As the end of the season approaches, there’s still all to play for, not only in the league but also in the inaugural W Korea Cup, not to mention this month’s National Sports Festival. As Round 25 gets underway, we’re providing a quick overview of where each team stands, starting from the bottom of the table and working upwards. Over the past two days, we’ve already looked at the teams struggling to avoid finishing dead last, and the four clubs competing to secure a ticket to the championship playoff.
Today, finally, we consider the top of the table, where 2024 champions Suwon FC and 2025 champions Hwacheon KSPO have (as of yesterday, 2nd October) already secured their positions in 1st and 2nd, respectively. With their league places fixed regardless of results to come, these clubs still have plenty of work to do, with a busy run of fixtures ahead across various competitions.
Hwacheon KSPO
Current league position: 2nd
Highest possible finish: 2nd
Lowest possible finish: 2nd
Possible trophies: 2 (WK League, National Sports Festival)
Defending champions and 2025 treble winners Hwacheon KSPO started the season with a clear aim: to do it again. The league’s northernmost club have delivered consistently strong performances throughout the year, recording only three defeats in 26 league games, the fewest losses of any club in the division thus far. KSPO haven’t been able to keep up with Suwon’s new and improved star-studded squad, winning by narrower margins, with those relatively low scorelines leaving them vulnerable to late equalisers on a few occasions throughout the season.
Against
By finishing the regular league season in second place, Hwacheon are guaranteed not only a place in the playoff, but also hosting rights for the one-legged match. Despite the significant points gap between them and their potential playoff opponents, KSPO cannot afford to be complacent going into this crucial fixture. Mungyeong Sangmu are the only team besides Suwon to have beaten Hwacheon this season, and they did it at KSPO’s home ground. Meanwhile all three of Gyeongju, Sejong and Seoul have held Hwacheon to a draw at least once in 2026, and when Hwacheon have won against these teams, it has not been by a signficant margin.
Hwacheon’s hopes of completing another historic domestic treble came to an end when they were knocked out of the W Korea Cup by Suwon FC despite taking the lead in the first half. However, staff and players cannot focus all their attention on a potential second WK League title yet. KSPO will be competing in the National Sports Festival later this month before heading to India for the group stage of the 2026-27 AFC Women’s Champions League. Hwacheon’s continental fixtures clash with the WK League playoff as originally planned, and it is as yet unclear how the schedule will be altered now that the club’s league position has been confirmed. What is clear is that Hwacheon KSPO have a lot of commitments to juggle before the season ends.
Suwon FC Women
Current league position: 1st
Highest possible finish: 1st
Lowest possible finish: 1st
Possible trophies: 3 (WK League, W Korea Cup, National Sports Festival)
After a struggle season that saw them finish in 7th last year, the 2024 WK League champions began this year with a new-look squad captained by living legend Ji Soyun, returning to Suwon and to the WK League for a second spell after spending most of her career overseas. Alongside other big names such as Kim Hyeri and Choe Yuri, as well as several reliable returnees and emerging young talents, Ji has been the face of a formidable Suwon side in 2026.
With fixtures postponed due to Suwon’s ultimately unsuccessful bid for glory in the 2025-26 AWCL, including their historic clash with North Korean side Naegohyang WFC, Suwon’s 2026 WK League campaign began quietly. However, as soon as those rearranged fixtures were played, Suwon began a rapid ascent up the table, rising to the top spot after Round 8, and staying there. As the season progressed, only Hwacheon KSPO seemed to have any realistic chance of catching up, but Suwon’s far superior goalscoring record has given them a signficant buffer, and their Round 25 victory against Sejong last night means Suwon are now out of reach at the top.
Of course, the mechanics of the WK League championship round mean that first place in the regular league season is only half the battle. Suwon FC know this only too well — they finished second to Hwacheon KSPO in 2024 but won the playoff and the championship final to eventually lift the trophy. This time the roles are reversed, and Hwacheon will be keen to exact revenge. Unlike their potential opponents, Suwon do not have continental football to worry about in the lead-up to the championship final, nor do they have to win a playoff to progress. They are, however, competing in next week’s W Korea Cup semi-finals, as well as the National Sports Festival later this month. Suwon FC have the opportunity to do the treble, but even after a truly dominant season, nothing is guaranteed. The regular league is won, but the title race is just getting started.
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