Welcome!

By registering with us, you'll be able to discuss, share and private message with other members of our community.

Sign Up Now!

J.League 🇯🇵 + K League 🇰🇷

From the 2027 season, the number of teams in K League 1 will increase from 12 to 14 clubs. Beginning in the 2026 season, three new clubs will join K League 2, bringing the total number of teams across both divisions to 29 (12 in K League 1 and 17 in K League 2).

While the number of K League 2 teams has steadily grown — from 10 in 2021 to 11 in 2022, 13 in 2023, 15 in 2025, and 17 in 2026 — K League 1 has remained a 12-team league since the 2014 season.

The latest decision aims to rebalance the size of the two divisions and reflects the narrowing gap between them, with leading K League 2 clubs approaching mid-table K League 1 standards in areas such as revenue, attendance, and player wages.

Under the new structure, K League 1 will operate a 14-team, triple round-robin format, totalling 39 rounds from the 2027 season.
Click to expand...

www.kleagueunited.com

News: K League 1 set for shake-up in 2026, 2027

English language coverage of South Korean football news, player interviews, and match previews for K League 1, K League 2, and Korean National Team
www.kleagueunited.com www.kleagueunited.com
 
Last edited:
you can only admire and jealous as ffs.
We're in the dark ages compared to them.
Whilst we keep having 1 2 3 4 barriers only caring for themselves we will keep being behind.
 
Only learned this recently but in the J-League they actually distribute part of the TV revenue based on fan engagement. Factoring things like DAZN viewership and subscriptions linked to each club. Forcing teams to think about marketing, content and growing their audience instead of relying purely on results.

This might be cool to replicate in the A-League with some alterations so big teams don't hog the fund . Its worrying how much results are driving attendance these days.
 
I was a season ticket holder at Shimizu S-Pulse and have been to at least a hundred J. League games over the years.

I think one thing we often forget is just how much Japanese culture is geared towards community engagement and participation.

It's easy to look at J. League attendances and wonder why they're so much bigger than what we get in the A-League. But Japan is largely a Confucian group-based culture, and in my experience, a lot of the fans who turn up at J. League games aren't there to enjoy football per se. They turn up to socialise and support their local community, and they'll do it week in and week out, in any weather, year after year.

That's not to imply that the league isn't well run. But there are some cultural nuances, unique to Japan, that help them get fans into the stadium and watching on TV every week.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top