangwon Provincial Government | Applerind | Kangwon Land |
| Gwangju FC | Kim Ho-young | Gwangju Government | Kelme | |
| Incheon United | Jo Sung-hwan | Incheon Government | Macron | Shinhan Bank Incheon International Airport |
| Jeju United | Nam Ki-il | SK Energy | Puma | |
| Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | Kim Sang-sik | Hyundai Motor Company | Hummel | |
| Pohang Steelers | Kim Gi-dong | POSCO | Puma | Pohang Government |
| Seongnam FC | Kim Nam-il | Seongnam Government | Umbro | |
| FC Seoul | Park Jin-sub | GS Group | Le Coq Sportif | |
| Suwon Samsung Bluewings | Park Kun-ha | Cheil Worldwide | Puma | Samsung Electronics |
| Suwon FC | Kim Do-kyun | Suwon Government | Hummel | |
| Ulsan Hyundai | Hong Myung-bo | Hyundai Heavy Industries | Hummel | Hyundai Oil Bank |
Restricting the number of foreign players strictly to five per team, including a slot for a player from theAsian Football Confederation countries and a slot for a player from theAssociation of Southeast Asian Nations. A team could use five foreign players on the field each game, including at least one player from the AFC confederation.Samuel Pungi, who played forPohang Steelers, was deemed to be a native player as he had been grantedSouth Korean nationality.
Players inbold were registered during the mid-season transfer window.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation[a] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors(C) | 38 | 22 | 10 | 6 | 71 | 37 | +34 | 76 | Qualification forChampions League group stage |
| 2 | Ulsan Hyundai | 38 | 21 | 11 | 6 | 64 | 41 | +23 | 74 | Qualification forChampions League play-off round |
| 3 | Daegu FC | 38 | 15 | 10 | 13 | 41 | 48 | −7 | 55 | |
| 4 | Jeju United | 38 | 13 | 15 | 10 | 52 | 44 | +8 | 54 | |
| 5 | Suwon FC | 38 | 14 | 9 | 15 | 53 | 57 | −4 | 51 | |
| 6 | Suwon Samsung Bluewings | 38 | 12 | 10 | 16 | 42 | 50 | −8 | 46 | |
| 7 | FC Seoul | 38 | 12 | 11 | 15 | 46 | 46 | 0 | 47 | |
| 8 | Incheon United | 38 | 12 | 11 | 15 | 38 | 45 | −7 | 47 | |
| 9 | Pohang Steelers | 38 | 12 | 10 | 16 | 41 | 45 | −4 | 46 | |
| 10 | Seongnam FC | 38 | 11 | 11 | 16 | 34 | 46 | −12 | 44 | |
| 11 | Gangwon FC(O) | 38 | 10 | 13 | 15 | 40 | 51 | −11 | 43 | Qualification forrelegation play-offs |
| 12 | Gwangju FC(R) | 38 | 10 | 7 | 21 | 42 | 54 | −12 | 37 | 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 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| Ulsan Hyundai | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Daegu FC | 5 | 8 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Suwon FC | 5 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Jeju United | 7 | 7 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 5 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Suwon Samsung Bluewings | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
| Pohang Steelers | 3 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 9 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 |
| Incheon United | 9 | 6 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 8 |
| FC Seoul | 11 | 5 | 9 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 11 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 9 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 9 |
| Gangwon FC | 12 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 8 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 11 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 8 | 10 |
| Seongnam FC | 7 | 10 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 11 | 11 |
| Gwangju FC | 10 | 12 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 11 | 9 | 6 | 9 | 9 | 7 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 12 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 12 |
| Team ╲ Round | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Ulsan Hyundai | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Daegu FC | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Jeju United | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Suwon FC | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Suwon Samsung Bluewings | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
| FC Seoul | 11 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 7 |
| Incheon United | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 |
| Pohang Steelers | 8 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 9 |
| Seongnam FC | 9 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 |
| Gangwon FC | 10 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 |
| Gwangju FC | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 |
Teams played each other twice, once at home, once away.
