2026 K League 2
Football league season
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The 2026 K League 2, also known as the Hana Bank K League 2 for sponsorship reasons, is the 14th season of the K League 2, the second-highest division in South Korean football league system.
| Season | 2026 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 28 February – 29 November 2026 |
| Matches | 184 |
| Goals | 502 (2.73 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | (12 goals) |
| Biggest home win | Busan IPark 4-1 Paju Frontier (30 May) |
| Biggest away win | Chungbuk Cheongju 1-5 Daegu (4 July) |
| Highest scoring | Daegu 4-2 Jeonnam Dragons (7 March) Jeonnam Dragons 3-3 Busan IPark (5 July) |
| Longest winning run | 5 Suwon Samsung Bluewings |
| Longest unbeaten run | 5 Suwon Samsung Bluewings, Busan IPark |
| Longest winless run | 13 Jeonnam Dragons, Chungbuk Cheongju |
| Longest losing run | 4 Gimhae |
| Highest attendance | 24,071 Suwon Samsung Bluewings 2-1 Seoul E-Land (28 February) |
| Lowest attendance | 957 Gimpo 3-0 Chungbuk Cheongju (7 August) |
| Total attendance | 858,263 |
| Average attendance | 4,664 |
← 2025 2027 →
All statistics correct as of 23 August 2026. | |
Overview
The league has expand to 17 teams for this season. Two teams relegated from K League 1, and the twelve teams remaining in the league, two teams promoted from the K3 League and one newly established club.
K League 2 will be reduced or expanded to 15 or 16 teams starting next season, due to the expansion of K League 1 from 12 to 14 teams, no team will be automatically relegated from the top tier.
This season, Promotion and Relegation between K League 2 and K3 League have been introduce for 2026 onwards. First and second place are promoted automatically, while third and sixth place face a promotion play-off, the winner of the promotion play-off final will automatically be promoted, the loser of the promotion play-off final will face-off against the 12th place team of K League 1 (only if Gimcheon Sangmu does not finish last).
Last place in K League 2 will face -off against the Champions of K3 League in the inaugural Relegation play-off round.
Teams
Team Changes
As the 2025 K League 2 champions, Incheon United and the play-off winners Bucheon FC 1995 have been promoted to the K League 1.[1][2] Both teams ended in the second tier after one and twelve years, respectively.
Meanwhile, Suwon FC and Daegu FC have been relegated from the K League 1.[3][4] Daegu FC and Suwon FC return to second tier after nine and five years absence, respectively.
Additionally, Gimhae FC 2008 and Paju Frontier have been accepted into the K League 2 following a decision by the K League Federation, having participated in the K3 League since 2020 and 2021.[5] In August 2025, Yongin FC received approval to join the K League, confirming its intention to participate in the 2026 K League 2.[6] On 16 January 2026, two teams from K3 League and one newly established team will participate in K League 2 for the 2026 season after its final approval for membership in the K League Federation.
