Stage set for K League showdown as FC Seoul lock in last spot in top six

The weekend's K League fixtures decided which of the 12 clubs enter the 6-team race for the title and which end up in a 6-way fight to avoid relegation, with FC Seoul making it into the top six and Gwangju FC narrowly missing the cut

FC Seoul celebrate their win over Gangwon FC in a K League 1 match at Seoul World Cup Stadium in western Seoul on Aug. 24. [K LEAGUE]

The weekend's K League 1 fixtures decided which of the 12 clubs enter the six-team race for the title and which end up in a six-way fight to avoid relegation, with FC Seoul making it into the top six for the first time in five years and Gwangju FC narrowly missing the cut to enter the relegation fight.

In the K League 1, the 12 clubs are split into two groups after playing 33 matches, competing exclusively in those groups for the final five games of the season. The top six teams enter the so-called Final A group where they compete for both the title and spots in continental competitions, while the bottom six enter the Final B and the fight to avoid relegation.

Points are carried over from the previous 33 matches, but the teams are tied to those groups for the rest of the season. It's theoretically possible for a seventh-placed team to enter the Final B group with enough points to avoid relegation, but it is impossible for them to climb out of the group for a run at the title.

With two matches remaining for the 12 teams until the split and seven points separating sixth-place FC Seoul and seventh-place Gwangju, the two are now unable to change their fates, even if the capital side secure zero points and the southern club win six in the next two league games.

Alongside No. 6 FC Seoul, five other teams will compete for the league title: League leaders Ulsan HD, No. 2 Gimcheon Sangmu, No. 3 Gangwon FC, No. 4 Suwon FC and No. 5 Pohang Steelers.

The league title seems within reach even for FC Seoul, as only eight points separate defending champions Ulsan with 55 and fifth-place Seoul as of Monday. Seven league fixtures remain for all 12 clubs.

For Ulsan, a victory this season would be their third straight league title, a feat the club has never achieved before. The win will also mean defending the title despite new coach Kim Pan-gon taking the helm in the middle of the season after Hong Myung-bo abruptly left the team in July to coach the Korean national team.

Ulsan HD manager Kim Pan-gon, left, encourages Joo Min-kyu during a K League 1 match against Daegu FC at Munsu Football Stadium in Ulsan on Aug. 10. [NEWS1]

As for FC Seoul, lifting the league trophy would mark their first time doing so since 2016.

For military club Gimcheon, winning would make the current players on the books the first players to lift the league trophy while serving in the military. Gimcheon is a military club that players join to complete their 18-month military service.

For both Gangwon and Suwon, victory would mean a complete transition in one season. The two barely avoided relegation last season after winning the promotion-relegation playoffs.

The Steelers, meanwhile, have a chance to secure their second-straight trophy after winning the 2023 FA Cup.

Over in the bottom group, No. 7 Gwangju will vie to avoid slipping down to the K League 2 with No. 8 Jeju United, No. 9 Daejeon Hana Citizen, No. 10 Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, No. 11 Daegu FC and last-place Incheon United.

In the K League 1, the last-place team faces relegation to the K League 2 at the end of the season, while the 10th and 11th-place teams will play promotion-relegation playoffs with two K League 2 sides to decide which teams secure berths in the top tier next season.

A notable team in the bottom group is Jeonbuk, as they are the only club with league titles in the past decade, having won the league seven times from 2014 to 2021.

Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors' Lee Seung-woo, right, looks on during a K League 1 match against Gwangju FC at Jeonju World Cup Stadium in Jeonju, North Jeolla on Aug. 9. [NEWS1]

This year is the first time Jeonbuk have ever entered the bottom group, having spent a difficult season with a poor run that saw them exit from every trophy race.

Relegation for the nine-time K League 1 champions would mark the fall of another trophy-rich club, after the Suwon Samsung Bluewings last year.

The Bluewings, who have four K League 1 titles and five FA Cups, now called the Korea Cup, faced direct relegation to the K League 2 for the first time after finishing at the bottom of the table.

The K League 1 will continue this week with reigning champions Ulsan facing Daejeon and Steelers playing Incheon on Friday.

BY PAIK JI-HWAN [paik.jihwan@joongang.co.kr]