"We're in the top 4"→"Lingard is confused too" First of all, FC Seoul laughed, but next season's ACL is not over yet."Number of cases"
Nov 24, 2024
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Jesse Lingard (FC Seoul) asked again, puzzled. The season is over, but the ticket to the Asian Champions League (ACL) for the next season has not been finalized 'yet'.
On the 23rd, the final match of the 'Hana Bank K League 1 2024' Final A was held at three stadiums nationwide. As a result, Ulsan HD (72 points), Gangwon FC (64 points), Gimcheon Sangmu (63 points), FC Seoul (58 points), Suwon FC, and Pohang Steelers (53 points) finished the season first to sixth.
The six Final A teams are not just competing for the championship. They will have a fierce battle for the ACL ticket next season. In the K-League, four teams win ACL tickets. They will clash for 2.5 Asian Champions League Elite (ACL) and 1 ACL2 (ACL). In principle, there are three in the K League and one in the Korea Cup (formerly FA Cup). The K League 1 winners will go straight to the ACLE finals. The runner-up will go to the ACLE Playoff (PO) stage. The third-place finisher will compete in the ACL2 tournament. The Korea Cup winners will compete in ACLE if they finish in the top four in the league, and ACL2 if they are outside the top five.
There are variables. This season has been especially numerous. First of all, the ACL ticket war was even hotter with Gimcheon's joining in Final A. Gimcheon, led by head coach Chung Jung-yong, is a military team and cannot participate in the Asian club competition regardless of their performance. Gimcheon ranked third in the final, but was unable to compete in the Asian club competition. Gimcheon's ticket was erased, and the next team took it with them. As a result, Ulsan, Gangwon, and Seoul secured ACL tickets.
The problem is that this is not the end. Ulsan and Pohang will play the final match of the Korea Cup at Seoul World Cup Stadium on the 30th. If Ulsan achieves 'double', Ulsan and Gangwon will be in the ACLE finals, Seoul will be in ACLE PO, and Suwon FC will be in ACL2. When Pohang is at the top, Pohang will take care of ACL2 tickets.
It's not finished yet. Depending on the ACL performance this season, the direction of the ACL ticket for next season may vary. Ulsan, Pohang, Gwangju, and Jeonbuk Hyundai are competing in the ACLE stage in the 2024-2025 season. In particular, Jeonbuk, which has fallen to the Final B stage, can also qualify for ACLE in the 2025-2026 season according to Asian Champions League (AFC) regulations if it wins ACL2 this season.
The situation becomes complicated. This is why even though Seoul ranked fourth, the ACL ticket 'undetermined' Seoul will not play against Asia next season if it wins the Gwangju ACLE-Pohang Korea Cup, the Jeonbuk ACL2-Pohang Korea Cup, the Ulsan ACLE-Pohang Korea Cup-Jeonbuk ACL2, the Pohang ACLE-Ulsan Korea Cup-Jeonbuk ACL2, the Pohang ACLE-Ulsan Korea Cup-Jeonbuk ACL2, the Gwangju ACLE-Ulsan Korea Cup-Jeonbuk ACL2, and the Gwangju ACLE-Pohang Korea Cup-Jeonbuk ACL2 (in this case, additional discussions with the Korea Football Association) are needed. For your information, the ACL this season will end in May 2025.
epi17@sportschosun.com