| Relegated from K League 1 |
|---|
| Accepted from K3 League |
| New Club |
| Promoted to K League 1 |
|---|
Locations
The following seventeen teams are participating in the 2026 K League 2.[7]
| Team | City/Province | Abbreviation |
|---|---|---|
| Ansan Greeners | Ansan | Ansan |
| Busan IPark | Busan | Busan |
| Cheonan City | Cheonan | Cheonan |
| Chungbuk Cheongju | Cheongju | Chungbuk Cheongju |
| Chungnam Asan | Asan | Chungnam Asan |
| Daegu FC | Daegu | Daegu |
| Gimpo FC | Gimpo | Gimpo |
| Gimhae FC 2008 | Gimhae | Gimhae |
| Gyeongnam FC | Gyeongnam | Gyeongnam |
| Hwaseong FC | Hwaseong | Hwaseong |
| Jeonnam Dragons | Jeonnam | Jeonnam |
| Paju Frontier | Paju | Paju |
| Seongnam FC | Seongnam | Seongnam |
| Seoul E-Land | Seoul | Seoul E |
| Suwon Samsung Bluewings | Suwon | Suwon |
| Suwon FC | Suwon | Suwon FC |
| Yongin FC | Yongin | Yongin |
|
Locations of the 2026 K League 2 teams |
Stadiums
| Ansan Greeners | Busan IPark | Cheonan City | Chungbuk Cheongju | Chungnam Asan |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ansan Wa~ Stadium | Busan Gudeok Stadium | Cheonan Stadium | Cheongju Stadium | Yi Sun-sin Stadium |
| Capacity: 35,000 | Capacity: 12,349 | Capacity: 26,000 | Capacity: 16,280 | Capacity: 19,283 |
| Daegu FC | Gimhae FC 2008 | Gimpo FC | Gyeongnam FC | Hwaseong FC |
| Daegu iM Bank Park | Gimhae Sports Complex | Gimpo Solteo Football Stadium | Changwon Football Center | Hwaseong Stadium |
| Capacity: 12,415 | Capacity: 15,066 | Capacity: 5,000 | Capacity: 15,074 | Capacity: 35,270 |
| Jeonnam Dragons | Paju Frontier | Seongnam FC | Seoul E-Land | Suwon FC |
| Gwangyang Stadium | Paju Stadium | Tancheon Stadium | Mokdong Stadium | Suwon Sports Complex |
| Capacity: 13,496 | Capacity: 23,000 | Capacity: 16,146 | Capacity: 15,511 | Capacity: 11,808 |
| Suwon Samsung Bluewings | Yongin FC | |||
| Suwon World Cup Stadium | Yongin Mireu Stadium | |||
| Capacity: 44,031 | Capacity: 37,155 | |||
Personnel and sponsoring
| Team | Manager | Main sponsor | Kit manufacturer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ansan Greeners | Ansan City Greeners | Hummel | |
| Busan IPark | HDC | Puma | |
| Cheonan City | Cheonan City | Sunderland of Scotland | |
| Chungbuk Cheongju | Hanyang Leeps | Sports Tribe | |
| Chungnam Asan | Chungnam Asan | FCMM | |
| Daegu FC | IM Bank | Mizuno | |
| Gimhae FC 2008 | Gimhae City | Sports Tribe | |
| Gimpo FC | Goobne | Sunderland of Scotland | |
| Gyeongnam FC | Nonghyup Bank | Hummel | |
| Hwaseong FC | Hwaseong Special City | Kelme | |
| Jeonnam Dragons | POSCO | Reebok | |
| Paju Frontier | Lucell | Kelme | |
| Seongnam FC | Seongnam City | Umbro | |
| Seoul E-Land | E-Land | New Balance | |
| Suwon FC | Suwon Special City | Hummel | |
| Suwon Samsung Bluewings | Samsung Galaxy S26 | Umbro | |
| Yongin FC | Yongin Special City | Puma |
Managerial changes
| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Replaced by | Date of appointment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ansan Greeners | End of Interim | 17 November 2025 | 17 November 2025 | ||
| Cheonan City | 1 December 2025 | 1 December 2025 | |||
| Gyeongnam FC | 8 December 2025 | 8 December 2025 | |||
| Jeonnam Dragons | End of Contract | 4 December 2025 | 16 December 2025 | ||
| Chungnam Asan | End of Interim | 17 December 2025 | 17 December 2025 | ||
