K League in 2025-2026 AFC Champions League 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 in Buriram United, 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 somewhat upturn in recent form, 3-0 home win over Gwangju FC the round before last, then a last-gasp draw at home to Jeonbuk. Buriram won at the weekend, earning a 4-1 away victory over Ayutthaya United. Former Seongnam and Suwon Bluewings striker Fejsal Mulic bagged a brace for Buriram, who sit top of the Thai Premier League table with six wins from six, 18 goals scored, and just six 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. 

Gangwon drew 0-0 at home to Daejeon at the weekend to sit just outside the top six, but level on points with Gwangju. Manager Jeong Kyung-ho has spoken of a balancing act with K League and ACL commitments and seems intent on rotation for the ACL between now and the end of the regular season at least. Chengdu were, until recently, the Chinese Super League table-toppers but have since slipped to second following back-to-back stalemates. After a 1-1 draw with Shanghai Shenhua the previous week, Seo Jung-won's men drew 3-3 with Zhejiang on Friday, but were at least able to make it nine unbeaten 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.

[READ: K League 1 Round 31 Wrap-up]

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 second in the Chinese Super League, just three points behind city rivals Shanghai Port. Their form had begun to taper off somewhat, but a 6-1 win over Meizhou Hakka on Friday will provide a timely confidence boost. Ulsan will be looking to the ACL for a confidence boost themselves. The 1-1 draw with Daegu at the weekend, coupled with results elsewhere going against them, meant the Horangi have dropped into the bottom three. Their win over Chengdu Rongcheng remains their most recent victory, and their only win in seven. They are, however, three unbeaten in all competitions, to look at it glass half-full.

 

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]

AFC Champions League Two

Thursday 2nd October

Pohang Steelers vs. Kaya F.C.–Iloilo - 19:00

After something of a nervy win over BG Pathum United last time out, Pohang Steelers will welcome Philippines Football League outfit Kaya F.C.–Iloilo to the Steel Yard this Thursday, looking to make it two wins from two. The 1-0 win over BG Pathum United was followed up by a 1-0 K League 1 win over a struggling Jeju SK, but after a red card to Lee Dong-hee, the Steelers suffered defeat away to Gimcheon at the weekend. Rotation in ACL Two, with priority given to the K League, seems to be the way Park Tae-ha will approach things. But after a disappointing loss to Gimcheon at the weekend, the visit of Kaya will be a good chance for some fringe players to impress.

Kaya F.C.–Iloilo, meanwhile, put eight goals past Mendiola in the weekend before last to make it three wins from three in the league, then faced Cebu at home on Sunday, earning a comfortable 3-0 win. Their AFC Champions League Two campaign, however, began with defeat, losing 3-0 to Singapore Super League side Tampines Rovers. Thursday's meeting will be the first-ever between the two teams, and the first meeting with a side from the Philippines for Pohang. Kaya have faced K League opposition before, though, having played Ulsan in 2021 and Incheon in 2023, for a record of four losses from four games, 12 conceded, and two scored.

[READ/LISTEN: The Lee Ho-jae Catch-up Interview]