| Season | 2022 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 19 February – 29 October 2022 |
| Champions | Ulsan Hyundai (3rd title) |
| Relegated | Gimcheon Sangmu Seongnam FC |
| Champions League | Ulsan Hyundai Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors Pohang Steelers Incheon United |
| Matches played | 228 |
| Best Player | Lee Chung-yong |
| Top goalscorer | Cho Gue-sung Joo Min-kyu (17 goals each) |
←2021 2023 → | |
The2022 K League 1, also known as theHana 1Q K League 1 for sponsorship reasons, was the 40th season of the top division of professionalfootball in South Korea, and the tenth season of theK League 1.
After progressing 33 regular rounds as ever, 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 will compete in the K League 1 during the 2022 season.[1]
| Team | City/Province | Abbreviation |
|---|---|---|
| Daegu FC | Daegu | Daegu |
| Gangwon FC | Gangwon | Gangwon |
| Gimcheon Sangmu | Gimcheon | Gimcheon |
| 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 FC | Suwon | Suwon FC |
| Suwon Samsung Bluewings | Suwon | Suwon |
| 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 | Ulsan Hyundai | Suwon Samsung Bluewings |
| Seoul World Cup Stadium | Ulsan Munsu Football Stadium | Suwon World Cup Stadium |
| Capacity:66,704 | Capacity:44,102 | Capacity:44,031 |
 |  |  |
| Gimcheon Sangmu | Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | |
| Gimcheon Stadium | Jeonju World Cup Stadium | |
| Capacity:25,000 | Capacity:42,477 | |
 | ||
| Gangwon FC | ||
| Chuncheon Songam Leports Town | Gangneung Stadium | |
| Capacity:20,000 | Capacity:22,333 | |
 | ||
| Team | Manager | Main sponsor | Kit manufacturer | Other sponsor(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daegu FC |  Choi Won-kwon (caretaker) | Daegu Government | Goal Studio | DGB Daegu Bank AJIN Industrial Co., Ltd. |
| Gangwon FC | Choi Yong-soo | Gangwon Provincial Government | Fila | Kangwon Land |
| Gimcheon Sangmu | Kim Tae-wan | Republic of Korea Armed Forces Gimcheon Government | Kelme | |
| Incheon United | Jo Sung-hwan | Incheon Government | Macron | Shinhan Bank Incheon International Airport |
| Jeju United | Nam Ki-il | SK Energy | Fila | |
| Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | Kim Sang-sik | Hyundai Motor Company | Adidas | |
| Pohang Steelers | Kim Gi-dong | POSCO | Puma | Pohang Government |
| Seongnam FC | Chung Kyung-ho (caretaker) | Seongnam Government | Umbro | |
| FC Seoul | An Ik-soo | GS Group | Pro-Specs | |
| Suwon Samsung Bluewings | Lee Byung-keun | Cheil Worldwide | Puma | Samsung Electronics |
| Suwon FC | Kim Do-kyun | Suwon Government | Hummel | |
| Ulsan Hyundai | Hong Myung-bo | Hyundai Heavy Industries | Adidas | 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. Gimcheon Sangmu FC, being a military-owned team, is not allowed to sign any foreign players. A team could use five foreign players on the field each game, including at least one player from the AFC confederation.
North Korean playerAn Byong-jun was deemed as a native player in K League by South Korean law and passport.
