South Korean professional soccer K League 1 side Gangwon FC is looking to consolidate its second-place finish to secure a spot in the Asian Football Confederation Champions League’s (ACL) top-tier competition, the Champions League Elite (ACLE).

Gangwon will host Suwon FC in the 37th round and fourth match of the Hana Bank K-League 2024 Final Round at Suwon Sports Complex at 4:30 p.m. on Sept. 9. Earlier, Kangwon rode the momentum of two consecutive wins in the final round to defeat Ulsan to make it three wins in a row and win the league title, but the 1-2 defeat ended their chances of winning the league title. Still, they remain in sole possession of second place, 카지노 사이트 추천 so their chances of qualifying for the ACLE are still up in the air.

South Korea has four ACL berths for the 2025-26 season: two direct berths to the ACLE, one to the playoffs, and one to the lower-level ACL2. While there are a number of different scenarios, one ticket each will be awarded to the K League 1 and Korea Cup winners (top four in K League 1 only) for direct entry into the ACLE, while the playoff berths will be awarded to the second-place K League 1 team. The remaining K League 1 runners-up will receive one ticket to the ACL2. At least the second-place team in the league is guaranteed to advance to the ACLE.

Currently, Gangwon needs to win both of their remaining matches, including this one against Suwon, to secure a spot in the ACLE playoffs on their own. Suwon, who will face Gangwon on September 9, is currently in sixth place, the bottom of the Final A standings. Furthermore, the Pohang Steelers, their final opponent after Suwon, are also in the bottom half of the standings at fifth place, so Gangwon can expect to win their remaining two games.

Even if Gimcheon Commerce finishes second and Gangwon finishes third, they could still qualify for the ACLE. As a military team, Gimcheon is not eligible for the ACL, so the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) may give Gangwon a spot instead of Gimcheon.

After the Suwon game, Gangwon will host Pohang in its final match of the season at its home stadium, Gangneung Sports Complex, on Nov. 23.