K League in 2025-2026 AFC Champions League Elite Match Day 2 Preview

Wasting no time at all, Match Day 2 of the 2025-2026 AFC Champions League Elite and AFC Champions League Two beckons this week. FC Seoul will get their home campaign up and running against familiar opposition, while Gangwon FC and Ulsan HD will be looking to build on their Match Day 1 wins over Chinese Super League opposition. 

AFC Champions League Elite

Tuesday 30th September

FC Seoul (7th) vs. Buriram United (5th) - 19:00 KST

Looking to build on the Match Day 1 draw away to J1 League minnows Machida Zelvia, FC Seoul will get their home campaign underway with the visit of Thai giants Buriram United this Tuesday. Buriram eased past Johor Darul Ta'zim of Malaysia in their ACLE opener, earning a 2-1 win thanks to goals from Thailand international Suphanat Mueanta on 50 minutes, and Austrian midfielder Robert Žulj, whose 54th-minute strike meant a quick turnaround following Cristian's opener for JDT. Buriram are no strangers to K League opposition, and have five wins, five draws, and nine losses from 19 meetings. Four of those matches were against FC Seoul, with two ending in Seoul wins and two ending in draws. Seoul have a decent record against Thai opposition in ACL, having lost just once to a team from Thailand, that being 2-1 to Chiangrai United in the 2020 competition, to give Seoul a record of three wins, two draws, and one loss. Seoul will be buoyed by their 3-0 home win over Gwangju FC at the weekend, with goals coming from Marko Dugandžić, Lee Seung-mo, and Moon Seon-min. Buriram won at the weekend, too, earning a 2-1 away victory over Bangkok United. They sit top of the Thai Premier League table with five wins from five, 14 goals scored, and five conceded.

[READ: Get to know K League's ACL opponents]

Chengdu Rongcheng (10th) vs. Gangwon FC (3rd) - 21:15 KST

Gangwon FC head into their first-ever AFC Champions League away game having made history in Match Day 1, earning the club's first-ever win in continental competition in what was the Bears' maiden voyage. A much-rotated Gangwon side ran out 2-1 winners at home to Shanghai Shenhua thanks to goals from Hong Chul and Goo Bon-cheol, successfully turning the match around after João Teixeira had given the Chinese Super League side the lead. Chengdu Rongcheng, meanwhile, suffered a 2-1 reverse away to Ulsan HD, despite having taken the lead. Chengdu are the Chinese Super League table-toppers, but only just. After a 1-1 draw with Shanghai Shenhua on Sunday, Chengdu's lead is thanks to their goal difference, having conceded far fewer (19-36) than second-placed Shanghai Port. Heading into the visit of Gangwon, Chengdu are on a run of eight unbeaten in the league, 11 at home in the league. Tuesday's clash will be the first-ever between the two teams, the first home match in ACL for the Seo Jung-won-led Chengdu Rongcheng, and first on the road for Gangwon.

Wednesday 1st October

Shanghai Shenhua (9th) vs. Ulsan HD (4th) - 21:15

It's back-to-back fixtures with K League opposition for Shanghai Shenhua to begin the 2025-2026 AFC Champions League. Likewise, it's back-to-back fixtures against Chinese Super League sides for Ulsan. Shanghai Shenhua lost 2-1 away to Gangwon FC in Match Day 1, despite taking the lead, while Ulsan came back from behind to earn a win over Chengdu Rongcheng. Shanghai Shenhua sit third in the Chinese Super League, just three points behind Chengdu and city rivals Shanghai Port, but their form has begun to struggle. Shenhua are now on a run of four without a win in all competitions, three in the league after back-to-back draws with Shandong Taishan and Rongcheng. The two sides met last year, with Ulsan picking up what became a rare ACL win, and also met in 2020 when the Horangi went on to claim the title, with what was then Kim Do-hoon's side winning 4-1 and 3-1 in the group stage. Shanghai Shenhua have a record of five wins, two draws, and 12 losses against K League sides. Ulsan have faced Chinese Super League opposition, earning 11 wins, two draws, and four losses. 

[READ: AFC Champions League MD1 Recap]