2025 K League 2 Promotion Race Watch: Alternative Round 34 Preview

With the third and final round robin of the 2025 Hana Bank K League 2 season now at the midway point, the race for the playoffs and promotion as a whole is reaching the final furlong. With four playoff spots up for grabs, at least seven teams will feel as though they have a genuine chance of extending their seasons. What are some of the key matches in the promotion race during this midweek Chuseok card of fixtures as the season reaches Round 34? 

Don't miss the official K League 2 Round 34 preview here...

Key Promotion Race Matches

Gimpo FC (5th) vs. Seoul E-Land (7th)
Saturday 11th October - 14:00

Gimpo FC's comfortable 2-0 away win over Chungbuk Cheongju propelled them into fifth place, with their hard work chasing a playoff spot paying dividends. The task at hand now is to stay there and continue their run of impressive form, which, thanks to the win over the Lions, extended to just one loss in 15. They face a Seoul E-Land side who have their work cut out for them to make the playoffs. A 1-1 draw at home to Hwaseong in midweek meant that the Leopards sit outside the top five, looking in. But with just two points between Gimpo and Seoul E-Land, Saturday's clash can be seen as something of a playoff race six-pointer. Seoul E-Land will be looking to turn draws into wins, having seen three of their last five matches end as stalemates, and seven in 11 outings. Gimpo sit second for clean sheets with 16 but Seoul E-Land are third for 'big chances' with 36. Saturday's clash may come down to whether the Leopards can break Gimpo down. The most recent encounter from August ended in a 1-1 draw, but Seoul E-Land came out on top with a 2-1 win when the two sides met in May.

Watch live on K League TV: here

Jeonnam Dragons (3rd) vs. Ansan Greeners (14th)
Sunday 12th October - 14:00

A dramatic comeback from 2-0 down to win 3-2, with a Valdivia brace deep into second-half stoppage time, made it three wins in a row for Jeonnam. It also meant the Dragons stayed in third place, two points clear of Bucheon, who also won at the weekend. After a sticky patch at the beginning of September, Kim Hyun-seok's men seem to be finding form at the right time. They face the league's basement side next, Ansan Greeners, at home in a game that the Dragons can really put a marker down in. A convincing win would also help with K League's goals scored tiebreaker. Jeonnam have the second-highest shot conversion rate in the league at 14%, and sit third for shots on target per 90 with 4.6. Jeonnam have two wins in this fixture already this season, a 2-0 victory at home in August, and a 1-0 away triumph back in March.

Watch live on K League TV: here

Suwon Samsung Bluewings (2nd) vs. Cheonan City (12th)
Sunday 12th October - 14:00

Having only managed a draw away to league leaders Incheon, Suwon Samsung Bluewings will have now accepted that automatic promotion is out of reach, and they simply need to make sure second place is theirs. The Bluewings still have a five-point lead over third, but with Jeonnam in good form, Byun Sung-hwan's men need to finish the season strongly. Sunday presents a good opportunity to earn a convincing win, with lowly Cheonan City visiting Big Bird. The Bluewings are the division's top scorers with 62, while Cheonan have the highest goals against tally with 57. Suwon, despite having experienced some difficulty against Cheonan last season with two losses, have seen off the challenge of the South Chungcheong side this season twice, 2-0 in May and 2-1 in August. The Bluewings have also landed the most shots on target per 90 with 4.9, and have made the most accurate crosses per match with 6.4.

Watch live on K League TV: here

Seongnam FC (8th) vs. Incheon United (1st)
Sunday 12th October - 16:30

Seongnam FC missed the chance to move back into the top five in midweek, owing to a 1-0 away loss to 10-man Bucheon FC 1995. It was their second loss in a row and third match without a win. The Magpies are in danger of undoing their great mid-season work to get into playoff contention. However, with the top five just three points away, and with six games still to go, and matches against teams above them, their playoff hopes are very much still alive. Incheon United, meanwhile, took one step closer to sealing the K League 2 title, and an instant return to K League 1, with the point earned at home to Suwon Bluewings. Mathematically, Incheon just need three more wins. Sunday's clash is one between two possession teams. Incheon sit first in K League 1 in that regard, with 56.5% on average, Seongnam second with 54.4%. Both rank highly for clean sheets too, with Incheon's 17 ranking them first and Seongnam's 15 ranking them third. Both teams land a similar number of shots on target per match - 4.5 for Incheon (4th) and 4.1 for Seongnam (8th). Interestingly, Seongnam came out on top twice in the two previous meetings this season, with the same 2-1 scoreline on both occasions. 

Watch live on K League TV: here

K League 2 Playoffs - How do they work?

Second place, or the K League 2 runners-up, will face 11th in K League 1 in a two-leg playoff. The winners will play in K League 1 next season, the losers will play in K League 2. As things stand, this would mean Jeju SK facing Suwon Samsung Bluewings for a place in the top flight in 2026.

Third down to fifth will compete to face 10th in K League 1. Third will get a bye of sorts to the next round, then fourth play fifth over one leg, with fourth at home and only needing a draw. Third faces the winners of fourth versus fifth over one leg, again with the home team only needing a draw. The winners of that contest then face 10th in K League 1 over two legs. As things stand, in this ever-changing top five, Gimpo would face Bucheon to earn the right to face Jeonnam for the right to face Ulsan.

Where to Watch K League

Watch all K League matches live, for free, and in HD on TV.KLeague.com.