Gwangju FC
Association football club in South Korea
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Gwangju FC (Korean: 광주 FC) is a South Korean professional football club based in Gwangju that competes in the K League 1, the top tier of South Korean football. They joined the K League in the 2011 season.
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| Full name | Gwangju Football Club 광주시민프로축구단 | ||
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| Founded | 2010 | ||
| Ground | Gwangju World Cup Stadium | ||
| Capacity | 40,245 | ||
| Owner | Gwangju Government | ||
| Chairman | Kang Ki-jeong (Mayor of Gwangju) | ||
| Manager | Lee Jung-kyu | ||
| League | K League 1 | ||
| 2025 | K League 1, 7th of 12 | ||
| Website | www | ||
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History
Gwangju FC was founded in December 2010, becoming the 16th club in the K League, with Choi Man-hee appointed as the first manager.[1] After finishing their first season in 11th place,[2] the club was relegated to the newly-formed second division K League Challenge (now K League 2) the following season after finishing in 15th place.[3] In 2014, they were promoted back to the top tier for the 2015 season.[4]
The club oscillated between the first and second tiers, winning the second division championship in 2019 and 2022.[5]
In the 2023 K League 1 season, Gwangju achieved its best-ever performance under the leadership of Lee Jung-hyo, finishing third in the league and earning a spot in the AFC Champions League Elite for the first time. Under Lee's attacking playing style, Gwangju upset J1 League sides Yokohama F. Marinos 7–3 and Kawasaki Frontale 1–0 in their debut continental matches in the 2024–25 edition,[6] qualifying for the knockout stage as the only South Korean club.[7] After losing 2–0 in the first leg of the round of 16 against Vissel Kobe, they secured a 3–0 victory at home and advanced with a 3–2 aggregate score, becoming the first citizen club to reach the quarter-finals of the AFC Champions League.[8]
Lee guided Gwangju to the 2025 Korea Cup final, the club's first ever major cup final, but left the club for Suwon Samsung Bluewings at the end of the season.[9]
Stadium
Gwangju FC plays its home games at the 40,245-capacity Gwangju World Cup Stadium.[10] Between 2020 and 2024, they played at the Gwangju Football Stadium,[11] but had to move back to the World Cup Stadium ahead of the 2025 season due to the small size of the field and lack of seating.[10]
Rivalries and supporters
Gwangju's primary rivals are Daegu FC in a match dubbed the Moonlight Derby.[12] The rivalry between the two clubs mirrors the strong baseball rivalry of Kia Tigers in Gwangju and Samsung Lions in Daegu, partially stemming from the stark difference in political leaning between the two cities.[13]
Gwangju also shares a rivalry with nearby Jeonnam Dragons in the Yellow Derby.[14]
The club's main supporters' group is called Bitgoeul, the native Korean name for Gwangju.[15]
Players
Current squad
- As of 3 April 2026[16]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Out on loan
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Backroom staff
Coaching staff
- Manager:
Lee Jung-kyu - Head coach: Ma Chul-jun
- Coach: Cho Yong-tae
- Goalkeeping coach: Shin Jeong-hwan
- Fitness coach: Kim Kyung-do
- Analysis coach: Park Won-gyo
Support staff
- Analyst: Yook Tae-hun
- Medical staff: Shin Yong-sub, Kim Min-shik, Go Han-seul, Yang Jae-hyuk
- Interpreter: Choi Hyuk-soon
- Kit manager: Oh Dong-yeong
- Logistics manager: Jeon Chung-hwi
- Team doctor: Lee Jun-young
Source: Official website[17]
Managers
| No. | Name | From | To | Season(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1 |
 Choi Man-hee |
2010/10/18 | 2012/12/01 | 2011–2012 |
2 |
Yeo Bum-kyu |
2012/12/06 | 2013/08/16 | 2013 |
| Nam Ki-il |
2013/08/16 | 2015/01/03 | 2013–2014 | |
3 |
Nam Ki-il |
2015/01/04 | 2017/08/14 | 2015–2017 |
4 |
Kim Hak-bum |
2017/08/16 | 2017/11/18 | 2017 |
5 |
Park Jin-sub |
2017/12/16 | 2020/12/01 | 2018–2020 |
6 |
Kim Ho-young |
2020/12/22 | 2021/12/04 | 2021 |
7 |
Lee Jung-hyo |
2021/12/28 | 2025/12/21 | 2022–2025 |
8 |
Lee Jung-kyu |
2025/12/24 | 2026– | |
Honours
Season-by-season records
Domestic
| Season | League | Cup | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | GP | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Pos. | ||
| 2011 | 1 | 30 | 9 | 8 | 13 | 32 | 43 | –11 | 35 | 11 | Ro32 |
| 2012 | 44 | 10 | 15 | 19 | 57 | 67 | –10 | 45 | 15↓ | Ro16 | |
| 2013 | 2 | 35 | 16 | 5 | 14 | 55 | 54 | +1 | 53 | 3 | Ro16 |
| 2014 | 36 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 40 | 35 | +5 | 51 | 4↑ | Ro16 | |
| 2015 | 1 | 38 | 10 | 12 | 16 | 35 | 44 | –9 | 42 | 10 | Ro32 |
| 2016 | 38 | 11 | 14 | 13 | 41 | 45 | –4 | 47 | 8 | Ro16 | |
| 2017 | 38 | 6 | 12 | 20 | 33 | 61 | –28 | 30 | 12↓ | QF | |
| 2018 | 2 | 36 | 11 | 15 | 10 | 51 | 41 | +10 | 48 | 5 | 3R |
| 2019 | 36 | 21 | 10 | 5 | 59 | 31 | +28 | 73 | 1↑ | Ro16 | |
| 2020 | 1 | 27 | 6 | 7 | 14 | 32 | 46 | –14 | 25 | 6 | Ro16 |
| 2021 | 38 | 10 | 7 | 21 | 42 | 54 | –12 | 37 | 12↓ | 3R | |
| 2022 | 2 | 40 | 25 | 11 | 4 | 68 | 32 | +36 | 86 | 1↑ | Ro16 |
| 2023 | 1 | 38 | 16 | 11 | 11 | 47 | 35 | +12 | 59 | 3 | QF |
| 2024 | 38 | 14 | 5 | 19 | 42 | 49 | –7 | 47 | 9 | SF | |
| 2025 | 38 | 15 | 9 | 14 | 40 | 41 | –1 | 54 | 7 | RU | |
Key
- RU = Runners-up
- SF = Semi-final
- QF = Quarter-final
- Ro16 = Round of 16
- Ro32 = Round of 32
- 3R = Third round
Continental
All results list Gwangju's goal tally first.
AFC Champions League Elite
| Season | Round | Opposition | Home | Away | Aggregate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024–25 | League stage |  Yokohama F. Marinos |
7–3 | N/a | 4th out of 12 |
| Kawasaki Frontale |
N/a | 1–0 | |||
 Johor Darul Ta'zim |
3–1 | N/a | |||
| Vissel Kobe |
N/a | 0–2 | |||
 Shanghai Shenhua |
1–0 | N/a | |||
| Shanghai Port |
N/a | 1–1 | |||
| Shandong Taishan |
N/a | 1–3 (voided) | |||
 Buriram United |
2–2 | N/a | |||
| Round of 16 | Vissel Kobe |
3–0 (a.e.t.) | 0–2 | 3–2 | |
| Quarter-final |  Al Hilal |
0–7[a] | N/a | ||
- Played at a neutral venue.
