K League 1 table 2026: Ulsan, Jeju and Jeonbuk all lose in round 31, nobody new clinches Final A, and the line is 49 with two rounds left

The September 29 update named three clubs that could clinch a place in Final A by winning on the first October weekend: Ulsan HD at Gwangju, Jeju SK at Seoul and Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors at Daejeon. All three lost. Jeonbuk went down 2-1 at Daejeon Hana Citizen on October 9, Jeju 2-1 at FC Seoul on October 10 and Ulsan 4-3 at Gwangju FC on October 11. So Seoul are still the only club certain of the top six. What moved is the line: 50 points guaranteed Final A before the weekend, and 49 does now. At the other end Bucheon FC 1995 and Gimcheon Sangmu both lost and are now certain of Final B, alongside Gwangju. Two rounds remain before the table splits, round 32 on October 17 and 18 and round 33 on October 24.

Every figure here is as of the October 11 update. That is 186 of the season's 228 matches. All twelve clubs have played 31 and have seven left, two before the split and five after it. The other three round 31 results were Incheon United 3-0 Pohang Steelers and Gangwon FC 2-0 Bucheon on October 9, and Gimcheon 0-1 FC Anyang on October 10. Clinch numbers assume the worst case, that every rival takes maximum points from every match it has left, and a rival who can finish exactly level is counted as a threat.

The table now reads Seoul 65, Ulsan 47, Gangwon 46, Jeju 46, Jeonbuk 44, Daejeon 43, Incheon 42, Anyang 41, Pohang 40, Gimcheon 33, Bucheon 32 and Gwangju 18. Gangwon are third rather than Jeju because the K League separates clubs level on points by goals scored first, 38 to 36. Gangwon, Daejeon, Incheon and Anyang won this round and Ulsan, Jeju, Jeonbuk and Pohang lost, so the eight clubs from Ulsan in second to Pohang in ninth are now within seven points of each other.

At the split, with two matches left each, the ceilings are Ulsan 53, Gangwon and Jeju 52, Jeonbuk 50, Daejeon 49, Incheon 48, Anyang 47 and Pohang 46. Gimcheon can reach only 39 and Bucheon 38, below the current totals of the nine clubs above them, which is why both are out. The guaranteed line is one above Incheon's 48. Only five clubs besides Seoul can reach 49, so a club on 49 finishes sixth at worst. Ulsan need 2, Gangwon and Jeju 3, Jeonbuk 5 and Daejeon 6, and each figure takes that club to exactly 49. For Ulsan that is a win or two draws, for Gangwon and Jeju a win. Jeonbuk's 5 is a total two matches cannot produce, because a win and a draw make 4 and two wins make 6, so by the table Jeonbuk need two wins, and so do Daejeon.

The table counts every rival's ceiling separately, but six of the twelve remaining pre-split matches are between the eight clubs still in the race, and two clubs cannot both take three points from the same match. We ran all 531,441 win, draw and loss combinations of those twelve matches through the engine behind the site's tables, and with the real fixtures several clubs need less than their number. One point is enough for Ulsan, who are at home to Bucheon on October 17 and to Pohang on October 24, and even two defeats cannot put Ulsan in Final B, although a tie on points would then be separated by goals scored. Gangwon and Jeju are certain with one win or with two draws. Jeonbuk are certain with a win and a draw. Daejeon still need both wins, at home to Gwangju on October 18 and at Gimcheon on October 24, and anything less leaves them depending on other results. Incheon have no clinch number at all, yet two wins, at Gangwon on October 18 and at home to Jeju on October 24, put them in Final A whatever else happens, because both come against clubs above them.

Incheon, Anyang and Pohang each have a Final B number of 2, so by the table only two defeats end it. With the fixtures it is tighter. Incheon need at least two points to have any route to a certain place. With one point the best they can do is finish level with sixth and depend on goals scored, and with none they are in Final B. Anyang and Pohang play each other on October 18, and Pohang are certain of Final B if they lose it. Anyang need to win at least one of their two, at Pohang and at home to Jeonbuk on October 24, to have any route to certainty, and even two wins do not guarantee it. Two draws leave them at best level with sixth, and one point or none puts them in Final B. Pohang need at least four points from Anyang at home and Ulsan away on October 24. A win and a defeat leave them at best level with sixth, and a draw with Anyang followed by anything less than a win at Ulsan puts them in Final B.

