Ulsan HD has qualified for the Club World Cup, the world’s premier club competition.
Headed by Hong Myung-bo, Ulsan secured a 1-0 victory over Yokohama F.Marinos in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League (ACL) 2023/2024 quarterfinal first leg at Munsu Football Stadium on Sunday at 7 p.m. thanks to a goal from Lee Dong-kyung.
With the victory, Ulsan booked their place in the final and set up the second leg of the quarterfinals. The second leg will take place on April 24 at the Yokohama International Stadium in Japan. At the same time, the club will qualify for the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup in the United States. With 81 AFC Club Points, Jeonbuk Hyundai overtook Jeonbuk (80). 현금홀덤사이트 They finished second in Asia, behind Al Hilal (Saudi Arabia, 115 points), and punched their ticket on their own.
A year ahead of the 2026 World Cup in North and Central America, FIFA announced that it would bring together the world’s top clubs to host a World Cup-like competition for clubs against nations, and Ulsan will take part in the inaugural Mundial de Clubes FIFA.
The original Club World Cup featured seven teams, including the six continental champions and the host nation, competing for the trophy, but now there will be 32 teams. The tournament is held every four years, just like the World Cup, after being held on a smaller scale every year.
After Ulsan defeated Yokohama in the first leg of the ACL quarterfinals, the team received a congratulatory message from FIFA President Gianni Infantino: “Congratulations, congratulations, congratulations on your new look FIFA Club World Cup. Ulsan HD FC of South Korea,” read the welcome message.
The reigning K League 1 champions are going beyond Asia to the world.
Ulsan’s journey to the Club World Cup hasn’t been easy. As recently as May of last year, Ulsan was third in the AFC Club Points standings with 51.50 points. They were seven points behind Jeonbuk (58.50) at the time.
In the group stage of the 2023/2024 ACL, which was reorganized as the Chinese New Year, Ulsan faltered somewhat, but managed to secure a dramatic 2-2 draw against Kawasaki Frontale in their final group game to finish second in the group with three wins, one draw, and two losses to reach the round of 16. At the time, Ulsan and Jeonbuk also advanced to the round of 16, but the points gap remained.
Ulsan’s Round of 16 opponent was J2 League sensation Banfore Kofu. The team won two straight games, 3-0 at home on Feb. 15 and 2-1 away on Feb. 21, coming from behind to win the second leg 2-1. Coincidentally, their quarterfinal opponent was Jeonbuk. They drew 1-1 away in the first leg on March 5, but won 1-0 at home on the 12th. They added seven points to their tally – one point for the first-leg draw, three points for the second-leg win, and three points for advancing to the quarterfinals – to close in on Jeonbuk (80 points).
Ulsan, who had been slowly racking up points, faced Yokohama in the first leg of the quarterfinals with 78 points, and came away with three points. This brought them to 81 points. It was a milestone in Ulsan’s history, and in the history of the K League.
“I am proud that Ulsan will represent Korea at the first Club World Cup after the reorganization,” said head coach Hong Myung-bo. It’s a gift for our club and our fans,” he said. We are proud to have secured tickets to represent Korea at the inaugural Club World Cup. It’s a gift for our club and our fans.”
Ulsan will travel to Yokohama on April 24th. Three points for a win and three points to advance to the final. The goal is to take pride in another Korea-Japan match. History is a work in progress.
