K League 2 2026 round 31: Suwon one point from the title, Busan and Hwaseong level on 48 for the last top five place, Chungnam Asan must win next time

Suwon's title has been put off by a week. Our previous piece said a Suwon win over Yongin would not be enough if Suwon FC beat Gyeongnam the day before. On Saturday, November 7, Suwon FC beat Gyeongnam 3-0, and on Sunday Suwon beat Yongin 2-0 at home. Suwon's title number fell from 4 to 1.

Every figure here is as of the November 8 update, 256 of the season's 272 matches, with 16 left. On Saturday, November 7, Daegu FC won 1-0 at Seongnam FC, Suwon FC beat Gyeongnam FC 3-0, Seoul E-Land beat Jeonnam Dragons 3-2, Hwaseong FC won 1-0 at Gimhae FC, and Gimpo FC and Ansan Greeners drew 2-2. On Sunday, November 8, Suwon beat Yongin FC 2-0, Cheonan City beat Busan IPark 1-0, and Paju Citizen and Chungnam Asan drew 1-1. Chungbuk Cheongju did not play. 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 reads Suwon 66, Suwon FC 60, Seoul E-Land 57, Daegu 56, Busan 48, Hwaseong 48, Chungnam Asan 43, Gimpo 39, Gyeongnam 38, Paju 35, Cheonan 33, Yongin 33, Chungbuk Cheongju 32, Seongnam 32, Ansan 26, Jeonnam 25 and Gimhae 18. Busan sit above Hwaseong because the K League separates clubs level on points by goals scored first, 47 to 45. Hwaseong and Ansan have one match left and everyone else two.

The title carries automatic promotion to K League 1. Suwon FC in second are on 60 with two matches left, so their ceiling is 66, exactly Suwon's total now. Because they could still finish level, Suwon have not clinched, but one more point puts them beyond anyone. Seoul E-Land beat Jeonnam, yet their ceiling is 63 and they are out of the title race. Only two clubs can still finish first: Suwon and Suwon FC (title elimination number 1). Suwon cannot finish lower than second.

The next match is on Saturday, November 21. A home draw with Gyeongnam takes Suwon to 67 and wins the title. Even a defeat would do if Suwon FC fail to win at Gimpo the same day, because Suwon FC could then reach 64 at most. If Suwon lose and Suwon FC win, it goes to the last round at 66 to 63.

Suwon, Suwon FC, Seoul E-Land and Daegu have already clinched top five places, and Busan, Hwaseong and Chungnam Asan are left for the last one. Busan lost 1-0 at Cheonan and Hwaseong won 1-0 at Gimhae, so both are on 48. Busan's clinch number is still 4. Hwaseong have one match left and can reach 51, where a club could still be caught level, so 52 is needed. Busan must take a win and a draw or better from their last two, and their home match with Chungbuk Cheongju on November 21 can give them three points at most, so they cannot clinch in this round. Hwaseong have the next round off and then only their last match. Their elimination number went from 2 to blank, meaning arithmetic alone cannot rule them out yet even if they lose.

Chungnam Asan drew 1-1 at Paju, moved to 43, and their elimination number fell from 2 to 1. Defeat at Seoul E-Land on Sunday, November 22 would end their chances. A draw would leave them on 44 and a win in the last match would take them only to 47, short of the 48 Busan and Hwaseong already have, so Chungnam Asan have to win that match to stay in the race.

The next round. On Saturday, November 21, Gyeongnam are at Suwon, Chungbuk Cheongju at Busan, Yongin at Seongnam and Suwon FC at Gimpo. On Sunday, November 22, Ansan are at Jeonnam, Gimhae at Daegu, Chungnam Asan at Seoul E-Land and Cheonan at Paju. Hwaseong have the round off.

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, assuming rivals stay where they are. Zero means already settled, and a blank means arithmetic alone cannot settle it yet. 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. Goals scored, goal difference and the official tiebreakers are not part of this arithmetic. The live table is at, the fixtures at, the promotion and tiebreak rules at, every club's figures at and the method at. Club pages: Suwon, Suwon FC, Busan, Hwaseong and Chungnam Asan. To set the November 21 and 22 results yourself, use.