 | |||
| Full name | Incheon United Football Club 인천 유나이티드 프로축구단 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Short name | IUFC | ||
| Founded | 2003; 22 years ago (2003) | ||
| Ground | Incheon Football Stadium | ||
| Capacity | 20,891 | ||
| Owner | Incheon Government | ||
| Chairman | Yoo Jeong-bok (Mayor of Incheon) | ||
| Head coach | Yoon Jong-hwan | ||
| League | K League 1 | ||
| 2025 | K League 2, 1st of 14 (promoted) | ||
| Website | incheonutd.com | ||
Incheon United FC (Korean:인천 유나이티드 FC) is a South Korean professionalfootball club based inIncheon that competes in theK League 1, the top tier ofSouth Korean football. Founded in 2003, the club is a so-called "community club", with the government of the city of Incheon being its key shareholder. The club's home stadium is theIncheon Football Stadium.
Officially founded at the end of the 2003 season, the move to create a professional football club in Incheon had come about in part by the construction of theIncheon Munhak Stadium for the2002 FIFA World Cup.[1] Mayor of IncheonAhn Sang-soo began the process of creating a new club in earnest in June 2003 with the official founding of Incheon FC. GermanWerner Lorant was appointed as manager in September of that year, assisted byChang Woe-ryong and Kim Si-seok.
A public share issue was launched and ran from October to November 2003 and in December, the nameIncheon United was adopted.[2] Sponsorship contracts worth a total of $4m were signed withGM Daewoo and Daeduk Construction Company, whilePuma supplied the club's kits.
Lorant and his coaching staff recruited several high-profile players in a bid to make an impact on the league in the club's debut season in 2004. Goalkeeper Shim Bum-chul was recruited along with talented youngstersChoi Tae-uk,Kim Chi-woo and popular Japanese playmakerMasakiyo Maezono. The most high-profile of the imports was Turkish international defenderAlpay Özalan, recruited from EnglishPremier League sideAston Villa.
The club's first K-League match was a home encounter withJeonbuk Hyundai Motors on 3 April 2004 which ended in a goalless draw. Their first league victory came in the third game of the season, also at home, as aJasenko Sabitovic'sown goal gave them a 1–0 victory over defending championsSeongnam Ilhwa Chunma.
Despite that promising start to the year, Incheon recorded just one more victory in the first stage of the season and finished bottom of the table on just nine points. Manager Lorant stepped down as manager at the end of August, and he was replaced in the hotseat by his assistantChang Woe-Ryong as caretaker manager. Caretaker manager Chang Woe-Ryong made instant impacts on the side as the club finished fourth overall in the second stage of the league season, remaining in the race to claim victory in the stage until the final day.
Chang was confirmed as permanent Incheon manager in January 2005 as the club prepared to embark on what was to become a memorable season. The team finished as runners-up in the first stage of the league season and joint third in the second stage of the K League, qualifying for the post-season championship playoffs by virtue of having the best overall record. Incheon faced first stage winnersBusan I'Park in the semi-finals, defeating them by a 2–0 scoreline to set up a championship final againstUlsan Hyundai Horang-i. In the first leg of the final at the Munhak stadium, goalkeeperKim Lee-sub endured a torrid 90 minutes as Ulsan hit the back of the net five times, withDženan Radončić netting a late consolation goal for the home side.Sung Kyung-mo replaced Kim in the Incheon goal for the second leg, and though United claimed a 2–1 victory they lost out on the title 6–3 on aggregate, but finished their second season in existence as K League runners-up. This season was reproduced in a film, as a documentary "Fly Up" (Korean:비상) was released on 14 December 2006.[3]
Incheon United also finished the 2005 season with the highest total and average home attendance in the league, with 316,591 spectators in total and an average of 24,353.[4]
After a remarkable 2005 season, Incheon United failed to continue its success. Although they reached semi-final in theFA Cup for two consecutive seasons in2006 and2007, they failed to make theplayoff. Before the2009 season, Incheon United appointedIlija Petković, who had managedSerbia-Montenegro in the2006 FIFA World Cup as their manager and finished 5th in the league, proceeding to theK League Championship. However, they lost toSeongnam Ilhwa Chunma in the first round after apenalty shoot-out.
