K-League Coaches Push Winter Switch After Record Heat — SkimNews
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- K-League coaches backed a shift to the European schedule in a survey of 29 respondents, with over 70% supporting a move from March-November to late August through May, as fans fainted in stadiums and coaches cited declining play quality.
- Yangsan hit 42.5°C on August 2 — the highest temperature since records began — while Seoul recorded 17 consecutive tropical nights (where temperatures stay above 25°C), per the Korea Meteorological Administration.
- The KMA's December 2025 report found South Korea's temperatures rose 0.9°C from 2020 to 2024, nearly half the 1.9°C increase recorded over the previous 100 years, and noted summers are now 25 days longer while winters are 22 days shorter.
- South Korea's Pro Footballers Association (KPFA) publicly called for the transition, citing the need to 'protect players from the worsening climate crisis and punishing summer heat' and to maintain the league's competitiveness within Asia.
- Japan's J League completed the same switch this year after using a mini-transition season from February to May before the World Cup, aligning its transfer window with Europe and the Asian Champions League, which made the same move in 2023.
- China's top tier, which shares Korea's March-November calendar and faces similar extreme weather, has 30 games per season (vs. Korea's 38) and more geographic flexibility, though no formal switch has been announced.
- The IPL and Tour de France face parallel pressures: IPL chair Arun Dhumal said in June the league is exploring a February-April window due to May heat, while Tour de France officials asked fans to stay away from final legs amid wildfires and record temperatures.
Why it matters: A K-League calendar shift would align 38-game Korean seasons with European football and the Asian Champions League, making player transfers more efficient — but Korea's harsher winters than Japan's complicate the change, and officials are watching whether the J League's record revenue projections materialize before committing.
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