Football is one of the most popular sports, both in terms of participants and spectators, in Seoul. It hosted several of South Korea's leading football clubs and has the biggest football stadium in the country, the Seoul World Cup Stadium.

History

In June 1882, although the crew from HMS Flying Fish of the Royal Navy introduced the football in Port of Incheon, Regularized football introduction was the time of adoption of football as physical education course at National Seoul Foreign Language School in 1904 and the first official match in Korea was the game between Korea Sports Club and Korea YMCA at Seoul Dongdaemun Stadium in 1905.

In 1902, establishment of football team at Paichai Academy in Seoul (currently Paichai High School FC), There was a footballing boom throughout the Korea. that saw many football clubs and school teams formed by the 1910s. Also in Seoul, many famous football clubs like Bulgyo Cheongnyeonhoe (불교청년회, Buddhist Youth Club), Geongang Gurakbu (건강구락부, Health Club) and Joseon Football Culb (조선축구단) were founded between the 1910s and 1920s, and they usually had a rivalry against football clubs in Pyongyang, the second biggest city in Korea. In 1933 Kyungsung FC, named according to Seoul's alternate name, was formed and it was the only Korean club which won the Emperor's Cup in Japan.

Clubs

Current clubs

• Men's Football

• Women's Football

Defunct clubs

• Not Franchised Period 1983–1986 : K League Clubs had franchise but clubs played the all game of round at one stadium.
• Franchised Period 1987–present : K League introduced home and away matches system in 1987.

^[1] The board of K League forced the three clubs Ilhwa Chunma, LG Cheetahs and Yukong Elephants out of the city in 1996.
Therefore, Seoul's 3 clubs had to leave Seoul for another city in accordance with the K League's decentralization policy and relocated not their own wills as below:.
Ilhwa Chunma relocated to Cheonan, LG Cheetahs to Anyang and Yukong Elephants to Bucheon.

Honours

Only counting the seasons, in which the franchises were based in Seoul.

Domestic

• League titles

• League Cup

• FA Cup

• National Football Championship

International

• AFC Champions League

Women's domestic

Seoul derbies

The Seoul derbies started in 1990, with competing three football clubs: Ilhwa Chunma, LG Cheetahs and Yukong Elephants also participated in 1991. This derby was called Dongdaemun derby and first derby proper in K League. Many Korean football fans called Dongdaemun Derby because three clubs used Dongdaemun Stadium as their home together. The highlight match of the derbies was the K League 28-round match between Ilhwa Chunma and Yukong Elephants at Dongdaemun Stadium on 9 November 1994. This match was also famous for both teams' great goalkeepers: Valeri Sarychev of Ilhwa Chunma and Aleksandr Podshivalov of Yukong Elephants from Lev Yashin Club. Yukong Elephants beat Ilhwa Chunma 2–0 in this round, and took the derby with a one-point difference. The Seoul derbies stopped in 1995, due to the board of K League forcing the three original clubs out of the city in 1996.

Seoul Dongdaemun derby

Dongdaemun derby was contested between Ilhwa Chunma and LG Cheetahs,^[2] Yukong Elephants and Ilhwa Chunma,^[3] and LG Cheetahs and Yukong Elephants^[4] at Dongdaemun Stadium.

This derby was put to an end in 1996, due to K League's decentralization policy which relocated the three clubs.^[5]

Ilhwa Chunma vs LG Cheetahs (1990–1995)

Ilhwa Chunma vs Yukong Elephants (1991–1995)

LG Cheetahs vs Yukong Elephants (1991–1995)

FC Seoul vs Seoul E-Land FC

Seoul E-Land FC was founded in April 2014. They play their home games at the Seoul Olympic Stadium in South Seoul (Gangnam). FC Seoul is based in North Seoul (Mapo) and play at the Seoul World Cup Stadium.

The first meeting between the two clubs occurred on 14 April 2021, in the third round of the Korean FA Cup. Seoul E-Land FC won 1–0 at the Seoul World Cup Stadium.^[6]

Derbies with clubs not based in Seoul

Super Match

Gyeongin derby

FC Seoul vs Incheon United

• As of 15 September 2019
• Penalty shoot-out results are counted as a drawn match.

Stadiums

• Seoul World Cup Stadium
• Seoul Olympic Stadium
• Mokdong Stadium
• Hyochang Stadium
• Dongdaemun Stadium

Administration

Seoul is the location of the headquarters of the Korea Football Association.^{[citation needed]}