In the middle of the2010 season, Petković suddenly resigned due to his wife's health problems. Three months later, Incheon United appointedHuh Jung-moo, who had just ledSouth Korea to the Round of 16 in the2010 FIFA World Cup, as their next manager. In the 2010 season, Incheon United produced their first everK League Top Scorer as strikerYoo Byung-soo managed to score 22 goals in 28 appearances, becoming the youngest player in the K League history to win the award.
Before the2012 season, Incheon United unveiled their new uniform which used blue as the main color and red lines on the shoulder, instead of their traditional blue and black stripes. Although the club explained that the design was created based on the inaugural season's uniform, supporters were furious with the club's decision to abandon their traditional stripes. Incheon manager Huh Jung-moo also lost fans' support as he openly expressed disagreement with the fans' concern over the issue.[5] Huh Jung-moo eventually resigned in the middle of the season after a poor start.Kim Bong-gil took over as a caretaker manager and on 16 July 2012, he was officially appointed as the manager of the club.
Meanwhile, Incheon United suffered from a financial crisis. Rumors about the city of Incheon trying to sell the club were published through media. According to the reports, the club had been suffering from a budget deficit for years and the city could not afford to spend more on the club because of the2014 Asian Games.[6] It was also later revealed that the club had been failing to pay the wages for the players on time for two months.[7] As a consequence, key players were forced out, such asJung In-whan,Jeong Hyuk,Lee Kyu-ro,Han Kyo-won,Kim Nam-il andIvo. Despite the hardships, Kim Bong-gil managed to save the club from relegation. However, the club decided to sack him after the2014 season.
Incheon planned to appointLee Lim-saeng as their next manager, but he eventually refused to take the seat as he was concerned with the club's controversial sacking of Kim Bong-gil.[8]
Former strikerKim Do-hoon replaced Kim Bong-gil on 13 January 2015. In his debut season as a manager, he led Incheon to theFA Cup final, the first cup final for the club. Despite losing 3–1 toFC Seoul, the club was praised by the media and was dubbed the "wolves" for their teamwork and fighting spirit.[citation needed] Over the next several seasons, the club under several managers would go on to earn the 'survival king' nickname by both fans and media due to continuously narrowly avoiding relegation.[9]
In the2022 K League 1 season, Incheon finished fourth, qualifying them for theAFC Champions League for the first time. In their debut continental campaign in2023–24, the club defeated2022 J1 League championsYokohama F. Marinos both at home and away.[10] However, their consecutive defeats toChinese Super League sideShandong Taishan left them unable to progress beyond the group stage.[11]
The club ended the2023 K League 1 season in fifth place, making them unable to qualify for a continental competition. In2024, the club was relegated for the first time in its history, finishing dead last.[12]
In December 2024, Incheon appointedYoon Jong-hwan as their new manager, who ledGangwon FC to a historic second-place finish in 2024.[13] After defeatingGyeongnam FC 3–0 at home, Incheon cliched the2025 K League 2 title with three games to go and immediately returned to the top flight.[14]
Incheon United usedIncheon Munhak Stadium, which was built for the2002 FIFA World Cup, from its debut season to 2011. However, because it was built as amulti-purpose stadium, it was too large and did not provide a good view for spectators.[citation needed] Since the2012 season, they have been using the 20,891-capacityIncheon Football Stadium, which was built for the2014 Asian Games.
