Friday begins the new season of K League 1

Friday begins the new season of K League 1Friday begins the new season of K League 1

The start of the 2020 season of the maximum championship of South Korea is now imminent and this is good news for football and betting fans

Some football leagues little known to the general public, such as Nicaragua, managed to gain much more visibility than usual only thanks to the fact that they did not stop during the coronavirus emergency. This time, however, we are talking about a tournament more known and structured as the top South Korean series: the K League 1. The country has managed to manage the emergency well, among the best in the world, and now tries to return to normal even in football albeit for now, behind closed doors.

It is a season that has never started, which has therefore never been interrupted, but which begins with a couple of months later than usual.

If it is true that the sale of rights abroad has often been difficult, it seems that Sportradar, the company that last year signed a five-year contract for the management of international licenses, has already concluded agreements with broadcasters from ten different countries and is in negotiation with others (also in Italy).

The South Korean football league has recently been reformed. There are two professional leagues known today as K League 1 and K League 2, followed by two semiprofessional tournaments, starting from the K3 League, up to the amateur and regional championships.

A closed system

The combination of K League 1 and K League 2 currently constitutes a closed system. There are two promotions from the second level to the first, but one is automatic, the other comes stability through a playout. This has been happening since 2013, before there were no promotions and relegations, and in any case there are certain criteria to be respected to access the top flight. There are no connections with the K3 and K4 leagues which in turn are not connected to amateur level tournaments K5, K6, K7.

The Champions

The reigning champion club is Jeonbuk Motors which is also one of the most successful in a scenario that, at least in the gold register, has seen a certain balance. However, the Hyundai-owned team has won five of the last six editions and seven of the last eleven.

The K League 1 Format

The twelve teams meet three times during 33 days then divide into two groups (Championship and Relegation) of six, playing a fourth challenge for a total of 38 days. Those who score more points win, in case of further tie, the following criteria apply in order: goals scored, goal difference, number of wins, direct matches.

At the end of the 2019 season it was necessary to resort to the number of goals scored to assign the title of champion.

The favorites of the 2020 season

Unfortunately, antepost odds are in short supply. From what little we can understand, we start from the reigning champions, offered between 2.50 and 2.75, then Ulsan and FC Seoul.

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