 | |
| Organising body | K League Federation |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2013; 12 years ago (2013) |
| Country | South Korea |
| Confederation | AFC |
| Number of clubs | 14 |
| Level onpyramid | 2 |
| Promotion to | K League 1 |
| Domestic cup | Korean FA Cup |
| Current champions | Incheon United (1st title) (2025) |
| Most championships | Gwangju FC Sangju Sangmu Gimcheon Sangmu (2 titles each) |
| Broadcaster(s) | Sky Sports (South Korea) Life & Sports TV |
| Website | kleague.com |
| Current:2025 K League 2 | |
TheK League 2 (Korean: K리그2) is the men's second-highest division of theSouth Korean football league system. It is contested between fourteen professional clubs and operates on apromotion and relegation system withK League 1.
In 2011, the originalK League announced a plan to begin apromotion and relegation system between the K League and a proposed second division.[1] The K League then took steps to create the new second division, mainly with the addition of a split-system during the2012 K-League season in which the bottom clubs are placed in a competition for safety with the last placed club being relegated to the new second division (originally it was going to be two clubs relegated but the withdrawal ofSangju Sangmu meant only one would be relegated).[2][3]
The second division was going to get the name of K League, and the original K League's name was changed to K League Classic along with the new logo.[4] However, the change caused some degree of confusion and controversy, and on 11 March 2013 the official name was changed to K League Challenge.[5][6] On 22 January 2018, its name was once again changed to K League 2.[7]
In the2014 season, two additional teams were relegated from the K League Classic, reducing the number of participating teams to ten. Furthermore, the promotion-relegation playoff system was expanded. The league champion earned automatic promotion, while the third and fourth-placed teams competed in a playoff. The winner of this match faced the second-placed team, and the victor of this fixture advanced to the promotion-relegation playoff against the 11th-placed team from the K League Classic.[8]
In mid-2016, the city ofAnsan announced the formation of a new professional football club,Ansan Greeners FC. The club's foundation involved acquiring the squad ofUlsan Hyundai Mipo Dockyard Dolphins, a team with sevenNational League titles, and entering the league from the2017 season.[9] As a result of this development,Ansan Mugunghwa, which had previously represented Ansan, was dissolved at the conclusion of the2016 season. Meanwhile, the police football team, which had served as the foundation for Ansan Mugunghwa, reached an agreement with the city of Asan to relocate and rebrand as Asan Mugunghwa.[10]
The regular season consists of 39 rounds. Each team plays a total of 36 games, playing each other three times in a tripleround-robin tournament. As there is an odd number of teams in the league, one team rests each round. Teams receivethree points for a win and one point for a draw. No points are awarded for a loss. Teams are ranked by total points. In the case that teams are level on points, tie-breakers are applied in the following order:
The K League 2 champions gain automatic promotion toK League 1.[11]
The K League 2 runners-up play against the eleventh-placed team in K League 1 in the first of twopromotion-relegation play-offs. The fourth and fifth-placed teams in K League 2 play against each other in the first round of the K League 2 play-offs, with the winner facing the third-placed team in the second round. The winner of the K League 2 play-offs plays against the tenth-placed team in K League 1 in the second promotion-relegation play-off.[11]
| Club | Location | Stadium | First season | Current spell | Seasons[a] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ansan Greeners | Ansan | Ansan Wa~ Stadium | 2017 | 2017– | 9 |
| Bucheon FC 1995 | Bucheon | Bucheon Stadium | 2013 | 2013– | 13 |
| Busan IPark | Busan | Busan Gudeok Stadium | 2016 | 2021– | 9 |
| Cheonan City | Cheonan | Cheonan Stadium | 2023 | 2023– | 3 |
| Chungbuk Cheongju | Cheongju | Cheongju Sports Complex Stadium | 2023 | 2023– | 3 |
| Chungnam Asan | Asan | Yi Sun-sin Stadium | 2020 | 2020– | 6 |
| Gimpo FC | Gimpo | Gimpo Solteo Football Stadium | 2022 | 2022– | 4 |
| Gyeongnam FC | Changwon | Changwon Football Center | 2015 | 2020– | 9 |
| Hwaseong FC | Hwaseong | Hwaseong Stadium | 2025 | 2025– | 1 |
| Incheon United | Incheon | Incheon Football Stadium | 2025 | 2025– | 1 |
| Jeonnam Dragons | South Jeolla | Gwangyang Football Stadium | 2019 | 2019– | 7 |
| Seongnam FC | Seongnam | Tancheon Stadium | 2017 | 2023– | 5 |
| Seoul E-Land | Seoul | Mokdong Stadium | 2015 | 2015– | 11 |
| Suwon Samsung Bluewings | Suwon | Suwon World Cup Stadium | 2024 | 2024– | 2 |
| Club | Champions | Runners-up | Seasons won | Seasons runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gwangju FC | 2 | 1 | 2019, 2022 | 2014 |
| Sangju Sangmu | 2 | 0 | 2013, 2015 | — |
| Gimcheon Sangmu | 2 | 0 | 2021, 2023 | — |
| Daejeon Hana Citizen | 1 | 2 | 2014 | 2021, 2022 |
| Ansan Mugunghwa[a] | 1 | 1 | 2016 | 2013 |
| Gyeongnam FC | 1 | 0 | 2017 | — |
| Asan Mugunghwa[a] | 1 | 0 | 2018 | — |
| Jeju SK | 1 | 0 | 2020 | — |
| FC Anyang | 1 | 0 | 2024 | — |
| Incheon United | 1 | 0 | 2025 | — |
| Busan IPark | 0 | 3 | — | 2017, 2019, 2023 |
| Suwon FC | 0 | 2 | — | 2015, 2020 |
| Daegu FC | 0 | 1 | — | 2016 |
| Seongnam FC | 0 | 1 | — | 2018 |
| Chungnam Asan | 0 | 1 | — | 2024 |
| Suwon Samsung Bluewings | 0 | 1 | — | 2025 |
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