Seoul World Cup Stadium, struggling with unfamiliar ACLE winter home games...Should I respond to FC Seoul fan's cries with a hanger
Nov 05, 2025
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The Seoul home supporter's seat was hung ahead of the fourth game of the Asian Champions League Elite (ACLE) League Stage in the 2025-2026 season between Seoul and Chengdu Longcheng (China) at Seoul World Cup Stadium on the 4th. Who and where are the fans' messages emphasizing that FC Seoul's home stadium is Seoul World Cup Stadium?
The story is like this. Seoul, which returned to the Asian stage in five seasons with its fourth-place performance in the K League 1 in 2024, will play Melbourne City (Australia) in the sixth round of the ACLE League Stage on December 10, after both the K League 1 and Korea Cup schedules in Korea are over. A home game against Sanfrecce Hiroshima (Japan) in the eighth round was scheduled on February 17 next year, ahead of the opening of the K League 1 next season. The Seoul Facilities Corporation, which manages the Seoul World Cup Stadium, is struggling with the winter home game that it has not experienced in the past five years.
The key is grass. The Seoul Metropolitan Facilities Management Corporation is said to have invested 4 billion won to improve the quality of grass at the Seoul World Cup Stadium in 2025 alone. This is a 3.6-fold increase compared to the 2024 budget. Through these investments, we are proud to have managed this year's K-League, Asian Champions League, and national teams' A-match games and invitations to overseas teams without any problems. He won the K League 1 Green Stadium Award in 2025 and received the Korea Football Association's appreciation plaque.
Against this backdrop, they are concerned that the damaged grass will not be restored until the opening of the next season if the home stadium grass plays at a time when they have to sleep so-called 'winter' for next season. The match between Seoul and Melbourne will take place four days after the Korea Cup final between Jeonbuk Hyundai and Gwangju FC on Dec. 6. The Seoul Metropolitan Facilities Management Corporation said, `Due to damage to grass and lack of restoration time in winter, the grass may not be rooted properly like Seoul's second home game this year, resulting in grass digging and players falling down.'
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The Seoul club recognizes that there are similar restrictions in any stadium nationwide in the winter. Considering that renting other stadiums is also difficult in reality, the use of the Seoul World Cup Stadium is inevitable. If the rental is granted, we will do our best to operate the game safely in consultation with the Seoul Metropolitan Government,' he said.
The Seoul Metropolitan Government's response is positive. The Seoul Metropolitan Government said 'As FC Seoul has advanced to the Asian Champions League for the first time in five years, we will actively consider renting this game in sympathy with the fact that it is a meaningful game for the team and fans. (However, we will do our best to restore the grass, which showed the best condition this year, but we need the fans' understanding of the fact that the ground may not be in good condition due to consecutive games and short restoration schedules in winter.'"
Meanwhile, Seoul drew 0-0 against Chengdu with a disappointing scoreless draw. Seoul, which has recorded no wins in two consecutive ACLE games, ranked seventh in the eastern part of the league stage with one win, two draws and one loss in four games. In order to win a ticket to the round of 16, which will be given to the top eight teams in the eastern region, it is imperative to win two home games against Melbourne and Hiroshima.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
