South Korea’s top footballers are urging a fundamental reshaping of the K League calendar, arguing that the current summer schedule exposes them to dangerous heat and undermines performance.
The Heat Problem
The Korea Professional Footballers Association (KPFA) points to record temperatures, such as the 42.5 °C (108.5 °F) logged in Yangsan during August, which forced a week‑long pause in the nation’s baseball league and sparked health warnings across sports.
Manchester City’s recent pre‑season friendly against a K League All‑Star XI illustrated the impact of the climate, with sparse crowds and visible player fatigue, whereas the same club’s victory over Atlético Madrid attracted a full house, underscoring the inconsistency.
The league’s 2026 season is slated to run from 28 February to 6 December, but athletes say the window is too compressed for a climate that is trending hotter each year.
Player Voices
Lee Keun‑ho, president of KPFA and former national team stalwart, has publicly advocated for a winter break, saying it would reduce injury rates and allow players to return fitter for the next campaign.
A recent survey of 536 professional players found that 86.2 % felt physical strain from heatwaves, with 64.7 % reporting dizziness and 56.6 % dehydration during matches, and only 15.3 % judged existing cooling measures sufficient.
Proposed Adjustments
In response, the K League is exploring a suite of adaptations, including heated stadiums, hybrid grass hybrids that retain moisture, and stricter protocols for heat‑related stoppages, aiming to align with standards set by Japan’s J. League and the AFC Champions League Elite.
Those regional models have already shifted to spring‑summer schedules, offering a template for Korean football to follow as climate patterns evolve.