| Suwon Samsung Bluewings | Resigned | 7 December 2025 | 24 December 2025 | ||
| Suwon FC | Mutual consent | 24 December 2025 | 24 December 2025 | ||
| Chungbuk Cheongju | End of Contract | 12 December 2025 | 30 December 2025 | ||
| Yongin FC | Inaugural season | 4 January 2026 | |||
| Chungnam Asan | Resigned | 15 April 2026 | 15 April 2026 | ||
| Daegu FC | Resigned | 20 April 2026 | 20 April 2026 | ||
| Jeonnam Dragons | Change of Position | 27 April 2026 | 30 April 2026 | ||
| Chungnam Asan | End of Interim | 29 April 2026 | 29 April 2026 | ||
| Seongnam FC | End of Contract | 4 August 2026 | 4 August 2026 | ||
| Seongnam FC | End of Interim | 11 August 2026 | 11 August 2026 | ||
Foreign players
League table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Suwon Samsung Bluewings | 22 | 13 | 5 | 4 | 32 | 19 | +13 | 44 | Promotion to K League 1 |
| 2 | Seoul E-Land | 22 | 12 | 5 | 5 | 40 | 27 | +13 | 41 | |
| 3 | Suwon FC | 21 | 11 | 7 | 3 | 43 | 26 | +17 | 40 | Qualification for the promotion play-offs |
| 4 | Daegu FC | 22 | 11 | 6 | 5 | 42 | 31 | +11 | 39 | |
| 5 | Busan IPark | 22 | 11 | 5 | 6 | 38 | 30 | +8 | 38 | |
| 6 | Hwaseong FC | 22 | 10 | 6 | 6 | 34 | 23 | +11 | 36 | |
| 7 | Chungnam Asan | 22 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 31 | 27 | +4 | 31 | |
| 8 | Gimpo FC | 21 | 7 | 10 | 4 | 26 | 22 | +4 | 31 | |
| 9 | Gyeongnam FC | 22 | 6 | 9 | 7 | 29 | 30 | −1 | 27 | |
| 10 | Seongnam FC | 21 | 6 | 8 | 7 | 23 | 25 | −2 | 26 | |
| 11 | Paju Frontier | 22 | 7 | 4 | 11 | 22 | 27 | −5 | 25 | |
| 12 | Chungbuk Cheongju | 22 | 3 | 14 | 5 | 26 | 35 | −9 | 23 | |
| 13 | Yongin FC | 21 | 4 | 10 | 7 | 26 | 31 | −5 | 22 | |
| 14 | Cheonan City | 22 | 4 | 9 | 9 | 27 | 31 | −4 | 21 | |
| 15 | Ansan Greeners | 22 | 5 | 4 | 13 | 23 | 42 | −19 | 19 | |
| 16 | Jeonnam Dragons | 21 | 3 | 7 | 11 | 23 | 36 | −13 | 16 | |
| 17 | Gimhae FC 2008 | 21 | 2 | 6 | 13 | 17 | 40 | −23 | 12 |
Positions by matchday
Leaders, promotion to K League 1
Promotion to K League 1
Qualification for promotion play-offs semi-final
Results
Teams played each other twice, once at home, once away.
Promotion play-off
Bracket
| Semi-finals | Final | ||||||||
| 3 | |||||||||
| 6 | |||||||||
| 4 | |||||||||
| 5 | |||||||||
Semi-finals
| v | ||
|---|---|---|
| v | ||
|---|---|---|
Final
| v | ||
|---|---|---|
Statistics
Top goalscorers
| Rank | Player[8] | Team | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Suwon FC | 12 | |
| 2 | Chungbuk Cheongju | 11 | |
| Gimpo FC Suwon Samsung Bluewings | |||
| 4 | Seoul E-Land | 9 | |
| Hwaseong FC | |||
| 6 | Daegu FC | 8 | |
| Suwon FC | |||
| Seoul E-Land | |||
| Busan IPark | |||
| 10 | Hwaseong FC | 7 | |
| Paju Frontier | |||
| Cheonan City | |||
| Daegu FC | |||
Top assist providers
| Rank | Player[8] | Team | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hwaseong FC | 8 | |
| Daegu FC | |||
| 3 | Chungbuk Cheongju | 6 | |
| Yongin FC | |||
| Jeonnam Dragons | |||
| Suwon FC | |||
| 7 | Jeonnam Dragons | 5 | |
| Busan IPark | |||
| Chungnam Asan | |||
| 10 | 15 players | 4 | |
Awards
Weekly awards
|
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Annual awards
| Position | Best XI | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goalkeeper | ||||
| Defenders | ||||
| Midfielders | ||||
| Forwards | ||||
See also
- 2026 in South Korean football
- 2026–27 Korea Cup
- 2026 K League 1
- 2026 K3 League
- 2026 K4 League