| Home \ Away | DGU | GWN | GJU | ICU | JJU | JHM | PHS | SNM | SEL | SSB | SWN | USH |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daegu FC | — | 1–0 | 1–4 | 3–0 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 2–1 |
| Gangwon FC | 3–0 | — | 0–1 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 3–0 | 0–0 | 2–2 |
| Gwangju FC | 0–1 | 3–1 | — | 2–1 | 0–0 | 0–2 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 3–4 | 2–0 | 0–1 |
| Incheon United | 2–1 | 1–0 | 2–1 | — | 0–3 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 4–1 | 0–0 |
| Jeju United | 1–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–4 | — | 1–1 | 1–0 | 2–2 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 1–3 | 1–2 |
| Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | 3–2 | 2–1 | 3–0 | 5–0 | 1–1 | — | 0–1 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 2–4 |
| Pohang Steelers | 0–0 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 1–3 | — | 1–0 | 0–1 | 0–3 | 1–0 | 1–1 |
| Seongnam FC | 0–0 | 1–2 | 2–0 | 1–3 | 0–0 | 1–5 | 2–1 | — | 1–0 | 0–1 | 2–3 | 0–1 |
| FC Seoul | 0–1 | 0–1 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 3–4 | 1–2 | 2–2 | — | 0–3 | 3–0 | 0–0 |
| Suwon Samsung Bluewings | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 3–2 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 1–2 | — | 1–2 | 3–0 |
| Suwon FC | 2–4 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 2–2 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 3–4 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 0–0 | — | 0–1 |
| Ulsan Hyundai | 2–1 | 5–0 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 2–2 | 3–2 | 1–1 | 2–5 | — |
Teams played each other once, either at home or away.
| Home \ Away | DGU | GWN | GJU | ICU | JJU | JHM | PHS | SNM | SEL | SSB | SWN | USH |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daegu FC | — | — | 1–2 | — | — | — | — | 3–1 | — | 0–2 | 0–0 | 2–1 |
| Gangwon FC | 2–0 | — | 2–1 | — | 2–2 | 0–1 | 1–0 | — | 1–4 | — | — | — |
| Gwangju FC | — | — | — | 1–0 | 0–3[a] | 1–2 | 2–3 | 2–0 | — | — | — | — |
| Incheon United | 2–0 | 0–1 | — | — | 1–2 | — | — | 0–1 | — | 0–1 | 0–0 | — |
| Jeju United | 0–1 | — | — | — | — | 2–2 | — | 2–1 | 1–0 | — | — | 2–2 |
| Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | 2–1 | — | — | 2–0 | — | — | 2–0 | — | 3–2 | 1–0 | 2–2 | — |
| Pohang Steelers | 1–2 | — | — | 0–1 | 2–4 | — | — | — | — | 0–0 | 3–1 | 1–2 |
| Seongnam FC | — | 2–0 | — | — | — | 0–0 | 1–0 | — | 1–1 | — | — | 2–1 |
| FC Seoul | 1–1 | — | 1–0 | 0–0 | — | — | 2–2 | — | — | — | 2–1 | 1–2 |
| Suwon Samsung Bluewings | — | 3–2 | 2–2 | — | 0–0 | — | — | 1–2 | 0–2 | — | 0–3 | — |
| Suwon FC | — | 1–0 | 1–3 | — | 1–0 | — | — | 3–1 | — | — | — | 0–3 |
| Ulsan Hyundai | — | 2–1 | 1–0 | 3–2 | — | 0–0 | — | — | — | 3–1 | — | — |
Teams played each other once, either at home or away.
Final A[edit]
Source:K League Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win. | Final B[edit]
Source:K League Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.
|
The promotion-relegation play-offs were contested between the winners ofK League 2 play-offs and the eleventh-placed team in K League 1.
| Gangwon FC | 4–1 | Daejeon Hana Citizen |
|---|---|---|
| Lee Jong-hyeon 17' |
Gangwon FC won 4–2 on aggregate and therefore both clubs remain in their respective leagues.
