What to look out for on a dramatic final day of the WK League season

The regular season of the 2024 WK League draws to a close this Thursday. There’s a tight race for the final and playoff spots, so in case you’re new to the league, or haven’t been keeping up, here’s all you need to know ahead of the final round. Guest columnist Claire Evans explains.

The semi-professional WK League began in 2009 and has a small but dedicated following. At present, eight teams compete in the league, playing each other four times during the regular season (March to September). The first-placed team proceeds directly to the two-legged championship final, while the second and third-place teams battle it out in a playoff for the chance to join them. As the only women’s league of its level in Korea, there is no relegation.

One of four teams to have featured in the league since its inception, Incheon Hyundai Steel Red Angels (try saying that five times fast) are the reigning champions. They have eleven consecutive league titles to their name, and they’ve never finished the regular league outside of the playoff spots. However, that might be about to change, as they head into the final round this week in fourth place. They’ll need at least a draw to have a chance of leapfrogging Gyeongju KHNP, who sit just one point ahead of them in the table. 

It’s even tighter at the top of the table. Hwacheon KSPO and Suwon FC are guaranteed to finish first and second, although not necessarily in that order — they’re level on both points and goal difference, with Hwacheon currently in the lead based on head-to-head results. A first-place finish means progressing directly to the final without a playoff, so they’ll both be looking for solid results this Thursday.

The lower end of the table is more spread out, with enough of a points difference between Sejong Sportstoto, Seoul City Amazones, Mungyeong Sangmu, and Changnyeong WFC that their positions in the league are set in stone. Sejong and Mungyeong play each other in the final round, but Seoul and Changnyeong can directly affect the title race in their respective fixtures.

Eighth-placed Changyeong host first-placed Hwacheon. While Changnyeong and Hwacheon’s respective positions in the table might suggest a foregone conclusion, and Hwacheon have indeed beaten their hosts three times already this season, they have not beaten them by large margins. A home crowd could help Changnyeong, who have only enjoyed two league wins all season, finish on a high, especially if star striker and Korea international Lee Eun-young can sneak a quick goal or two in on the break. Even if they can’t manage an upset, they could still potentially help Suwon’s campaign by keeping the goal difference low.

Suwon themselves face a tough away match at Gyeongju. Gyeongju boast the league’s top goal scorer, Kyokawa, and while no individual Suwon player comes close to her 22 goals in 27 matches, the trio of Kang Chae-rim, Moon Mi-ra and Josee Nahi have 32 between them. Former Incheon and Korea teammates Jang Sel-gi and Jeon Eun-ha are key playmakers for Gyeongju and Suwon respectively. With so much at stake for both teams, this is sure to be an exciting match. Suwon’s best chance of a guaranteed place in the final is to win by as many goals as they possibly can, but Gyeongju need to win to definitively secure their playoff spot. A draw or loss doesn’t necessarily rule them out, but will leave them reliant on Incheon’s result. 

As exciting as it gets in Gyeongju, expect to see fans keeping an eye on the Incheon match on YouTube. The reigning champions are hosting Seoul, a well-managed team whose position in the league table doesn’t reflect how dangerous they can be in front of goal when given the opportunity. Although Seoul claimed a 1-0 victory over the Red Angels the last time they met, they struggle to pick up points on the road. An upset here would seal Incheon’s historic fate, but anything else could be enough to carry them to the playoff, depending on Gyeongju’s performance.

So, what could happen this Thursday evening?

If Hwacheon and Suwon both win their respective matches, they will be tied for points and their ranking will depend on the goal difference. Their goal difference is the same as things stand, so Suwon would need to finish this week’s match with a better goal difference than Hwacheon to overtake them. If their goal difference is still tied, Hwacheon will retain their lead based on head-to-head victories.

If Suwon win but Hwacheon do not, or if Suwon draw but Hwacheon lose, they will take the first-place spot and proceed to the final. However, if Hwacheon win and Suwon do not, or if both teams draw, or both lose, Hwacheon will stay ahead. Keeping up so far?

As for Gyeongju and Incheon, they’re in a similar situation, although not quite the same as there is that all-important point between them, not to mention Gyeongju’s superior goal difference. As things stand, if Gyeongju can use their home advantage to take victory over Suwon, they will finish in third, regardless of Incheon’s performance. An Incheon defeat, or draws for both teams, would have the same effect. 

If Incheon win but Gyeongju do not, they will progress to the playoff. Where things could get really interesting is if Gyeongju lose, but Incheon can only manage a draw. This would put the two teams on equal points, and goal difference would come into play. In this case, Incheon would be relying on a poor performance from Gyeongju, who would need to lose by more than four goals to throw away their goal difference advantage.

In conclusion, there’s a lot to watch out for this Thursday. Anything can happen in WK League, so be ready for plenty of nail-biting moments, last-minute goals, and perhaps even one or two upsets. If you can get to Changnyeong, Gyeongju, Incheon or Sejong to see the action unfold, expect high-energy play and passionate fans.

If you can’t make it to any of the four matches and you’re wondering which one to tune into live, the correct answer is: all of them. Four screens, four matches, wall-to-wall WK League action for the final matchday of the season. 

All R28 games kick off at 19:00 KST and can be streamed live via iTOP21sports on YouTube.