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 | Ulsan Hyundai(C) | 38 | 22 | 10 | 6 | 57 | 33 | +24 | 76 | Qualification forChampions League group stage |
| 2 | Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | 38 | 21 | 10 | 7 | 56 | 36 | +20 | 73 | |
| 3 | Pohang Steelers | 38 | 16 | 12 | 10 | 52 | 41 | +11 | 60 | |
| 4 | Incheon United | 38 | 13 | 15 | 10 | 46 | 42 | +4 | 54 | Qualification forChampions League play-off round |
| 5 | Jeju United | 38 | 14 | 10 | 14 | 52 | 50 | +2 | 52 | |
| 6 | Gangwon FC | 38 | 14 | 7 | 17 | 50 | 52 | −2 | 49 | |
| 7 | Suwon FC | 38 | 13 | 9 | 16 | 56 | 63 | −7 | 48 | |
| 8 | Daegu FC | 38 | 10 | 16 | 12 | 52 | 59 | −7 | 46 | |
| 9 | FC Seoul | 38 | 11 | 13 | 14 | 43 | 47 | −4 | 46 | |
| 10 | Suwon Samsung Bluewings(O) | 38 | 11 | 11 | 16 | 44 | 49 | −5 | 44 | Qualification forrelegation play-offs |
| 11 | Gimcheon Sangmu(R) | 38 | 8 | 14 | 16 | 45 | 48 | −3 | 38 | |
| 12 | Seongnam FC(R) | 38 | 7 | 9 | 22 | 37 | 70 | −33 | 30 | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ulsan Hyundai | 6 | 3 | 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 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | 4 | 5 | 7 | 9 | 11 | 11 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Pohang Steelers | 1 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Incheon United | 4 | 5 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Jeju United | 12 | 10 | 9 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Gangwon FC | 2 | 3 | 6 | 4 | 7 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 6 |
| Suwon FC | 8 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 7 |
| FC Seoul | 2 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 11 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 |
| Daegu FC | 10 | 9 | 8 | 10 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 11 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 9 |
| Gimcheon Sangmu | 6 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 10 |
| Suwon Samsung Bluewings | 8 | 8 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 11 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 11 |
| Seongnam FC | 10 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 |
| Team ╲ Round | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ulsan Hyundai | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Pohang Steelers | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Incheon United | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Jeju United | 6 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Gangwon FC | 5 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
| Suwon FC | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 |
| Daegu FC | 9 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 8 |
| FC Seoul | 8 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 |
| Suwon Samsung Bluewings | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 |
| Gimcheon Sangmu | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 |
| Seongnam FC | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 |
Teams played each other twice, once at home, once away.
| Home \ Away | DGU | GWN | GCS | ICU | JJU | JHM | PHS | SNM | SEL | SSB | SWN | USH |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daegu FC | — | 3–0 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 0–2 | 3–0 | 0–0 | 1–1 |
| Gangwon FC | 2–0 | — | 3–2 | 0–1 | 4–2 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–3 |
| Gimcheon Sangmu | 1–1 | 1–0 | — | 0–1 | 4–0 | 1–2 | 3–2 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 0–2 |
| Incheon United | 2–2 | 4–1 | 1–0 | — | 2–2 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 1–1 |
| Jeju United | 0–0 | 0–0 | 3–1 | 2–1 | — | 2–0 | 0–3 | 3–2 | 2–2 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 1–2 |
| Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 0–2 | — | 0–1 | 3–2 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 0–1 |
| Pohang Steelers | 1–1 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 0–1 | — | 1–0 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 |
| Seongnam FC | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–3 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 0–4 | 1–4 | — | 0–0 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 0–2 |
| FC Seoul | 2–1 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 0–1 | — | 2–0 | 3–1 | 1–2 |
| Suwon Samsung Bluewings | 1–1 | 2–2 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 0–1 | — | 1–0 | 1–0 |
| Suwon FC | 4–3 | 2–4 | 3–2 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 3–4 | 4–3 | 3–0 | — | 1–2 |
| Ulsan Hyundai | 3–1 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 2–2 | 1–0 | 1–3 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 2–1 | — |
Teams played each other once, either at home or away.
| Home \ Away | DGU | GWN | GCS | ICU | JJU | JHM | PHS | SNM | SEL | SSB | SWN | USH |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daegu FC | — | — | 0–0 | 2–3 | — | 0–5 | — | 1–0 | 3–0 | 1–2 | — | — |
| Gangwon FC | 1–0 | — | 0–1 | — | 2–1 | 2–1 | — | — | — | — | 2–3 | — |
| Gimcheon Sangmu | — | — | — | 1–0 | 1–2 | 2–2 | 0–1 | — | 1–2 | — | — | 1–2 |
| Incheon United | — | 0–1 | — | — | — | 3–1 | — | — | 2–0 | — | 1–1 | 0–0 |
| Jeju United | 2–2 | — | — | 0–1 | — | — | 5–0 | 1–2 | — | 1–2 | — | 1–1 |
| Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | — | — | — | — | 1–0 | — | 2–2 | 1–0 | 0–0 | — | — | 1–1 |
| Pohang Steelers | 4–1 | 2–1 | — | 1–1 | — | — | — | — | 1–2 | — | — | — |
| Seongnam FC | — | 0–4 | 1–4 | 3–1 | — | — | 1–1 | — | — | — | 2–1 | 2–0 |
| FC Seoul | — | 1–0 | — | — | 0–2 | — | — | 2–0 | — | 1–3 | 2–2 | — |
| Suwon Samsung Bluewings | — | 2–3 | 0–0 | 3–3 | — | 2–3 | 0–2 | 4–1 | — | — | — | — |
| Suwon FC | 2–2 | — | 2–1 | — | 2–2 | 0–1 | 1–0 | — | — | 4–2 | — | — |
| Ulsan Hyundai | 4–0 | 2–1 | — | — | — | — | 1–2 | — | 1–1 | 1–0 | 2–0 | — |
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 tenth-placed team and the eleventh-placed team played against the play-offs winners and the runners-up of theK League 2, respectively, in the relegation play-offs.
