Gwangju FC () is a South Korean professional football club based in Gwangju that competes in the K League 1, the top tier of South Korean football. They joined the K League in the 2011 season.
History Gwangju FC was founded in December 2010, becoming the 16th club in the K League, with Choi Man-hee appointed as the first manager. They finished their first season in 11th place. The club was relegated to the newly-formed second division K League Challenge (now K League 2) the following season after finishing in 15th place. In 2014, they were promoted back to the top tier for the 2015 season.
The club oscillated between the first and second tiers, winning the second division championship in 2019 and 2022.
In the 2023 K League 1 season, Gwangju achieved its best-ever performance under the leadership of Lee Jung-hyo, finishing third in the league and earning a spot in the AFC Champions League Elite for the first time. Under Lee's attacking playing style, Gwangju upset J1 League sides Yokohama F. Marinos 7–3 and Kawasaki Frontale 1–0 in their debut continental matches in the 2024–25 edition, qualifying for the knockout stage as the only South Korean club. After losing 2–0 in the first leg of the round of 16 against Vissel Kobe, they secured a 3–0 victory at home and advanced with a 3–2 aggregate score, becoming the first citizen club to reach the quarter-finals of the AFC Champions League.
After guiding Gwangju to the 2025 Korea Cup final, the club's first ever major cup final (which they lost 2–1 to Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors), Lee left the club for Suwon Samsung Bluewings at the end of the season.
Stadium
Gwangju FC plays its home games at the 40,245-capacity Gwangju World Cup Stadium. Between 2020 and 2024, they played at the Gwangju Football Stadium, but had to move back to the World Cup Stadium ahead of the 2025 season due to the small size of the field and lack of seating.
Rivalries and supporters Gwangju's primary rivals are Daegu FC in a match dubbed the Moonlight Derby. The rivalry between the two clubs mirrors the strong baseball rivalry of Kia Tigers in Gwangju and Samsung Lions in Daegu, partially stemming from the stark difference in political leaning between the two cities.
Gwangju also shares a rivalry with nearby Jeonnam Dragons in the Yellow Derby.
The club's main supporters' group is called Bitgoeul, the native Korean name for Gwangju.
Players Current squad
Out on loan
Backroom staff
Coaching staff Manager: Lee Jung-kyu Head coach: Ma Chul-jun Coach: Cho Yong-tae Goalkeeping coach: Shin Jeong-hwan Fitness coach: Kim Kyung-do Analysis coach: Park Won-gyo
Support staff
Analyst: Yook Tae-hun Medical staff: Shin Yong-sub, Kim Min-shik, Go Han-seul, Yang Jae-hyuk Interpreter: Choi Hyuk-soon Kit manager: Oh Dong-yeong Logistics manager: Jeon Chung-hwi Team doctor: Lee Jun-young
Source: Official website
Managers No. Name From To Season(s) Choi Man-hee 2010/10/18 2012/12/01 2011–2012 Yeo Bum-kyu 2012/12/06 2013/08/16 2013 Nam Ki-il 2013/08/16 2015/01/03 2013–2014 Nam Ki-il 2015/01/04 2017/08/14 2015–2017 Kim Hak-bum 2017/08/16 2017/11/18 2017 Park Jin-sub 2017/12/16 2020/12/01 2018–2020 Kim Ho-young 2020/12/22 2021/12/04 2021 Lee Jung-hyo 2021/12/28 2025/12/21 2022–2025 Lee Jung-kyu 2025/12/24 2026–
Honours K League 2 Winners (2): 2019, 2022 Runners-up (1): 2014
Korea Cup Runners-up (1): 2025
Season-by-season records Domestic SeasonLeagueCupDivision2011 1 30 9 8 13 32 43 –11 35 11 Ro322012 44 10 15 19 57 67 –10 45 15↓ Ro162013 2 35 16 5 14 55 54 +1 53 3 Ro162014 36 13 12 11 40 35 +5 51 4↑ Ro162015 1 38 10 12 16 35 44 –9 42 10 Ro322016 38 11 14 13 41 45 –4 47 8 Ro162017 38 6 12 20 33 61 –28 30 12↓ QF2018 2 36 11 15 10 51 41 +10 48 5 3R2019 36 21 10 5 59 31 +28 73 1↑ Ro162020 1 27 6 7 14 32 46 –14 25 6 Ro16202138107214254–123712↓3R2022240251146832+36861↑Ro1620231381611114735+12593QF202438145194249–7479SF202538159144041–1547RU
Key RU = Runners-up SF = Semi-final QF = Quarter-final Ro16 = Round of 16 Ro32 = Round of 32 3R = Third round
Continental All results list Gwangju's goal tally first.
AFC Champions League Elite SeasonRoundOppositionHomeAwayAggregate2024–25League stage Yokohama F. Marinos 7–3 align=center 4th out of 12 Kawasaki Frontale align=center 1–0 Johor Darul Ta'zim 3–1 align=center Vissel Kobe align=center 0–2 Shanghai Shenhua 1–0 align=center Shanghai Port align=center 1–1 Shandong Taishan align=center 1–3(voided) Buriram United 2–2 align=center Round of 16 Vissel Kobe3–0 0–23–2Quarter-final Al Hilal 0–7
References
External links