South Korea's Pro Footballers Association Calls for Fall-Spring Schedule Due to Heat

South Korea’s Pro Footballers Association is calling on the K League to overhaul the domestic season to avoid playing during the height of summer, as local temperatures reached record highs in August.

“The K League must transition to the Fall-Spring schedule to protect players from the worsening climate crisis and punishing summer heat,” the KPFA said in a statement this week, “and to maintain the league’s leadership within Asia and its global competitiveness.”

Earlier this month, the southeastern city of Yangsan recorded a temperature of 42.5 degrees Celsius (108.5 Fahrenheit), the highest in decades of official records, prompting authorities to warn residents to stay indoors. The Korean baseball league was suspended for a week because of the extreme heat.

The high temperatures also had an impact on the size of the crowd for Manchester City’s friendly exhibition against a K League All Star team last week, although the Premier League club’s pre-season exhibition win over Atletico Madrid attracted a full crowd on Sunday.

Seoul’s streak of 17 tropical nights – defined as nights when temperatures do not fall below 25 degrees Celsius – ended on Monday.

The 2026 K League season started on February 28 and is scheduled to finish on December 6, but in the current climate, calls to move the traditional schedule have intensified.