Rival and derby matches in K League in 2025

The Super Match was lost in 2023, and so too the Suwon Derby following Suwon Bluewings' relegation that year. Incheon falling through the trap door last year means there's no Gyeongin Derby for the time being, but there are still a few to look forward to in the 2025 Hana Bank K League season.

A 'derby' match, according to the Premier League's official website is a contest "between local rivals. i.e. teams that are from the same city or the same part of the country." In Korea, the scope of what makes a 'derby' match is a little different and can mean that there's something in common between two teams.

The Super Match, for example, was a rivalry that began in the boardrooms of LG and Samsung in the 1990s. It was a business rivalry played out on the football field initially before it captured the imagination of the fans.

Not every derby is a rivalry, either. In fact, some matches that are listed as derbies feature teams that have never played each other before. Some should be taken with a pinch of salt, some seem to have been invented and maybe appear a bit forced.

But K League is still only 42 years old, which would be the same as the 1933-1934 season if compared to the English Football League which began in 1888-1889. In Spain's La Liga, that would be the 1972-1973 season. K League is still young and rivalries can take time.

The low number of teams, with just 26 over two divisions, means there's a fine line between success and failure. Teams can go off the boil quickly and rivalries can fade. The Super Match was at its peak when FC Seoul and Suwon Bluewings were at their respective peaks but the Super Match lost its shine once they both became Final B dwellers.

Just for a bit of fun, here is a rundown of what Korean football sees as 'derby' matches in 2025.

K League 1

FC Seoul vs. FC Anyang

The standout, headline derby of 2025 is without doubt the first-ever K League meeting between FC Seoul and FC Anyang. Although there has only been one previous encounter, and that was in the FA Cup in 2017, there is genuine hatred - particularly from FC Anyang fans towards FC Seoul. It stems from Anyang Cheetahs moving to Seoul in 2003 and Anyang fans losing their team until FC Anyang were founded in 2013. It's complicated and there's a bit of back and forth in terms of where the club was based but Ryan Walters wrotein depth about this rivalry in 2017 and is definitely worth a read.

2025 Fixtures

Round 2, 22nd February - FC Seoul vs. FC Anyang
Round 12, 6th May - FC Anyang vs. FC Seoul
Round 28, 31st August - FC Seoul vs. FC Anyang

[READ: History of FC Anyang-FC Seoul rivalry]

Moonlight Derby - Daegu FC vs. Gwangju FC

K League Matches Played: 28 | Gwangju FC Wins: 10 | Daegu FC Wins: 10 | Draws: 8

The 'Dalbit Derby,' or 'Moonlight Derby,' is a match between Gwangju FC and Daegu FC. It brings together teams from the two biggest cities in the Honam and Youngnam regions, Honam being the Jeolla provinces and Youngnam the Gyeongsang provinces. There has been a rivalry between the two areas even away from the football field; politically and in the world of baseball with KIA Tigers and Samsung Lions. This history led to Gwangju FC's first game in K League in 2011 being against Daegu - winning 3-2.

The name harks back to the old name for Daegu, 'Dalgubeol' and the old name for Gwangju which was 'Bitgoeul' so bringing together the two it became Dal-bit or 'Moonlight' in English as a sort of play on words. There have been some high-scoring encounters, most notably the 6-4 Gwangju win in August 2020, Daegu's 4-2 win the month before and the 4-1 Gwangju win the following year.

2025 Fixtures

Round 10, 26th April - Gwangju FC vs. Daegu FC
Round 17, 1st June - Daegu FC vs. Gwangju FC
Round 32, 4th October - Gwangju FC vs. Daegu FC

East Coast Derby - Ulsan HD vs. Pohang Steelers

K League Matches Played: 182 | Pohang Wins: 65 | Ulsan Wins: 63 | Draws: 54

Perhaps one of the K League's most historic derbies takes place on the country's coast between Pohang Steelers and Ulsan HD. Named the 'Donghaean Derby', or 'East Coast Derby' in English, the fixture has seen two of K League's founding members make the familiar 70-or-so km trip to contest some of the league's most famous matches.

Perhaps one of Ulsan Hyundai's most memorable wins in this encounter was back in the 1998 K League Championship semifinal, where a last-minute goal for Ulsan from legendary goalkeeper Kim Byung-ji sent the tie into extra time before Kim built on his heroics by saving two penalties in the shootout to see the Horangi progress. Kim's transfer to Pohang a few years later would only further intensify the rivalry.

Pohang Steelers have also had their fair share of dramatic wins in this encounter. In 2013 the pair were in a heated race for the title, culminating in a final-day meet-up that saw the Steelers win the match and the league with a 95th-minute goal from Kim Won-il. Pohang have seen their rivals win the last three K League 1 titles but were at least able to overcome Ulsan in the Korea Cup final last December. The East Coast Derby is not to be missed.

2025 Fixtures

Round 6, 29th March - Pohang Steelers vs. Ulsan HD
Round 12, 5th May - Ulsan HD vs. Pohang Steelers
Round 29th, 13th September - Pohang Steelers vs. Ulsan HD

K League 2

032 Derby - Incheon United vs. Bucheon FC 1995

Incheon's relegation to K League 2 opens the door to the first-ever league meetings with Bucheon and the 032 derby. The 'gong-sam-i derby,' as it would be called in Korean, is named after the area code the two cities share. The two clubs are only 22km from each other but have only ever met once before, back in 2015 in the FA Cup in a fourth-round tie that saw Incheon pick up a 2-0 home win. For that game, Incheon fans unfurled a banner that read 'Same 032, Different Class,' which begs the question whether a similar banner will make an appearance when these two teams meet for the first time in leaguer action in April this year.

2025 Fixtures

Round 9, 26th April - Bucheon FC 1995 vs. Incheon United
Round 15, 8th June - Incheon United vs. Bucheon FC 1995

Round 28, 7th September - Bucheon FC 1995 vs. Incheon United

Nakdong River Derby - Busan IPark vs. Gyeongnam FC

K League Matches Played: 52 | Busan IPark Wins: 19 | Gyeongnam FC Wins: 23 | Draws: 10

Goals Scored: Busan IPark 62-60 Gyeongnam FC

Gyeongnam FC play most of their home games in Changwon, the largest city in South Gyeongsang Province, or 'Gyeongnam.' The Nakdong River slices through Gyeongnam on its way to meet the Korea Strait, the sea that connects Korea and Japan. On the opposite side of the Nakdong River from Changwon is the metropolitan city of Busan, hence the name the 'Nakdong River Derby.' The first meeting dates back to April 2006, a 3-2 Busan win. The two would square off every year until Gyeongnam were relegated to the second tier in 2014. But, a year later and Busan joined them and the rivalry resumed until 2017 when Gyeongnam won promotion again. The old foes then met in the 2019 K League Promotion-Relegation Playoff Final for what was their first meeting in two years. Busan won over the two legs, further intensifying an already heated rivalry. Both teams have been back in K League 2 since 2020 and have traded blows over the last four seasons.

2025 Fixtures

Round 2, 2nd March - Busan IPark vs. Gyeongnam FC
Round 23, 2nd August - Gyeongnam FC vs. Busan IPark
Round 32, 5th October - Busan IPark vs. Gyeongnam FC