Korean Cup Fixtures Announced | OneFootball

The 2025 Korean Cup fixtures from round one to four (last 16) were released on Wednesday. Defending champions Pohang Steelers will begin their defense on the road in the fourth round. We'll preview the first round closer to the time, but here's a list of ties that could happen if results go as planned.

Curiously, the Korean Cup schedule to the Round of 16 is released in advance. Therefore, clubs know who they could face in a future round if results go a particular way. A good example of this was last season, when just the second-ever Seoul derby was on the cards if Seoul E-Land advanced beyond Daejeon Korail in the second round. They did and FC Seoul traveled across the Han River to face E-Land in Mokdong.

Round one will take place on the weekend of March 8 and 9. The second round is slated to take place over the weekend of March 22 and 23. The traditional Wednesday fixtures begin in the third round on April 16, and the last of the big boys enter the Cup on Wednesday, May 14.

Round one is exclusively for the remaining K4 (10 teams) and K5 (8 teams), and 10 clubs who finished in the bottom half of K3 last season. The rest of the K3 teams join K League 2 entrants in the second round. Eight clubs from K League 1 join in the third round with Gangwon FC, Pohang Steelers, Ulsan HD, and FC Seoul joining in round four.

One tie already confirmed for the second round is a big one.Seoul E-Land will make the short trip south to face championship rivals Suwon Bluewings, who caused a stir over the winter when they signed Seoul's brilliant winger Bruno Silva. The victors will be on the road in the next round, against Gimcheon Sangmu.

The recently rebrandedJeju SK should await the winners of Seoul, Suwon, or Gimcheon. However, to do so, Jeju will need to eliminate Bucheon FC 1995 in the third round. Jeju were once based in Bucheon, known as Bucheon SK before moving to Seogwipo.

The other confirmed second round tie features a Gyeonggi-do derby, and an early opportunity at an upset (if you want to call it that). K3 winnersSiheung Citizen will have home advantage over K League 2's bottom-placed club Seongnam FC. The winners won't face a K League 1 side by dint of the draw, but Gangwon FC will be waiting in the fourth round.

Jeju SK will face their past in Bucheon.

Daejeon Hana Citizen and Jeonbuk Hyundai will probably meet in the fourth round if they both advance past lower league opposition. Daejeon will be on the road in the third round, most likely against Chungnam Asan. Jeonbuk will begin their campaign at home to Ansan Greeners of K League 2, or, if there's a major upset before that, a team from K4 or 5.

Pohang Steelers, who came from behind to win back-to-back Cups in December, will be on the road when they enter in round four. Unless there is a surprise result in the earlier rounds, they are likely to end up in Gimpo or Cheonan, both from K League 2.

A repeat of the 2021 Korean Cup Final betweenDaegu FC and Jeonnam Dragons is one of the stand-out potential ties. The Dragons, who won that final, need to eliminate K League 1 new boys FC Anyang at home in the third round for the right to host Daegu in the round of 16. Anyang's recent Cup record is poor so this looks likely.

FC Seoul will also start their campaign on the road. Kim Gi-dong's team enter in round four, but a favourable draw will likely please the manager. The highest ranked team they could face is Chungbuk Cheongju, but looking at that side of the draw, there's real potential for a complete outsider to face the might of Seoul.

Another welcome tie would beBusan IPark versus Suwon FC in round three. Busan will host the game and revenge will surely be on their minds. Busan looked to be headed for K League 1 when they led Suwon FC 3-1 on aggregrate with 12 minutes to play in the second leg of their 2023 playoff. But Suwon staged the most improbable of comebacks and perserved their status as a top flight team. The victors should host Gwangju FC.

And, finally,Ulsan HD, last year's beaten finalists, are looking at a potential reunion with recently relegated Incheon United in round four. Incheon will have to win on the road, and then beat Gyeongnam FC at home, to face Ulsan in Munsu.

The full fixture list, below, is provided by the official KFA website.