2023 K League 2

The 2023 K League 2, also known as the Hana 1Q K League 2 for sponsorship reasons, is the 11th season of the second division of professional football in South Korea since its establishment in 2013 as the K League Challenge and the sixth season under its current name, the K League 2. This season will be the last to not feature relegation. Gwangju FC are the defending champions and were promoted to K League 1. The 2023 season will kick off at 1 March 2023.[1]

KEB Hana Bank
K League 2 2023
Season2023
Dates1 March – 2 December 2023 (including promotion play-offs)
6 and 9 December 2023 (Promotion-Relegation play-offs)
RelegatedNone (No Relegation between K League 2 and K3 League)
Matches played63
Goals scored163 (2.59 per match)
Biggest home winGimpo 4-0 Cheonan City
(5 March)
Biggest away winJeonnam Dragons 0-5 Gyeongnam
(5 March)
Highest scoringCheonan City 2-3 Busan IPark (1 March)
Seoul E-Land 2-3 Chungbuk Cheongju (1 March)
Jeonnam Dragons 0-5 Gyeongnam (5 March)
Longest winning runBucheon, Gimcheon Sangmu, Gyeongnam
(2 matches each)
Longest unbeaten runGimpo, Gyeongnam
(9 matches each)
Longest winless runCheonan City
(10 matches)
Longest losing runCheonan City
(7 matches)
← 2022
2024 →

The 2023 season will have 39 Regular rounds (each team plays 36 matches) in which 13 teams play a triple round robin (Rounds 1–39 (1–36)). Then final 3rd, 4th and 5th place teams will join K League 2 play-offs for promotion and 2nd place team will join in K League 1-2 Promotion-Relegation play-off 1 and the winner of K League 2 promotion play-offs (3rd-4th-5th) will join in K League 1-2 Promotion-Relegation play-off 2. Initially bottom teams are relegated to K3 League, but eventually it won't be applied yet.

Overview

A total of thirteen teams are participating in the 2023 edition of K League 2.

Changes

Gwangju FC (promoted after a one-year absence) and Daejeon Hana Citizen (promoted after a seven-year absence) were promoted from the 2022 K League 2. Gimcheon Sangmu (relegated after one year in the top flight) and Seongnam FC (relegated after four years in the top flight) were relegated to 2023 K League 2.

Cheonan City FC and Chungbuk Cheongju FC, which played in the K3 League, made their professional debuts on the K League 2 in the 2023 season, being the 24th and 25th K League member.

There will be no promotion or relegation between the K League 2 and K3 League this season.

Incoming
Decrease from 2023 K League 1Increase New teams
Gimcheon Sangmu
Seongnam FC		 Cheonan City FC
Chungbuk Cheongju FC
Outgoing
Increase to 2023 K League 1
Gwangju FC
Daejeon Hana Citizen

Teams
Locations of the 2023 K League 2 teams

Stadiums
Ansan Greeners FC Anyang Bucheon FC 1995 Busan IPark Cheonan City Chungbuk Cheongju Chungnam Asan
Ansan Wa~ Stadium Anyang Stadium Bucheon Stadium Busan Asiad Main Stadium Cheonan Stadium Cheongju Stadium Yi Sun-sin Stadium
Capacity: 35,000 Capacity: 17,143 Capacity: 34,456 Capacity: 53,769 Capacity: 26,000 Capacity: 16,280 Capacity: 19,283
Gimcheon Sangmu FC Gimpo FC Gyeongnam FC Jeonnam Dragons Seongnam FC Seoul E-Land
Gimcheon Stadium Gimpo Solteo Football Stadium Changwon Football Center Gwangyang Stadium Tancheon Stadium Mokdong Stadium
Capacity: 25,000 Capacity: 5,000 Capacity: 15,074 Capacity: 13,496 Capacity: 16,146 Capacity: 15,511

Foreign players

Restricting the number of foreign players strictly to six per team, including a slot for a player from the Asian Football Confederation countries. Gimcheon Sangmu FC, being a military-owned team, is not allowed to sign any foreign players. A team could use five foreign players on the field each game, including at least one player from the AFC confederation.
The name in bold indicates that the player was registered during the mid-season transfer window.

Club Player 1 Player 2 Player 3 AFC player ASEAN player Left in mid-season
Ansan Greeners Brazil Gabriel Honório Brazil Thiago Henrique Brazil Wandrew
FC Anyang Brazil Andrigo Brazil Yago Costa Rica Jonathan Moya
Bucheon FC 1995 Brazil Nilson Júnior Brazil Gabriel Ramos Brazil Kalil Japan Kazuki Takahashi
Busan IPark Brazil Bruno Lamas Brazil Fessin Brazil Franklin Mascote
Cheonan City Brazil Mota Croatia Damir Šovšić France Axel Bakayoko Vietnam Vũ Minh Hiếu Vietnam Nguyễn Cảnh Anh Brazil Rodolfo
Chungbuk Cheongju Brazil Paulinho Brazil Jorge Luiz Australia Peter Makrillos Malaysia Kogileswaran Raj
Chungnam Asan Brazil Róbson Duarte
Gimpo FC Uruguay Pablo González Brazil Juninho Rocha Colombia Luis Mina
Gyeongnam FC Brazil Castro Brazil Gleyson Brazil Mirandinha
Jeonnam Dragons Kosovo Leonard Pllana Brazil Valdívia Sweden Robin Simović Japan Yuhei Sato Indonesia Asnawi Mangkualam
Seongnam FC France Christy Manzinga Brazil Denilson Australia Patrick Flottmann
Seoul E-Land Brazil Renan Brazil Ronan Brazil Bruno Oliveira Japan Tsubasa Nishi Vietnam Nguyễn Văn Toàn

