2021 K League 1
The 2021 K League 1, also known as the Hana 1Q K League 1 for sponsorship reasons, was the 39th season of the top division of professional football in South Korea, and the ninth season of the K League 1.
Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors won their ninth title and fifth consecutive title.
 | |
| Season | 2021 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 27 February – 5 December 2021 |
| Champions | Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors (9th title) |
| Relegated | Gwangju FC |
| Champions League | Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors Ulsan Hyundai Daegu FC |
| Matches played | 228 |
| Goals scored | 563 (2.47 per match) |
| Best Player | Hong Jeong-ho |
| Top goalscorer | Joo Min-kyu (22 goals) |
| Biggest home win | Ulsan 5–0 Gangwon (1 March 2021) |
| Biggest away win | Daegu 0–5 Jeju (31 October 2021) |
| Highest scoring | Seoul 3–4 Jeonbuk (5 September 2021) |
| Highest attendance | 6,199 |
| Lowest attendance | 1,218 |
← 2020 2022 → | |
After progressing 33 regular rounds, the league was divided into two groups, the top six and the bottom six, and each team played five matches against other teams in its group.
Teams
Team changes
Relegated to K League 2
- Sangju Sangmu (renamed Gimcheon Sangmu)
- Busan IPark
Promoted from K League 2
Locations
The following twelve clubs competed in the K League 1 during the 2021 season.
| Team | City/Province | Abbreviation |
|---|---|---|
| Daegu FC | Daegu | Daegu |
| Gangwon FC | Gangwon | Gangwon |
| Gwangju FC | Gwangju | Gwangju |
| Incheon United | Incheon | Incheon |
| Jeju United | Jeju | Jeju |
| Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | Jeonbuk | Jeonbuk |
| Pohang Steelers | Pohang | Pohang |
| Seongnam FC | Seongnam | Seongnam |
| FC Seoul | Seoul | Seoul |
| Suwon Samsung Bluewings | Suwon | Suwon |
| Suwon FC | Suwon | Suwon FC |
| Ulsan Hyundai | Ulsan | Ulsan |
Stadiums
| Jeju United | Daegu FC | Incheon United |
|---|---|---|
| Jeju World Cup Stadium | DGB Daegu Bank Park | Incheon Football Stadium |
| Capacity: 29,791 | Capacity: 12,415 | Capacity: 20,891 |
 |  |  |
| Pohang Steelers | Suwon FC | Seongnam FC |
| Pohang Steel Yard | Suwon Stadium | Tancheon Stadium |
| Capacity: 17,443 | Capacity: 11,808 | Capacity: 16,146 |
 |  |  |
| FC Seoul | Suwon Samsung Bluewings Suwon FC | |
| Seoul World Cup Stadium | Seoul Olympic Stadium | Suwon World Cup Stadium |
| Capacity: 66,704 | Capacity: 69,950 | Capacity: 44,031 |
 |  |  |
| Gwangju FC | Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | |
| Gwangju World Cup Stadium | Gwangju Football Stadium | Jeonju World Cup Stadium |
| Capacity: 40,245 | Capacity: 12,000 | Capacity: 42,477 |
 |  | |
| Gangwon FC | Ulsan Hyundai | |
| Chuncheon Songam Leports Town | Gangneung Stadium | Ulsan Munsu Football Stadium |
| Capacity: 20,000 | Capacity: 22,333 | Capacity: 44,102 |
 |  | |
Personnel and sponsoring
| Team | Manager | Main sponsor | Kit manufacturer | Other sponsor(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daegu FC |  Lee Byung-keun | Daegu Government | Goal Studio | DGB Daegu Bank AJIN Industrial Co., Ltd. |
| Gangwon FC | Kim Byung-soo | Gangwon Provincial Government | Applerind | Kangwon Land |
| Gwangju FC | Kim Ho-young | Gwangju Government | Kelme | |
| Incheon United | Jo Sung-hwan | Incheon Government | Macron | Shinhan Bank Incheon International Airport |
| Jeju United | Nam Ki-il | SK Energy | Puma | |
| Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | Kim Sang-sik | Hyundai Motor Company | Hummel | |
| Pohang Steelers | Kim Gi-dong | POSCO | Puma | Pohang Government |
| Seongnam FC | Kim Nam-il | Seongnam Government | Umbro | |
| FC Seoul | Park Jin-sub | GS Group | Le Coq Sportif | |
| Suwon Samsung Bluewings | Park Kun-ha | Cheil Worldwide | Puma | Samsung Electronics |
| Suwon FC | Kim Do-kyun | Suwon Government | Hummel | |
| Ulsan Hyundai | Hong Myung-bo | Hyundai Heavy Industries | Hummel | Hyundai Oil Bank |
Foreign players
Restricting the number of foreign players strictly to five per team, including a slot for a player from the Asian Football Confederation countries and a slot for a player from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. A team could use five foreign players on the field each game, including at least one player from the AFC confederation. Samuel Pungi, who played for Pohang Steelers, was deemed to be a native player as he had been granted South Korean nationality.
Players in bold were registered during the mid-season transfer window.
League table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors (C) | 38 | 22 | 10 | 6 | 71 | 37 | +34 | 76 | Qualification for Champions League group stage |
| 2 | Ulsan Hyundai | 38 | 21 | 11 | 6 | 64 | 41 | +23 | 74 | Qualification for Champions League play-off round |
| 3 | Daegu FC | 38 | 15 | 10 | 13 | 41 | 48 | −7 | 55 | |
| 4 | Jeju United | 38 | 13 | 15 | 10 | 52 | 44 | +8 | 54 | |
| 5 | Suwon FC | 38 | 14 | 9 | 15 | 53 | 57 | −4 | 51 | |
| 6 | Suwon Samsung Bluewings | 38 | 12 | 10 | 16 | 42 | 50 | −8 | 46 | |
| 7 | FC Seoul | 38 | 12 | 11 | 15 | 46 | 46 | 0 | 47 | |
| 8 | Incheon United | 38 | 12 | 11 | 15 | 38 | 45 | −7 | 47 | |
| 9 | Pohang Steelers | 38 | 12 | 10 | 16 | 41 | 45 | −4 | 46 | |
| 10 | Seongnam FC | 38 | 11 | 11 | 16 | 34 | 46 | −12 | 44 | |
| 11 | Gangwon FC (O) | 38 | 10 | 13 | 15 | 40 | 51 | −11 | 43 | Qualification for relegation play-offs |
| 12 | Gwangju FC (R) | 38 | 10 | 7 | 21 | 42 | 54 | −12 | 37 | Relegation to K League 2 |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goals scored; 3) Goal difference; 4) Wins; 5) Head-to-head points
(C) Champions; (O) Play-off winners; (R) Relegated
Notes:
