Members of the Korea men’s national football team train at Toyota Sports Center in Nagoya, Sunday, ahead of the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games. Yonhap
There was once a time when football fans in Korea could look ahead to the AFC Champions League Elite with the expectation that a K League team would lift the trophy — or at least that one or two Korean clubs would challenge deep into the competition. Still, the Land of the Morning Calm has 12 Asian wins with Saudi Arabia and Japan next with eight each.
But few believe 12 will become 13. There is hope that the Pohang Steelers, Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors or Daejeon Hana Citizen can go all the way, but it would be a surprise. The K League is no longer the top dog and has fallen down the football club rankings.
On the surface, the opening round looks familiar as the competition begins on Tuesday. Pohang, a three-time champion, travels to China to face Beijing Guoan. Jeonbuk, a two-time winner, hosts Japan’s Kashiwa Reysol, while Daejeon faces Kyoto Sanga, another Japanese opponent.
The 32 teams are divided into two regional league tables, one in the east and one in the west. The top eight teams from each region advance to the round of 16, with the quarter-finals, semifinals and final to follow in May.
Last season, two Korean teams — FC Seoul and Gangwon FC — reached the round of 16. Both were eliminated by Japanese opposition: Seoul by Vissel Kobe and Gangwon by Machida Zelvia. Before that, Korea had enjoyed a golden era. Jeonbuk won the title in 2006 and 2016, Pohang lifted the trophy in 2009, Seongnam did so in 2010, and Ulsan triumphed in 2012 and 2020. Seoul reached the final in 2013, two years after Jeonbuk had done the same.
From 2006 to 2020, Korean clubs were a dominant force. Now, however, Japan is in the ascendancy in the east. Last season, all three of the region’s semifinalists were J.League clubs, following the previous season, when two of the three places were occupied by Japanese teams. It remains to be seen how Jeonbuk and Pohang measure up against their Japanese counterparts. These days, clubs from Thailand and Malaysia also tend to have deeper pockets and stronger squads than Korean teams, which was not the case in the past.
There is another challenge beyond the round of 16. The quarter-finals onwards will be staged in Saudi Arabia, where Korean clubs could face teams backed by vastly greater financial resources. Saudi clubs have spent heavily on high-profile players, while Al-Nassr have Cristiano Ronaldo and Sadio Mane.
If a Korean team makes it that far, it will have to travel to West Asia in the middle of the season and face opponents with greater financial backing in a centralized tournament environment. Then there is the long journey and the different climate and conditions. Winning the title will therefore be hugely difficult for any East Asian club.
It is unfair. Much has changed in Asian club football in recent years. Korea still has three representatives in the Champions League, however, and while expectations are low, Jeonbuk and Pohang remain respected names across the continent.