| Team 1 | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FC Anyang | 1–2 | Suwon Samsung Bluewings | 0–0 | 1–2 (a.e.t.) |
| Daejeon Hana Citizen | 6–1 | Gimcheon Sangmu | 2–1 | 4–0 |
| Suwon Samsung Bluewings | 2–1 (a.e.t.) | FC Anyang |
|---|---|---|
| Report | Acosty 55' |
Suwon Samsung Bluewings won 2–1 on aggregate and therefore both clubs remain in their respective leagues.
Daejeon Hana Citizen won 6–1 on aggregate and was promoted to K League 1, while Gimcheon Sangmu was relegated to K League 2.
Cho Gue-sung, who appeared in less matches thanJoo Min-kyu, won thetop goalscorer award.[2]
| Player | For | Against | Result | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joo Min-kyu | Jeju United | Gimcheon Sangmu | 3–1 | 8 May 2022 |
 Stefan Mugoša | Incheon United | Gangwon FC | 4–1 | 22 June 2022 |
| Month | Player of the Month | Young Player of the Month | Manager of the Month | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Club | Player | Club | Manager | Club | Div. | |
| February/March | Stefan Mugoša | Incheon | Jeon Seong-soo | Seongnam | Hong Myung-bo | Ulsan | 1 |
| April | Stefan Mugoša | Incheon | Yang Hyun-jun | Gangwon | Lee Jung-hyo | Gwangju | 2 |
| May |  Cesinha | Daegu | Hwang Jae-won | Daegu | Nam Ki-il | Jeju | 1 |
| June | Lee Seung-woo | Suwon FC | Yang Hyun-jun | Gangwon | Kim Do-kyun | Suwon FC | 1 |
| July | Gustavo | Jeonbuk | Yang Hyun-jun | Gangwon | Kim Sang-sik | Jeonbuk | 1 |
| August | Hernandes | Incheon | Kim Jin-ho | Gangwon | Jo Sung-hwan | Incheon | 1 |
| September |  Modou Barrow | Jeonbuk | Yang Hyun-jun | Gangwon | Lee Jung-hyo | Gwangju | 2 |
| October | Cesinha | Daegu | Hong Si-hoo | Incheon | Choi Won-kwon | Daegu | 1 |
| Month | Goal of the Month[a] | Performance of the Month | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Club | Player | Club | |
| February |  Jun Amano | Ulsan | — | |
| March | Cho Gue-sung | Gimcheon | — | |
| April | Kim Gyeong-min | Gimcheon | — | |
| May | Joo Min-kyu | Jeju | Lee Seung-woo | Suwon FC |
| June | Lee Seung-woo | Suwon FC | Choi Young-jun | Jeju |
| July | Yang Hyun-jun | Gangwon | Yang Hyun-jun | Gangwon |
| August | Kim Hyun | Suwon FC | Jeon Jin-woo | Suwon |
| September | Oh Hyeon-gyu | Suwon | Sin Jin-ho | Pohang |
| October | Um Won-sang | Ulsan | — | |
The 2022 K League Awards was held on 24 October 2022.[4]
| Award | Winner | Club |
|---|---|---|
| Most Valuable Player | Lee Chung-yong | Ulsan Hyundai |
| Young Player of the Year | Yang Hyun-jun | Gangwon FC |
| Top goalscorer | Cho Gue-sung | Gimcheon Sangmu Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors |
| Top assist provider | Lee Ki-je | Suwon Samsung Bluewings |
| Manager of the Year | Hong Myung-bo | Ulsan Hyundai |
| Position | Best XI | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goalkeeper | Jo Hyeon-woo (Ulsan) | |||
| Defenders | Kim Tae-hwan (Ulsan) | Park Jin-seop (Jeonbuk) | Kim Young-gwon (Ulsan) | Kim Jin-su (Jeonbuk) |
| Midfielders | Lee Chung-yong (Ulsan) | Cesinha (Daegu) | Sin Jin-ho (Pohang) | Kim Dae-won (Gangwon) |
| Forwards | Joo Min-kyu (Jeju) | Cho Gue-sung (Gimcheon,Jeonbuk) | ||
