The Complete Guide to the 2020 K League Season

After a prolonged pre-season, the K League makes its long-awaited return on Friday, May 8th. With an altered format due to a shortened season, not to mention TV rights being sold internationally, here at K League United we have you covered with in-depth and informed articles across our website and the K League official site. This page serves as an index for all our pre-season coverage to make sure you are fully prepared for the 2020 season.

With articles including previews, guides, interviews and more in the build-up to the 2020 season, this page serves as a contents guide to both newcomers and hardened K League supporters alike. We will be updating this page daily with all the latest content we have to offer so please make sure to bookmark it and check-in prior to the season kick-off!

Introductions

Everything you need to know to become familiar with the K League, its clubs and who to keep an eye out for.

2020 K League Format
2020 K League Rule Changes

K League 1 Fixtures
K League 2 Fixtures

K League 1 Guide
K League 2 Guide

2020 K League Managers
2020 K League 1 Captains
2020 K League 2 Captains
2020 K League's Foreign Stars
2020 U22 Players to Watch

2020 K League Kits

Season Previews

In-depth season previews for both divisions and all 22 teams that will be competing.

K League 1

League-wide Preview

Busan IPark - (by Tomas Marcantonio)
Daegu FC - (by Muyeol Jung)
Gangwon FC (by Paul Neat)
Gwangju FC (by Peter Hampshire)
Incheon United (by Tim Barnes)
Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors (by Matthew Binns)
Pohang Steelers (by Paul Neat)
Sangju Sangmu (by Tomas Marcantonio)
Seongnam FC (by Peter Hampshire)
FC Seoul (by Paul Neat)
Suwon Samsung Bluewings (by Peter Hampshire)
Ulsan Hyundai (by Dan Croydon)

K League 2

League-wide Preview

Ansan Greeners (by James Walsh)
FC Anyang (by Paul Bettridge)
Bucheon FC 1995 (by George Slade)
Chungnam Asan (by Branko Belan)
Daejeon Hana Citizen (by Paul Neat)
Gyeongnam FC (by James Edrupt)
Jeju United (by Branko Belan)
Jeonnam Dragons (by Joshua Higgins)
Seoul E-Land (by Michael Redmond)
Suwon FC (by Todd Wilde)

Transfer Profiles

Detailed profiles on some of the signings made during the winter transfer window and the role they are set to play in their new teams this year.

Five Key Winter Window Transfers

Bucheon FC 1995: Jefferson Baiano (by George Slade)
Chungnam Asan: Armin Mujakic & Philip Hellquist (by Branko Belan)
Gwangju FC: Marcos Urena
Jeju United: Jung Jo-gook (by Branko Belan)
Jeju United: Lim Dong-hyuk (by Branko Belan)
Jeju United: Park Won-jae (by Branko Belan)
Jeju United: Valentinos Sielis (by Branko Belan)
Jeju United: Kim Young-wook (by Branko Belan)
Jeju United: Eder Lima (by Branko Belan)
Jeju United: Joo Min-kyu, Yoo Bo-sang & Jo Sung-jun (by Branko Belan)
Jeonnam Dragons: Julian Kristofferson
Seongnam: Kim Young-kwan (by Michael Redmond)
Seoul E-Land: Lazar Arsic (by Michael Redmond)
Ulsan Hyundai: Lee Chung-yong & Kim Kee-hee (by Dan Croydon)

Pre-Season Interviews

Touching base with players and coaches ahead of the 2020 campaign.

Ansan Greeners' Soony Saad (by James Walsh)
Former Daegu FC U15 Coach Isaac Soriano (by Muyeol Jung)
Gyeongnam FC's Nick Ansell (by James Edrupt)
Jeju United Manager Nam Ki-il (by Branko Belan)
Jeju United's Valentinos Sielis (by Branko Belan)
Seoul E-Land's Lazar Arsić (by Michael Redmon)

K League Legends

A series of interviews with some of the greatest players to have graced the K League over the years.

