Head coaches and players of the four K League 1 clubs set to compete at 2025-26 Asian Football Confederation Champions League tournaments pose for photos before their joint press conference at the Korea Football Association House in Seoul on Sept. 4, 2025. From left: Ulsan HD FC head coach Shin Tae-yong and defender Kim Young-gwon; Gangwon FC head coach Chung Kyung-ho and defender Lee You-hyeon; FC Seoul head coach Kim Gi-dong and defender Kim Jin-su; and Pohang Steelers head coach Park Tae-ha and forward Kim In-sung. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
SEOUL, Sept. 4 (Korea Bizwire) — Players set to participate in Asian club football tournaments starting this month said Thursday they will try to make South Korea and the domestic league proud.
Ulsan HD FC, Gangwon FC and FC Seoul of the K League 1 will play in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League Elite, the continent’s top club event. Pohang Steelers, also representing the K League 1, will play in the second-tier AFC Champions League Two.
The opening phases for both tournaments start in two weeks, and the champions will be crowned next spring.
At the players’ joint press conference in Seoul, Ulsan defender Kim Young-gwon said he considers a chance to play at the AFC tournament “a privilege.”
“We haven’t been playing well in the league, and so we want to try to turn things around there,” Kim said, with Ulsan, three-time defending K League 1 champions, stuck in eighth place this season with 10 matches remaining. “But that doesn’t mean we will not take the AFC Champions League seriously. We know the importance of the tournament, and since we had a disappointing showing last year, we want to do much better this time around.”
Players of the four K League 1 clubs set to compete at 2025-26 Asian Football Confederation Champions League tournaments attend their joint press conference at the Korea Football Association House in Seoul on Sept. 4, 2025. From left: Kim Young-gwon of Ulsan HD FC, Lee You-hyeon of Gangwon FC, Kim Jin-su of FC Seoul and Kim In-sung of Pohang Steelers. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
Despite winning the K League 1 in 2024, Ulsan didn’t make it past the league phase at the AFC tournament last season, while recording just one victory in their seven matches.
Kim is a veteran of the AFC competition, having won the 2013 and 2015 titles while playing for the Chinese club Guangzhou Evergrande. He will be making his 12th AFC Champions League appearance this season.
“Personally, I would like to see every other team in the K League have a chance to play at this tournament,” the 35-year-old said. “If you go through a season playing both league matches and continental matches, it gives you a chance to grow and to get noticed by others so that you can go play in an even better league and get selected for the national team.”
Pohang forward Kim In-sung, another 35-year-old veteran with six previous trips to AFC tournaments, noted that playing well in the continental event can also help the teams’ bottom lines.
“Compared with the early days of my career, the AFC Champions League has grown so much bigger, and the quality of play has improved a great deal,” Kim said. “There’s a ton of prize money at stake, and it can help teams financially if you play well there. It’d be great if a Korean club can win this season. At least, we should all try to play well and make a name for ourselves.”
FC Seoul defender Kim Jin-su, set for his eighth AFC Champions League appearance, said he will try to lift his first Asian trophy this season.
“I think everyone here has the same goal, and it’s to win the tournament,” the 33-year-old said. “It’s our team’s first AFC tournament in quite some time, and I am sure the guys are really motivated. Based on my experience, a lot of good things can happen to players when you play at these events.”
Gangwon defender Lee You-hyeon has only played in five matches across two AFC tournaments so far in his career, but that’s more than most of his teammates. He said the tournament will be an opportunity for Gangwon FC to prove they belong among the continent’s best.
“I hope we can prove that we have many quality players at Gangwon,” the 28-year-old said. “And I would love to see many of us get offers from big clubs to play in big leagues.”
(Yonhap)
