WK League News

The 2025 WK League season is barely over but teams and players are looking ahead to the 2026 season, with transfer rumours already coming thick and fast. The 2026 WK League draft is set to take place in early December and managers across the league will be keen to secure the contracts of their existing players and experienced additions in order to recruit strategically from among the rookie players.

Following WK League transfer news can be difficult due to a lack of ‘official’ sources and limited media coverage, even once contracts have been signed. Fans are often left to rely on unofficial sources, social media, and word of mouth to find out which uniform their favourite players will be wearing next season.

Official transfer news

In the case of players retiring or reaching the end of their current contracts, some clubs make departures official by uploading farewell posts to social media (usually Instagram). These updates are not always posted in a timely manner even after players have updated their own social media pages, but if you are following a particular club or clubs, it is worth keeping an eye on their Instagram for official squad news. Players may choose to make their own announcements via either public or private social media, often Instagram or a personal blog hosted by a site such as Naver Blog.

As for new signings, even as contracts are signed and players begin training with their new clubs, there is unlikely to be ‘official’ news until the new year, if at all. Again, for those clubs with a social media presence, you can expect welcome posts to land on your newsfeed eventually, but perhaps not until the squads are settled, the uniforms printed, and the official photoshoot completed. For clubs not on Instagram, you might have to wait until the first day of the 2026 season to know for sure if a particular player is in the squad or not.

For last-minute signings and mid-season moves in particular, some fans also keep a keen eye on player registration information via the KFA online portal. It all comes down to how much spare time you have, really.

Some of the more significant news, for example a veteran of South Korea’s national team hanging up her boots or a big-name star returning to the WK League following a stint overseas, may attract coverage in Korean language media, but most WK League transfers do not make the headlines. For an English-language summary of this winter’s confirmed moves, check out our Players page. Please note that to avoid confusion, while we are busy keeping track of rumours, this page features only transfer news that we have been able to verify.

The WK League draft

The single biggest day for WK League transfer news during the winter window is the day of the WK League new players’ draft. This year’s draft will be held at 11:00 on Wednesday, 10th December in Seoul. Seven of eight WK League managers (military team Mungyeong Sangmu do not participate in the draft) will draw lots to determine the order in which they will draw lots (yes, really) to determine the order in which they can pick from among the eligible new players. Then, they will pick them. Thrilling stuff.

Being the first player picked at the draft is a badge of honour that will follow players throughout their careers — previous first picks include Lee Geummin, Lee Youngju, Jang Chang and Lee Eunyoung. Securing a contract within the earlier rounds of the draft means earning a higher starting salary and longer contract, while not being signed by any club could be the end of some young players’ footballing careers. There are some changes to the recruitment procedures: this year starting salaries have been raised for the first time in over a decade, and clubs will be able to recruit two players outside of the draft system.

Read more: WK League salary cap to be raised for first time in 15 years

The draft will attract extensive media coverage by WK League standards, so it’s usually fairly easy to find out which new recruits will be joining your favourite team after the draft. If you want to witness the whole process for yourself, lot-drawing and all, you can catch the live stream of the draft on Wednesday via the KWFF on YouTube.

Rumours

The WK League, and Korean women’s football more broadly, is still a reasonably small community in which news and rumours (with varying degrees of credibility) circulate quickly. There is a great deal of direct communication between players, former players, coaches, and fans, and not a great deal of interest from outside the community. These factors combined mean that most rumours do not travel far from their original source, and tend to be more credible than transfer rumours in many higher-profile leagues. In short, when it comes to the WK League, there’s limited scope and motivation to create clickbait headlines.

Of course, this doesn’t mean all gossip is rooted in fact, nor does it mean that even well-informed sources have all the latest information. The rumour mill is still a rumour mill, even if most of its output contains at least a few grains of truth. For those who enjoy keeping track of the latest unverified updates, there are plenty of them doing the rounds on social media. Following other fans, as well as journalists and bloggers with an interest in the league, is a great way to be on the receiving end of all the transfer window gossip. For a regularly updated list of both confirmed and unconfirmed movements within the WK League, check out intotheK on Naver Cafe (in Korean) — their information is based on a combination of verified sources and anonymous tips, so be aware that things may turn out differently.