Gwangju FC

South Korean football club From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Gwangju FC

Gwangju FC (Korean: 광주 FC) is a South Korean professional football club based in Gwangju that competes in the K League 1, the top tier of South Korean football. They joined the K League in the 2011 season.

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Gwangju FC
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Full nameGwangju Football Club
광주시민프로축구단
Founded2010; 15 years ago (2010)
GroundGwangju World Cup Stadium
Capacity40,245
OwnerGwangju Government
ChairmanKang Ki-jeong (Mayor of Gwangju)
ManagerLee Jung-hyo
LeagueK League 1
2024K League 1, 9th of 12
Websitewww.gwangjufc.com
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History

Gwangju FC was founded in December 2010 and first participated in the K League in 2011. In 2012, Gwangju FC was relegated to the K League Challenge (now K League 2), the newly-formed second-tier professional league in South Korea. In 2014, they were promoted back to the top tier for the 2015 season.

The club oscillated between the first and second tiers, winning the second division championship in 2019 and 2022.[1]

In the 2023 K League 1 season, Gwangju achieved its best-ever performance under the leadership of Lee Jung-hyo, finishing third in the league and earning a spot in the AFC Champions League Elite for the first time. Under Lee's attacking playing style, Gwangju upset J1 League sides Yokohama F. Marinos 7–3 and Kawasaki Frontale 1–0 in their debut continental matches in the 2024–25 edition,[2] qualifying for the knockout stage as the only South Korean club.[3]

Stadium

Gwangju FC plays its home games at the 40,245-capacity Gwangju World Cup Stadium.[4] Between 2020 and 2024, they played at the Gwangju Football Stadium,[5] but had to move back to the World Cup Stadium ahead of the 2025 season due to the small size of the field and lack of seating.[4]

Rivalries

Gwangju's primary rivals are Daegu FC in a match dubbed the Moonlight Derby.[6] The rivalry between the two clubs mirrors the strong baseball rivalry of Kia Tigers in Gwangju and Samsung Lions in Daegu, partially stemming from the stark difference in political leaning between the two cities.[7]

Gwangju also shares a rivalry with nearby Jeonnam Dragons in the Yellow Derby.[8]

Players

Current squad

As of 17 February 2025[9]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

More information No., Pos. ...
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Backroom staff

Coaching staff

Support staff

  • Analyst: South Korea Yook Tae-hun
  • Medical staff: South Korea Shin Yong-sub, South Korea Kim Min-shik, South Korea Go Han-seul, South Korea Yang Jae-hyuk
  • Interpreter: South Korea Choi Hyuk-soon
  • Kit manager: South Korea Oh Dong-yeong
  • Logistics manager: South Korea Jeon Chung-hwi
  • Team doctor: South Korea Lee Jun-young

Source: Official website[10]

Managers

More information No., Name ...
No. Name From To Season(s)
1
South Korea Choi Man-Hee 2010/10/18 2012/12/01 2011–2012
2
South Korea Yeo Bum-Kyu 2012/12/06 2013/08/16 2013
C
South Korea Nam Ki-il 2013/08/16 2015/01/03 2013–2014
3
South Korea Nam Ki-il 2015/01/04 2017/08/14 2015–2017
4
South Korea Kim Hak-bum 2017/08/16 2017/11/18 2017
5
South Korea Park Jin-sub 2017/12/16 2020/12/01 2018–2020
6
South Korea Kim Ho-young 2020/12/22 2021/12/04 2021
7
South Korea Lee Jung-hyo 2021/12/28 2022–
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Honours

League

Season-by-season records

More information Season, League ...
Season League FA Cup
Division GP W D L GF GA GD Pts Pos.
201113098133243–113511Ro32
2012441015195767–104515↓Ro16
2013235165145554+1533Ro16
2014361312114035+5512↑Ro16
20151381012163544–94210Ro32
2016381114134145–4478Ro16
201738612203361–283012↓QF
20182361115105141+104853R
201936211055931+28731↑Ro16
202012767143246–14256Ro16
2021 38 10 7 21 42 54 –12 37 12↓ 3R
2022 2 40 25 11 4 68 32 +36 86 1↑ Ro16
2023 1 38 16 11 11 47 35 +12 59 3 QF
2024 38 14 5 19 42 49 –7 47 9 SF
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Key

  • SF = Semi-final
  • QF = Quarter-final
  • Ro16 = Round of 16
  • Ro32 = Round of 32
  • 3R = Third round

References

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