Ulsan Hyundai and Pohang Steelers have qualified for the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League Elite (ACLE) for the 2024-25 season.

The Korea Football Association (KFA) announced on Tuesday the eligibility of K League teams to compete in the 안전카지노사이트 AFC-organized international club competition for the 2024-25 season.

The AFC previously announced that the existing Asian Champions League (ACL) will be split into two competitions, the Asian Champions League Elite (ACLE) and ACL2, beginning in the second half of the 2024-25 season. The ACLE will feature the top clubs from each country, while ACL2 will be the second-tier competition.

The AFC allocated berths for each competition based on each member’s league ranking, with Korea receiving 2+1 berths for the ACLE and 1 for the ACL2. The AFC left it up to the member associations to determine the eligibility of participating clubs,

“This year’s K League 1 champion (Ulsan) and FA Cup winner (Pohang) will go directly to the ACLE for the 2024-25 season, while the second-place team in the K League will play in the ACLE playoffs,” the Korea Football Association said. If Pohang, the FA Cup winner, finishes second in the league, the third-place team will qualify.

The ACL2 berths will go to the top-ranked teams in this year’s K League 1, excluding the three teams in the ACLE and ACLE playoffs.

“The qualification criteria for the 2024-25 season has not changed significantly from the existing AFC Champions League qualification criteria,” the KFA said. “The qualification criteria for the ACLE and ACL2 for the 2025-26 season will be finalized before the start of next season after further consultation with the Korea Professional Football Association.”