The October 17 and 18 weekend can settle most of the top six. We ran all 729 win, draw and loss combinations of round 32. Ulsan clinch Final A by beating Bucheon on October 17. A draw is enough too, unless on October 18 Jeonbuk avoid defeat against Jeju, Daejeon beat Gwangju and Incheon win at Gangwon. Gangwon clinch by beating Incheon, and a draw is enough unless Anyang win at Pohang and Daejeon avoid defeat against Gwangju. A Gangwon defeat cannot clinch it that weekend. Jeju clinch by winning at Jeonbuk. For a Jeju draw, and in the same way for a Jeonbuk win or an Ulsan defeat, two other matches decide it: Anyang at Pohang and Incheon at Gangwon. If neither away side wins, it is a clinch. If exactly one of them wins, Gwangju have to win at Daejeon. If both win, it is not. A Jeju defeat clinches only if Pohang and Anyang draw and Gangwon beat Incheon. Jeonbuk cannot clinch with a draw or a defeat. Daejeon clinch only by beating Gwangju while Pohang and Anyang draw and Gangwon beat Incheon. The other way, Pohang are in Final B if they lose to Anyang. Incheon are in Final B if they lose at Gangwon while Jeonbuk beat Jeju and Daejeon beat Gwangju, and the same two results put Anyang in Final B if Anyang draw at Pohang. An Anyang defeat can settle it too, for example when Daejeon beat Gwangju and Jeonbuk avoid defeat against Jeju.

Seoul's win over Jeju cut their continental number from 7 to 3 and their title number from 10 to 4. Ulsan's ceiling is 68, so 69 wins the title, and a win and a draw from Seoul's two pre-split matches, at home to Gimcheon on October 18 and at home to Gangwon on October 24, settle it whatever else happens. It can come sooner. If Seoul beat Gimcheon on October 18 and Ulsan have failed to beat Bucheon the day before, Seoul are champions that day. A Seoul draw is enough only if Ulsan lose to Bucheon and neither Gangwon nor Jeju win on October 18. Seoul's 65 is now above the ceilings of Daejeon (64), Incheon (63), Anyang (62) and Pohang (61), so those four dropped out of the title race this round, and five clubs remain: Seoul, Ulsan, Gangwon, Jeju and Jeonbuk. For the continental places, a Seoul win over Gimcheon settles a top-three finish. A draw does too, unless Ulsan avoid defeat against Bucheon, Jeju win at Jeonbuk and Gangwon beat Incheon, and even a defeat is enough if Incheon win at Gangwon. Gimcheon, as a military club, cannot take a continental place and are left out of that count. Ulsan need 21 for a top-three place, and Jeju, who needed 23 before, no longer have a number. Only Gimcheon, Bucheon and Gwangju are out of the continental race.

Gwangju's 4-3 win over Ulsan was their second of the season, and it pushed relegation back. On September 29 the earliest date was October 18. Gwangju now cannot be relegated that weekend, and the earliest date is October 24, only if Gwangju lose at Bucheon that day. If they lose at Daejeon on October 18 and at Bucheon on October 24, last place is settled as long as Gimcheon take one point from their two matches, at Seoul and at home to Daejeon. Gwangju have 18 points from 31 matches, a ceiling of 39, and a relegation tragic number of 3. Gimcheon need 7 more points and Bucheon 8 to be certain of finishing above them, and each figure takes that club to 40.

Round 32 opens with Bucheon at Ulsan on Saturday, October 17. On Sunday, October 18, Anyang are at Pohang, Jeju at Jeonbuk, Gimcheon at Seoul, Gwangju at Daejeon and Incheon at Gangwon. All six matches of round 33 are on Saturday, October 24: Pohang at Ulsan, Gangwon at Seoul, Jeju at Incheon, Gwangju at Bucheon, Jeonbuk at Anyang and Daejeon at Gimcheon. After that the top six and the bottom six play five more matches each within their own group.

How to read these numbers. A clinch number is the smallest further return, counted in league points, that guarantees an outcome even if every rival takes maximum points from everything it has left. A tragic number is the count of further defeats after which the outcome becomes impossible even if the club wins everything else. Zero means already settled, and no number at all means arithmetic alone cannot get there. The Final A figures count only the matches left before round 33, because the split is decided by the table at that point. These numbers treat each rival on its own, so the combinations above, which use the real fixtures, can settle things with fewer points than the number says. A rival who can finish exactly level counts against a club when we decide a clinch, so our clinch can trail an official announcement by a day, while a rival who can only draw level does not eliminate anyone. Goals scored, goal difference, head-to-head records and the official tiebreakers are not part of this arithmetic. The live table carries the Final A columns, with the remaining fixtures, the continental and relegation rules, every club's clinch and tragic figures and the full method. To set the October 17 to 24 results yourself and watch the numbers move, use the what-if page. Club pages carry the same figures, for example Incheon and Gwangju.