K League 2

History

Main article: K League

In 2011, the original K League announced a plan to begin a promotion and relegation system between the K League and a proposed second division. The K League then took steps to create the new second division, mainly with the addition of a split-system during the 2012 K-League season in which the bottom clubs were placed in a competition for safety with the last-placed club being relegated to the new second division (originally two clubs were going to be relegated but the withdrawal of Sangju Sangmu meant only one would be relegated).

The second division was going to get the name of K League, and the original K League's name was changed to K League Classic along with the new logo. However, the change caused some degree of confusion and controversy, and on 11 March 2013 the official name was changed to K League Challenge. On 22 January 2018, its name was once again changed to K League 2.

In the 2014 season, two additional teams were relegated from the K League Classic, reducing the number of participating teams to ten. Furthermore, the promotion-relegation playoff system was expanded. The league champion earned automatic promotion, while the third and fourth-placed teams competed in a playoff. The winner of this match faced the second-placed team, and the victor of this fixture advanced to the promotion-relegation playoff against the 11th-placed team from the K League Classic.

In mid-2016, the city of Ansan announced the formation of a new professional football club, Ansan Greeners FC. The club's foundation involved acquiring the squad of Ulsan Hyundai Mipo Dockyard Dolphins, a team with seven National League titles, and entering the league from the 2017 season. As a result of this development, Ansan Mugunghwa, which had previously represented Ansan, was dissolved at the conclusion of the 2016 season. Meanwhile, the police football team, which had served as the foundation for Ansan Mugunghwa, reached an agreement with the city of Asan to relocate and rebrand as Asan Mugunghwa.

Competition format

Regular season

The regular season consists of 34 rounds. Each team plays a total of 32 matches, playing every other team two times (home and away). As there is an odd number of teams in the league, one team rests each round. Teams receive three points for a win and one point for a draw. No points are awarded for a loss. Teams are ranked by total points. In the case that teams are level on points, tie-breakers are applied in the following order:

1. Total goals scored
2. Goal difference
3. Total wins
4. Head-to-head results
5. Penalty points accrued

The champions and runners-up of K League 2 automatically qualify for K League 1.

Play-offs

From the 2026 season onwards, the third, fourth, fifth and sixth-placed teams compete in the promotion play-offs. The winner of the K League 2 promotion play-off gain promotion to K League 1, while promotion play-off runners-up plays against the twelfth-placed team in K League 1 in the K League promotion-relegation play-offs.

Relegation

In the 2026 season, a promotion and relegation system was introduced between K League 2 and K3 League.

Current clubs

Champions

Champions by season

Performance by club

References

References

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10. Park, Sang-hyun. (2016-11-09). "안산-아산 K리그 회원가입 승인, 내년 챌린지도 11개팀 체제로".
11. (1 December 2025). "Top football league to add 2 clubs in 2027".
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14. [https://sports.news.naver.com/kfootball/news/read.nhn?oid=076&aid=0003039034 프로연맹, 신생팀 안산-아산 가입 승인]