The club's modern training center, the IUFC Football Center (인천 유나이티드 FC 축구센터), opened in May 2022. Built inYeonsu District at a cost of over 13 billion won, Incheon became the last top flight club to have its own training center.[15]
Incheon's official supporters' group is called 'blueblack' (파랑검정).[16]
The club shares strong rivalries versusFC Seoul (Gyeongin Derby) andSuwon Samsung Bluewings (Suin Line Derby), two other clubs in theSeoul Metropolitan Area. Over 51,000 fans attended the Gyeongin Derby match in March 2024.[17] In a home match against Seoul in May of the same year, fans threw water bottles at Seoul players, resulting in a fine for Incheon United.[18]
The club's local rivalry is withBucheon FC 1995, based in the neighboring city ofBucheon. The rivalry has been dubbed the '032 Derby', due to both Incheon and Bucheon sharing the 032 calling code.[19]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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12 –Fans of the club (the 12th Man)
| Season | Division | Teams | Pos. | Cup |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 1 | 13 | 12 | Round of 32 |
| 2005 | 1 | 13 | 2 | Round of 16 |
| 2006 | 1 | 14 | 9 | Semi-final |
| 2007 | 1 | 14 | 9 | Semi-final |
| 2008 | 1 | 14 | 7 | Round of 32 |
| 2009 | 1 | 15 | 6 | Round of 32 |
| 2010 | 1 | 15 | 11 | Quarter-final |
| 2011 | 1 | 16 | 13 | Round of 16 |
| 2012 | 1 | 16 | 9 | Round of 16 |
| 2013 | 1 | 14 | 7 | Quarter-final |
| 2014 | 1 | 12 | 10 | Round of 32 |
| 2015 | 1 | 12 | 8 | Runners-up |
| 2016 | 1 | 12 | 10 | Quarter-final |
| 2017 | 1 | 12 | 9 | Round of 32 |
| 2018 | 1 | 12 | 9 | Round of 16 |
| 2019 | 1 | 12 | 10 | Round of 32 |
| 2020 | 1 | 12 | 11 | Third round |
| 2021 | 1 | 12 | 8 | Third round |
| 2022 | 1 | 12 | 4 | Third round |
| 2023 | 1 | 12 | 5 | Semi-final |
| 2024 | 1 | 12 | 12 | Quarter-final |
| 2025 | 2 | 14 | 1 | Round of 16 |
All results list Incheon United's goal tally first.
| Season | Competition | Round | Opponent | Home | Away | Aggregate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023–24 | AFC Champions League | Play-off round |  Haiphong | 3–1 (a.e.t.) | ||
| Group G |  Yokohama F. Marinos | 2–1 | 4–2 | 3rd out of 4 (eliminated) | ||
 Kaya–Iloilo | 4–0 | 3–1 | ||||
 Shandong Taishan | 0–2 | 1–3 | ||||
| No. | Name | From | To | Season(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Werner Lorant | 2003/09/25 | 2004/08/30 | 2004 |
| C |  Chang Woe-ryong | 2004/08/31 | 2005/01/02 | 2004 |
| 2 | Chang Woe-ryong | 2005/01/03 | 2006/12/28 | 2005–2006 |
| C | Park Lee-chun | 2007/01/04 | 2007/12/20 | 2007 |
| 2 | Chang Woe-ryong | 2007/12/21 | 2008/12/09 | 2008 |
| 3 |  Ilija Petković | 2009/01/29 | 2010/06/08 | 2009–2010 |
| C | Kim Bong-gil | 2010/06/27 | 2010/08/21 | 2010 |
| 4 | Huh Jung-moo | 2010/08/23 | 2012/04/11 | 2010–2012 |
| C | Kim Bong-gil | 2012/04/12 | 2012/07/15 | 2012 |
| 5 | Kim Bong-gil | 2012/07/16 | 2014/12/19 | 2012–2014 |
| 6 | Kim Do-hoon | 2015/01/13 | 2016/08/31 | 2015–2016 |
| C | Lee Ki-hyung | 2016/08/31 | 2016/11/29 | 2016 |
| 7 | Lee Ki-hyung | 2016/11/29 | 2018/05/11 | 2017–2018 |
| C | Park Sung-chul | 2018/05/11 | 2018/06/02 | 2018 |
| 8 |  Jørn Andersen | 2018/06/09 | 2019/04/15 | 2018–2019 |
| C | Lim Joong-yong | 2019/04/15 | 2019/05/14 | 2019 |
| 9 | Yoo Sang-chul | 2019/05/14 | 2020/01/02 | 2019 |
| 10 | Lim Wan-sup | 2020/02/06 | 2020/06/28 | 2020 |
| C | Lim Joong-yong | 2020/06/29 | 2020/08/06 | 2020 |
| 11 | Jo Sung-hwan | 2020/08/07 | 2024/07/05 | 2020–2024 |
| C | Byun Jae-sub | 2024/07/06 | 2024/07/31 | 2024 |
| 12 | Choi Young-keun | 2024/08/01 | 2024/12/21 | 2024 |
| 13 | Yoon Jong-hwan | 2024/12/22 | present | 2025– |
