The K-League of professional football was shaken by the effect of midfielder Jesse Lingard from the English Premier League (EPL).
51,670 spectators entered the second round of Hana Bank K League 1 2024 between FC Seoul and Incheon United, which kicked off at the Seoul World Cup Stadium at 4 p.m. on the 10th.
It is the new record for the most spectators in the K League since 2018, when the Korea Professional Football Federation began counting paid spectators.
The previous record was 45,007 in the match between Seoul and Daegu FC (3-0 Seoul win) on April 8 last year. At that time, popular singer Lim Young-woong performed with a poetry festival, attracting cloud spectators as "Sister Unit" in their 40s and 60s appeared.
It is also the new record for the largest number of spectators in a single K-League 1 match since the 2013 promotion system. The previous record was 47,899 at the Super Match on June 18, 2016.
It is also the fourth highest number of spectators in a single K-League game.
Seoul is the most popular club in the K-League. It attracted 22,633 spectators on average last season, opening an era of 20,000 spectators on average for the first time since pay-per-view.
This season, manager Kim Ki-dong, who led the Pohang Steelers to win the FA Cup of the Korea Football Association (current Korea Cup) last year, was newly appointed, and even Lingard, a former member of the English national team, was recruited to draw greater attention.
A long line of nearly 50 meters stood at the booth that sold only Lingard uniforms.
Lingard, who made his debut as a substitute in the opening first round against Gwangju FC on the 2nd, started playing on the bench on the same day.
Lingard was deployed in the 30th minute of the first half, breaking expectations that he would be deployed in the second half.
Fans who filled the Seoul World Cup Stadium also cheered for Lingard's appearance, and when he produced a threatening scene on the ground, he applauded and cheered.
In the 38th minute of the second half, Seoul connected Kang Sung-jin's pass from a counterattack chance to a right-footed shot from the front of the opponent's penalty box, but swallowed the regret by crossing the crossbar.
Incheon also had difficulty opening the goal, with Gersault's mid-range shot bouncing off the Seoul defense.
In the end, both teams failed to score, and the first derby of the season ended in a draw. 스포츠토토
Coach Hwang Sun-hong, the "interim head coach" of the national soccer team, visited Gyeongin Derby to watch the game.
Hwang will announce the list of the national team for the second consecutive Asian qualifiers for the 2026 North-China World Cup against Thailand this month on the 11th.
