Football NewsThe GuardianUnverified source· 14 Sept 2026
K-League weighs winter switch after sweltering summer
Fainting fans and perspiring players have South Korea's top flight rethinking when football should be played.

League
K-League
Current schedule
March to November
Proposed format
European-style, late August start
Coach support
Over 70% of 29 surveyed
What happened. A survey found more than 70% of 29 respondent coaches in Asia's oldest professional league back moving the K-League from its March-to-November calendar to a European-style season starting in late August with a winter break.
- Winters have long been too cold and summers are increasingly too hot
- The league is looking to follow Japan and align with Europe
- Fainting fans and perspiring players are driving the concern
South Korean football is searching for a schedule that avoids both extreme cold and extreme heat.
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