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| Photo: Courtesy of the Korea Professional Football Federation |
The Korea Professional Football Federation (Chairman Kwon Oh-gap, hereafter the Federation) said its 2026 regular registration period, held for 10 weeks from Jan. 16 to March 26, resulted in 425 registered players in K League 1 and 580 in K League 2, for a combined total of 1,005 players — the highest number in the history of K League regular registrations.
The 1,005 figure combines 1,001 players who completed registration and four players who filed for international transfer certificates (ITCs) during the registration window. Key takeaways from this cycle are as follows.
▲ Total registrations up 15 year-over-year; foreign-player growth notable
Regular registrations have risen steadily from 925 in 2023 to 936 in 2024 and 990 in 2025. In 2026 the total reached 1,005 — an increase of 15 from the prior year and the first time the total exceeded 1,000.
Of the registered players, 862 are domestic and 143 are foreign. Domestic registrations dropped by 21 from last year despite the addition of new K League 2 clubs in Gimhae, Yongin and Paju, while foreign registrations rose by 36. That jump appears linked to the removal of the foreign-player roster cap.
▲ Club rosters smaller on average in both divisions; Jeonbuk tops with 52, Gyeongnam & Daegu at 39
Average squad sizes fell in both leagues. K League 1’s 12 clubs averaged 35.4 players, down from 40.3 last year, while K League 2’s 17 clubs averaged 34.1, down from 36.2.
By club, Jeonbuk — the only K League 1 club also competing in the K3 League — registered the most players with 52, followed by Gangwon (43) and Pohang (39). Gwangju registered the fewest with 25.
In K League 2, Gyeongnam and Daegu led with 39 each, followed by Suwon FC (38), and Suwon, Seoul E-Land and Hwaseong with 36 apiece. Busan, Seongnam and Chungbuk Cheongju registered the fewest, with 30 each.
▲ Average age: K League 1 — 26.5; K League 2 — 26.1. Youngest squads: Gangwon, Seoul E-Land, Ansan
The league-wide average age is 26.5 in K League 1 and 26.1 in K League 2.
Gangwon has the youngest K League 1 roster at 23.8 years. In K League 2, Seoul E-Land and Ansan share the youngest average at 25. On the older end, Daejeon (29.8) in K League 1 and Gimpo (28.2) in K League 2 posted the highest averages.
The oldest players are Pohang’s Shin Kwang-hoon in K League 1 and Daegu’s Edgaro in K League 2 — both born in 1987 and 38 years old.
Excluding semi-pro contracts, the youngest players are Jeju’s Yoo Seung-jae and Gangwon’s Lee Eun-ho (both born in 2008, age 18) in K League 1, while Seoul E-Land’s Ahn Joo-wan (born in 2009, age 16) is the youngest across both divisions.
Meanwhile, U22 registrations totaled 279 — 114 in K League 1 and 165 in K League 2 — a drop of 85 from last year. That decline appears tied to changes in this season’s U22 regulations. By club, Jeonbuk (24) and Suwon (14) registered the most U22 players.
▲ 394 K League youth graduates; six high-schoolers signed to semi-pro deals
K League youth products number 394 in total — 178 in K League 1 and 216 in K League 2 — up 30 from last year. At Jeonbuk, 15 of the 52 players (about 29%) came through the club’s youth system.
With the youth pipeline growing, clubs continue to bring in high-school players on semi-pro contracts. This year six registered as semi-pros: Kim Ye-geon (Jeonbuk), Choi Joo-ho (Ulsan), Heo Jae-won (Jeju), Kim Ji-seong and Lee Jun-woo (both Suwon), and Choi Joon-young (Suwon FC). Clubs may sign up to five semi-pro players per season.
Additionally, seven players who were on semi-pro deals last year — including Kim Su-hyung, Lee Han-gyeol and Han Seok-jin (all Jeonbuk), Kim Yun-ho (Gwangju) and Baek Kyung (Suwon FC) — completed registration as full professionals this year.
▲ 143 foreign players total; Brazilians top both leagues
Foreign registrations totaled 143 — 57 in K League 1 (an average of 5.2 per club) and 86 in K League 2 (avg. 5.1). Last year there were 107 foreign players in total — 56 (avg. 5.1) in K League 1 and 51 (avg. 3.6) in K League 2 — with K League 2 seeing a marked increase this year.
Starting this season, the K League removed limits on how many foreign players a club can hold, allowing unlimited foreign-player registrations. Matchday squad registration and game-day participation remain capped: up to five foreign players can be registered in K League 1 and up to four in K League 2.
In K League 1, Brazilian players are the largest group with 24, followed by Spain, Japan and Portugal (three each), and Montenegro, Sweden, Colombia, Croatia and Poland (two each). In K League 2, Brazilians also lead with 41, followed by Portugal (seven) and Colombia (four).
After this regular registration window, an additional registration period is scheduled for six weeks from July 9 to Aug. 19.
[Sports Today reporter Lee Sang-pil sports@stoo.com]
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