Football in South Korea
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Football in South Korea is run by the Korea Football Association. The association administers the national football team as well as the K League. Football is the most popular sport in South Korea.[1] Approximately 67% of the people in South Korea are interested in football.[2]
(women)
- Senior team
- Under-20 team
- Under-17 team
- Universiade team
| Football in South Korea | |
|---|---|
| Country | South Korea |
| Governing body | Korea Football Association |
| National teams | |
| National teams (women) |
|
| Nicknames |
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| Clubs | |
| National competitions | |
| Club competitions | |
| International competitions | |
Beginning
In ancient times, Silla, one of Three Kingdoms of Korea, had a ball game called "Chuk-guk" (축국; 蹴鞠). Though Chukguk is similar to today’s football in many aspects, it features the distinctive rule that the ball should stay in the air during game play with the net also being mounted at a fixed distance above the ground.[3] However, Koreans first saw the present version of football in 1882 when British crew members played a game while their vessel, HMS Flying Fish, was visiting the Port of Jemulpo.[4][5]
After the establishment of a football team at Paichai Academy in Seoul in 1902, there was a footballing boom throughout Korea. The football was adopted as a physical education course at National Seoul Foreign Language School in 1904, and the first senior football match in Korea was contested between Korea Sports Club and Korea YMCA at Seoul Dongdaemun Stadium in 1905. The first Korean national football tournament, named All Joseon Football Tournament, was held by the Joseon Sports Council in 1921 after many football clubs and school football teams were formed since the 1910s including unofficial national team Joseon FC. The Joseon Referees' Association was created in 1928, and was reorganised as the Joseon Football Association (currently Korea Football Association) in 1933. The creation of Joseon FA led to the establishment of several prominent clubs on the peninsula as Korean football began to enter a different form. Kyungsung FC and Pyongyang FC, founded around the same time in the two biggest cities of Korea, made deep impressions at the All Joseon Tournament, and developed a strong rivalry followed by an intercity football series. Kyungsung FC also became the only Korean club to win the Emperor's Cup in Japan.[4][5]
Main articles
Attendances
The average attendance per top-flight football league season and the club with the highest average attendance:
| Season | League average | Best club | Best club average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 10,081 | FC Seoul | 23,185 |
| 2024 | 11,003 | FC Seoul | 27,838 |
| 2023 | 10,733 | FC Seoul | 22,663 |
| 2019 | 8,014 | FC Seoul | 17,061 |
| 2018 | 5,445 | Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | 11,907 |
| 2017 | 6,505 | FC Seoul | 16,316 |
| 2016 | 7,873 | FC Seoul | 18,007 |
| 2015 | 7,720 | Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | 17,413 |
| 2014 | 7,932 | Suwon Samsung Bluewings | 19,608 |
| 2013 | 7,656 | Suwon Samsung Bluewings | 17,689 |
| 2012 | 7,045 | FC Seoul | 20,502 |
| 2011 | 11,634 | FC Seoul | 27,962 |
| 2010 | 10,941 | FC Seoul | 30,849 |
| 2009 | 11,226 | Suwon Samsung Bluewings | 18,583 |
| 2008 | 12,901 | Suwon Samsung Bluewings | 23,817 |
| 2007 | 11,786 | Suwon Samsung Bluewings | 25,194 |
Relationships with English football
Since Tottenham Hotspur signed South Korean striker Son Heung-min in 2015, the club has been the most supported English Premier League club in South Korea. Previously, Manchester United was the most popular club in South Korea due to South Korean former midfielder Park Ji-sung. In 2020, a poll of South Koreans aged 16 to 69 found that 21.4% of respondents supported Tottenham Hotspur, compared to just 6.1% who supported Manchester United.[6] In 2024, a survey of football fans from eight countries across the Americas, Asia and Europe found that 42.3% of South Korean football fans were Tottenham Hotspur supporters.[7]