2026 Season Preview: Incheon United | OneFootball

Incheon United embark on their first season back in K League 1 following promotion from the second division in 2025. With the departure of several club legends, experienced veterans, and long-serving squad members, the side that lines up on opening day will look very different from the team relegated so unceremoniously in 2024. After a year away and the highs of last season, what can Incheon expect on their return to the top tier, now shifting from favourites to underdogs?

Last Season

23 W - 9 D - 7 L, 1st (K League 2)

What Happened?

A poor 2024 season, compounded by managerial mishaps, poor individual performances, and off-the-field issues, meant that Incheon United finished 12th and were relegated before the final game of the year.

As a result, Incheon spent 2025 battling to bounce back and achieve promotion at the first attempt. Standing in their way were a Suwon Bluewings side that had suffered a similar fate in 2023, a young and hungry Bucheon FC 1995 team, and a host of other clubs looking to claim a major scalp. Incheon were fortunate to retain a number of their more experienced players and, as such, were favourites on paper to return to the top flight before a ball had been kicked. Despite this, the journey back was not always straightforward.

They began the season strongly, recording 11 wins, a draw, and a defeat in the opening round-robin set of matches. From that point on, Incheon held a commanding lead at the summit of the table. As the season wore on, injuries and fatigue set in, but the team were able to keep their noses ahead of the competition, eventually finishing six points clear of Suwon Bluewings in second place, despite the Bluewings winning only two of their final five matches.

Notable Moves

Incheon have seen considerable turnover over the winter, with several notable departures.

Long-time vice-captain Kim Do-hyeok is among the biggest names to leave the club following the end of the campaign. At Incheon since 2014, his role diminished significantly under Yoon last season, with the veteran managing just 320 minutes of action. The move to Gimpo FC represents a chance to maximise his remaining years in the game.

Harrison Delbridge, who joined Incheon in 2021, was a mainstay in the heart of the defence but also found opportunities limited under the new regime. With his contract set to expire at the end of 2025, the former Australian international opted for a return to the A-League, rejoining Melbourne City.

Shin Jin-ho, a regular presence in the side last season, departed following the expiry of his contract. He featured 32 times across the campaign, making eight starts and contributing four goals and four assists. He has since joined K League 2 newcomers Yongin, where he has been named club captain.

Among the arrivals, the most intriguing is midfielder Iker Undabarrena, who arrives from Johor Darul Ta’zim in Malaysia. A lack of creativity in central areas was a recurring issue for Incheon last season—one that has lingered since the departure of Elías Aguilar in 2023. Whether Undabarrena can finally fill that void remains to be seen.

Kim Dong-heon has spent most of the previous two seasons fulfilling his military service with Gimcheon Sangmu. Now back at the club and looking to make an impact, Dong-heon will do battle with Lee Tae-hee for the Incheon goalkeeping spot.

Last season, Incheon had five goalkeepers registered across different stages of the campaign; however, there was little dispute over who Yoon Jong-hwan preferred. Min Seong-jun spent most of the year as first choice, as Incheon conceded only 30 goals in their 39 K League 2 matches. Despite this, Seong-jun has been allowed to leave, with the club opting to retain Dong-heon and Tae-hee as their main goalkeeping options. From the perspective of many fans, Dong-heon is the preferred starter and harbours aspirations of breaking into the Korean national team squad for the 2026 World Cup. To achieve this, he will need to be at the top of his game for Incheon.

As a newly promoted side, Incheon will assume an underdog role in many of their matches. The key to success will be consistency and clean sheets. A fully fit and motivated Kim Dong-heon could be the difference between Incheon picking up points and falling short. Much is often made of the value of goals in tight games and the impact strikers can have, but the same is true of goalkeepers. Having a reliable set of hands and Dong-heon’s physical presence in goal could prove decisive in helping Incheon achieve their targets in 2026.

Incheon manager Yoon Jong-hwan has never shied away from giving younger players opportunities in the first team. One beneficiary of this last season was Choi Seung-gu. The 20-year-old made his senior debut on the opening weekend and went on to feature 24 times across league and cup competitions, operating both at full-back and in central midfield. He also represented Korea at the U20 FIFA World Cup in Chile last autumn. Quick, robust in the tackle, and composed in possession, Choi will be keen to test his abilities against more competitive opponents in K League 1 this season.

Biggest Question

Can Incheon build on their success in 2026 and reestablish themselves as a K League 1 club?

Relegation in 2024 was a huge blow to Incheon and, as a city-owned club, to the local government as well. The result was a change in both manager and CEO, with long-term chairman Jeon Dal-soo resigning from his role.

Twelve months on, Incheon regained their top-flight status at the first attempt. Under Yoon Jong-hwan last season, Incheon played fast-paced, attacking football against teams that were happy to sit with eleven men behind the ball. This year, however, is likely to be very different, as Incheon will be underdogs in most matches.

Early-season games against Seoul, Daejeon, Gwangju, and Pohang will act as a useful measuring stick to see whether Incheon can once again compete with some of the stronger clubs from last season’s K League 1. In addition, Incheon have seen a significant number of players leave the club as Yoon looked to trim what might be considered - perhaps unfairly in some cases - the dead wood. With a need to maximise the budget provided by the city, every squad place counts. As a result, around twenty players departed over the winter break, with only a handful of players, as yet, joining to bolster the ranks.

Those early fixtures will be vitally important as the club looks to put points on the board before the six-week World Cup break and the onset of the relentless Korean summer when the league resumes. There is blind optimism among many fans that the team will simply continue picking up points as they have over the past twelve months, but realistically, much bigger and stronger challenges lie ahead.

Reason to Watch

Incheon’s first season back in K League 1 poses many questions ahead of the new campaign. In 2022 and 2023, Incheon looked to create stability around the club, and back-to-back top-six finishes suggested this was happening. The unexpected relegation in 2024 underlined that any club can be at risk if they go through a rough patch they cannot recover from.

Last season marked a period of change for Incheon as they sought to reimagine their footballing identity under then-new coach Yoon Jong-hwan. Fast, attacking football replaced the slow, sideways passing of 2024. The hope is that the progress made and improvements in style of play will continue this year, but with a tough start in the opening month, Incheon will need to come out all guns blazing.

Incheon start the season at home to FC Seoul. Tickets will be available from Tuesday 24th February at 2pm via the Ticketlink app. The match kicks off at 2pm on Saturday 28th February at Incheon's Sungui Arena Park.