League table
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Promotion or qualification
1 Gimpo FC 12 7 5 0 16 4 +12 26 Promotion to 2024 K League 1
2 Gimcheon Sangmu 12 7 2 3 19 14 +5 23 Qualification for promotion playoff 1
3 Bucheon FC 1995 12 7 1 4 21 14 +7 22 Qualification for K League 2 playoff 2
4 Gyeongnam FC 12 5 6 1 21 12 +9 21 Qualification for K League 2 semi-playoff 2
5 FC Anyang 12 6 3 3 20 13 +7 21
6 Busan IPark 12 5 5 2 16 9 +7 20
7 Seongnam FC 12 4 5 3 17 16 +1 17
8 Jeonnam Dragons 12 4 2 6 15 21 −6 14
9 Seoul E-Land 12 4 2 6 14 15 −1 14
10 Chungnam Asan 12 3 3 6 13 14 −1 12
11 Chungbuk Cheongju 12 3 3 6 13 23 −10 12
12 Ansan Greeners 12 2 4 6 11 19 −8 10
13 Cheonan City 12 0 1 11 8 30 −22 1
Updated to match(es) played on 14 May 2023. Source: Official website of K League SOCCERWAY
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goals scored; 3) Goal difference; 4) Number of wins; 5) Head-to-head points

Positions by matchday

  Leader & promotion to the 2024 K League 1
  Qualification for relegation/promotion play-offs

Team ╲ Round123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233343536
Gimpo FC11455554321111
Gimcheon Sangmu3236762213222
Bucheon FC 199512921447967663
Gyeongnam FC5112123132444
FC Anyang5343211454335
Busan IPark1564335545556
Seongnam FC3798676686777
Jeonnam Dragons12131011888898888
Seoul E-Land710111212111110111110109
Chungnam Asan9121210111097799910
Chungbuk Cheongju16779910111212121211
Ansan Greeners9789101212121010111112
Cheonan City7111313131313131313131313
Updated to match(es) played on 14 May 2023. Source: kleague.com

Results
Home \ Away ASG AYG BCN BSI CNC CBCJ CNAS GCS GIM GNM JND SNM SUE ASG AYG BCN BSI CNC CBCJ CNAS GCS GIM GNM JND SNM SUE
Ansan Greeners 1–1 1–0 2–3 2–3 1–1 1–0
FC Anyang 0–3 1–0 3–0 1–2 2–1 1–1
Bucheon FC 1995 1–0 2–4 2–1 5–2 1–0 0–1
Busan IPark 0–0 0–1 3–1 0–0 1–0
Cheonan City 1–1 0–4 0–3 2–3 0–2 1–3
Chungbuk Cheongju 3–0 0–4 1–1 2–1 0–4 0–2 0–0
Chungnam Asan 1–1 1–0 1–2 0–1 2–2 2–0
Gimcheon Sangmu 0–0 4–1 0–2 0–2 2–1
Gimpo FC 1–1 1–0 4–0 0–0 0–0 0–0
Gyeongnam FC 3–2 1–0 2–1 2–2 2–2 1–2
Jeonnam Dragons 0–1 1–1 3–0 2–1 0–2 0–5 2–2
Seongnam FC 2–1 1–3 2–0 3–2 0–0 2–2
Seoul E-Land 4–1 3–2 2–3 0–1 0–1 1–2
Updated to match(es) played on 14 May 2023. Source: K League 2
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.
For upcoming matches, an "a" indicates there is an article about the rivalry between the two participants.

Promotion/relegation play-offs

There are two playoffs contested in this stage. The Playoff "1" is played with the two league extremes facing each other (K League 1 second-worst placed team against K League 2 second-best placed team). Meanwhile, the Playoff "2" is played with K League 2 10th facing the Semi-playoffs winner. The winners of both ties earn two spots in the 2024 K League 1.

If scores are tied after regular time in any match of both the Semi-playoffs and playoffs, the higher-placed team will advance to the next phase. However, The same conditions do not apply for the promotion/relegation playoffs, with the match, if tied, requiring extra time. Should it remain tied, the match will go to the penalty shoot-outs.

Semi-playoff
(4th)v(5th)

Playoff
(3rd)v(4th or 5th)

Promotion-Relegation Playoff Final Round

Team 1 Agg. Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
(PO2 Winners) agg. (KL1 10th) 1st 2nd
(KL2 2nd) agg. (KL1 11th) 1st 2nd

First leg
(K2 2nd)v(K1 11th)
(PO2 Winners)v(K1 10th)

Second leg
(K1 10th)v(PO2 Winners)
(K1 11th)v(K2 2nd)

Season statistics

Awards

Most Valuable Player of the Round

See also

Notes

    References
    1. "2023시즌 K리그2 일정 발표, 3·1절 킥오프 (2023 K League 2 fixture announced., Kick-off at 1 March )". K League. 26 January 2023. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
    2. "K LEAGUE / Record".
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