| Player | For | Against | Result | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lim Sang-hyub | Pohang Steelers | Suwon FC | 3–4 | 18 May 2021 |
 Gustavo4 | Jeonbouk Hyundai Motors | Seongnam FC | 1–5 | 6 June 2021 |
 Lars Veldwijk4 | Suwon FC | Ulsan Hyundai | 2–5 | 25 July 2021 |
| Month | Player of the Month | Young Player of the Month | Manager of the Month | Goal of the Month | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Club | Player | Club | Manager | Club | Div. | Player | Club | |
| March | Ki Sung-yueng | Seoul | — | Kim Sang-sik | Jeonbuk | 1 | Kim Min-woo | Suwon | |
| April | Edgar | Daegu | — | Lee Woo-hyung | Anyang | 2 |  Fejsal Mulić | Seongnam | |
| May | Cesinha | Daegu | — | Park Kun-ha | Suwon | 1 | Lee Ki-je | Suwon | |
| June | — | — | Kim Tae-wan | Gimcheon | 2 | Paik Seung-ho | Jeonbuk | ||
| July | — | — | Jo Sung-hwan | Incheon | 1 | Lars Veldwijk | Suwon FC | ||
| August | Gustavo | Jeonbuk | Eom Ji-sung | Gwangju | Hong Myung-bo | Ulsan | 1 | Lee Chung-yong | Ulsan |
| September | Cho Young-wook | Seoul | Seol Young-woo | Ulsan | Lee Byung-keun | Daegu | 1 | Paik Seung-ho | Jeonbuk |
| October | Lee Dong-gyeong | Ulsan | Um Won-sang | Gwangju | Nam Ki-il | Jeju | 1 | Lee Hee-gyun | Gwangju |
| November | Hong Jeong-ho | Jeonbuk | Seol Young-woo | Ulsan | An Ik-soo | Seoul | 1 | Moon Seon-min | Jeonbuk |
The 2021 K League Awards was held on 7 December 2021.[4]
| Award | Winner | Club |
|---|---|---|
| Most Valuable Player | Hong Jeong-ho | Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors |
| Young Player of the Year | Seol Young-woo | Ulsan Hyundai |
| Top goalscorer | Joo Min-kyu | Jeju United |
| Top assist provider | Kim Bo-kyung | Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors |
| Manager of the Year | Kim Sang-sik | Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors |
| Position | Best XI | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goalkeeper | Jo Hyeon-woo (Ulsan) | |||
| Defenders | Kang Sang-woo (Pohang) | Hong Jeong-ho (Jeonbuk) |  Dave Bulthuis(Ulsan) | Lee Ki-je (Suwon) |
| Midfielders | Lee Dong-jun (Ulsan) | Cesinha (Daegu) |  Valeri Qazaishvili(Ulsan) | Lim Sang-hyub (Pohang) |
| Forwards | Lars Veldwijk (Suwon FC) | Joo Min-kyu (Jeju) | ||
On 12 December 2021,Gangwon FC andDaejeon Hana Citizen faced one another in the second leg of the Promotion-relegation play-offs, with the latter team finding himself in advantage after winning the first leg 1–0. Played atGangneung Stadium, Gangwon's home soil, the match saw the hosts secure a 4–1 comeback victory and maintain their spot in K League 1. However, the game was marred by a series ofincidents, occurring between the first and the second half. AfterHan Kook-young had scored Gangwon's third goal in the 31st minute, theball boys around the stadium reportedly started to delay giving the ball back to Daejeon players, an event that happened multiple times during the match and was possibly meant to waste time in favour of the hosts: the fans in the away sector reacted furiously, with some of them throwingplastic bottles in direction of one of the ball boys. The game still went ahead, as six minutes of extra time were added at the end of the second half. TheK League administration decided to open an official investigation on the controversial events.[5][6]
When asked to talk about the incidents, Gangwon's directorLee Young-pyo originally dismissed them, pointing out that similar instances were already common inEuropean football, but later apologized, saying that he felt "direct responsibility" for the "unsmooth match" and promising that he would work so that Gangwon FC would become "a mature club" in the future.[5] Meanwhile, on 21 December, just hours before K League's final disciplinary meeting took place, the Daejeon board released an official response to the matter, stating that there was "clear evidence of the game delays being intentional and organized", as well as noticing that such acts violated the league'sCode of Ethics for fair play and respect.[5][7]
In the end, the league's administration decided to keep the final score unchanged: however, Gangwon FC was fined 30 millionSouth Korean Won (US$25,000) for the episodes of time wasting, whereas Daejeon Hana Citizen was fined 2 million South Korean Won (US$1,677) for their fans' behavior towards one of the ball boys.[5][6]
