Ulsan, Pohang and Gwangju, who qualified for the 2024-25 AFC Champions League Elite (ACLE), and Jeonbuk, who qualified for the 2024-25 AFC Champions League 2 (ACL2), have been granted AFC licenses to compete in the AFC Club competitions.
Ulsan and Pohang won the K League 1 and FA Cup titles last year, respectively, while Gwangju and Jeonbuk finished third and fourth in the K League 1, respectively, to qualify for the 2024-25 먹튀검증 AFC Club Competition.
Accordingly, Ulsan, Pohang, Gwangju and Jeonbuk applied for AFC licenses to compete in the 2024-25 ACLE and 2024-25 ACL2 in September, and the Korea Professional Football Association (KPFA) held a Club Eligibility Review Committee on Wednesday (22nd of this month) for the four clubs.
The Club Eligibility Review Committee is an independent body that reviews the issuance of club licenses and determines whether a club has met the criteria under the AFC Club Licensing Regulations. The criteria for the issuance of an AFC license consists of five areas: sporting, facilities, human resources and administration, legal, and financial.
The Club Eligibility Review Committee reviewed each area and found that the four clubs met all the criteria. In particular, Gwangju was approved to host the ACLE at the Gwangju World Cup Stadium, while Jeonbuk received conditional approval by registering its manager by the 7th of next month. As a result, all four clubs have been granted AFC licenses and will be able to participate in the 2024-25 ACLE and 2024-25 ACL2.
Meanwhile, as the AFC Club Competition has been moved to the Autumnal Equinox since last year, the Confederation has separated the club licensing process for the K League and AFC Club Competition.
The ‘K-League License Club Eligibility Review Workshop’ will be held in October to review the eligibility of clubs to participate in the 2025 season.