Dejan Damjanovic Interview (by Paul Neat)
Lee Dong-gook Interview (by Matthew Binns)

What K League Means to Me

A series of interviews with players about their thoughts on the K League.

Connor Chapman Interview (by Paul Neat)

Made in K League

While not all of these players ply their trade on these shores, they first made their reputation in the K League. 'Made in K League' is a series of profiles on these players and where they went on to afterwards.

Korea's U23 Champions (by Ryan Walters)
Hwang In-beom (by Paul Neat)
Lee Jae-sung (by Matthew Binns)

Stadiums

Want to become familiar with some of the K League's venues? We have a series of guides and information covering all the grounds that will be used in 2020.

A Guide to Seoul-ish (by Michael Redmond)

How to Use a Civic Stadium
K League's Most Historic Stadiums
K League Stadiums with the Best View
K League World Cup Stadiums: Part One
K League World Cup Stadiums: Part Two

Predictions

2020 K League 1 Predictions
2020 K League 1 Editors' Predictions (Patreon)
2020 K League 1 Predictions
2020 K League 1 Editors' Predictions (Patreon)

Below the Top Tiers

It's not all about the return of the K League 1 and K League 2. Lower tier football is also set to start shortly after as well.

K3, K4 Primer (by Jake Hevican)
Goyang Citizen Preview (Podcast)

Other Columns

Busan IPark: 2020 Player Profiles (by Tomas Marcantonio)
Busan IPark: Top 10 Club Legends (by Tomas Marcantonio)
Fans Abroad: Daegu FC Supporter Lucas Zocco (by Muyeol Jung)
Daejeon's Day in the Sun (by Paul Neat)
Gyeongnam FC: Five Key Signings (by James Edrupt)
Largest Cities without a K League Club (by George Slade)
The True Price of K League: EPL vs K League (by Michael Redmond)
Upcoming Milestones and Records

Preview Podcasts

The K League United Podcast is a weekly podcast providing you all the latest news and opinion on Korean football. Here are a number of episodes that make ideal listening ahead of the new season.

K League 1 Preview
K League 2 Preview
2020 ASEAN Player Quota
Connor Chapman and Dejan Damjanovic Pre-Season Interviews
K League as European Teams
KLU 5th Anniversary Best XI
Transfer Window Roundup
Matchday 1 Preview

Matchday 1 Previews

K League 1 Round 1 Preview (by Matthew Binns)

#JEOvSSB: Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors vs Suwon Samsung Bluewings (by Matthew Binns)
#ULSvSAN: Ulsan Hyundai vs Sangju Sangmu (by Dan Croydon)
#INCvDAE: Incheon United vs Daegu FC (by Tim Barnes)
#GWAvSFC: Gwangju FC vs Seongnam FC (by Peter Hampshire)
#POHvBUS: Pohang Steelers vs Busan IPark (by Todd Wilde)
#GANvSEO: Gangwon FC vs FC Seoul (by Paul Neat)

K League 2 Round 1 Preview (by George Slade)

#JEJvSEFC: Jeju United vs Seoul E-Land (by Branko Belan)
#SUWvDHFC: Suwon FC vs Daejeon Hana Citizen (by Paul Neat)
#CAFCvBUC: Chungnam Asan vs Bucheon FC 1995 (by Branko Belan)
#GYEvJDFC: Gyeongnam FC vs Jeonnam Dragons (by James Edrupt)

Support Us and Inquiries

K League United has been covering Korean football for five years, offering match previews, insightful opinion pieces and well-researched features on our site in addition to podcasts and post-match videos from stadiums around the country. All our writers and staff do this voluntarily out of a passion for football on these shores.

If you'd like to support our efforts in providing this extensive coverage, you can do so by donating through our Patreon and, in return, gain access to a number of exclusive and early-access articles as well as additional video and audio content. You can also receive exclusive K League United merchandise with your patronage. All proceeds go to running K League United and ensuring that we continue to provide the latest news and features on Korean football.

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For all inquiries regarding articles and media appearances, please contact us directly at info@kleagueunited.com