The Pohang Steelers (

Hangul The Korean alphabet is the modern writing system for the Korean language. In North Korea, the alphabet is known as (), and in South Korea, it is known as (). The letters for the five basic consonants reflect the shape of the speech organs ...

: 포항 스틸러스) are a South Korean professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

club based in

Pohang Pohang (; ), formerly spelled Po-Hang, is the largest city in North Gyeongsang Province, South Korea, with a List of cities in South Korea, population of 499,363 as of 2022, bordering the Sea of Japan, East Sea to the east, Yeongcheon to the w ...

North Gyeongsang Province North Gyeongsang Province (, ) is a province in eastern South Korea, and with an area of , it is the largest province in the Korean peninsula. The province was formed in 1896 from the northern half of the former Gyeongsang province, and remaine ...

that compete in the

K League 1 The K League 1 () is a professional association football league in South Korea and the highest level of the South Korean football league system. The league is contested by twelve clubs. It is one of the most successful leagues in the Asian Foo ...

, the top flight of South Korean football. The Steelers were founded on 1 April 1973 as POSCO FC, named after the steel company

POSCO POSCO (formerly Pohang Iron and Steel Company) is a South Korean steel manufacturer headquartered in Pohang, South Korea. It had an output of of crude steel in 2015, making it the List of steel producers, world's sixth-largest steelmaker by thi ...

, which still owns the club today. They are one of South Korea's most successful teams, having won the K League five times and the

AFC Champions League The AFC Champions League Elite (abbreviated as the ACL Elite) is an annual continental club association football, football competition organised by the Asian Football Confederation, and contested by Asia's List of top-division football clubs i ...

three times.

History

The club was founded on 1 April 1973 as Pohang Iron & Steel Company FC, or simply POSCO FC. Initially a

semi-professional Semi-professional sports are sports in which athletes are not participating on a full-time basis, but still receive some payment. Semi-professionals are not amateur because they receive regular payment from their team, but generally at a cons ...

club, they turned professional in the 1984 season and changed its name to POSCO Dolphins. A year later they renamed as the POSCO Atoms. In

1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. ** Spain and Portugal en ...

they won their first Championship, and enjoyed a great spell of domination in the league; between 1985 and 1998 they were continuously in the top four of the

K League K League () is South Korea's professional football league. It includes the first division K League 1 and the second division K League 2. Clubs competing in the K League have won a record total of twelve AFC Champions League Elite, AFC Champions ...

. In 1995, the club was renamed again, becoming the Pohang Atoms. This name change was an attempt to further strengthen local ties with the region, and in 1997 they adopted their current name, the Pohang Steelers. The team won the Asian Champions Cup in

1997 Events January * January 1 – The Emergency Alert System is introduced in the United States. * January 11 – Turkey threatens Cyprus on account of a deal to buy Russian S-300 missiles, prompting the Cypriot Missile Crisis. * January 1 ...

and

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for Lunar water, frozen water, in soil i ...

. In the 2000s, the club struggled near the bottom of the table, but bounced back to the forefront of South Korean football by winning the first stage of the 2004 K League Championship. The club qualified for the final Championship match of the 2004 season, but lost 4–3 on penalties to

Suwon Samsung Bluewings The Suwon Samsung Bluewings () are a South Korean Association football, football club based in Suwon that competes in the K League 2, the second tier of South Korean football. Founded in December 1995, they have won the K League on four occas ...

. In 2007, the club won the Championship play-off by beating

Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma Seongnam Football Club () is a South Korean professional football club based in Seongnam that competes in the K League 2, the second tier of South Korean football. It is one of the most successful clubs in South Korea and the Asian Football Conf ...

, who finished in first place in the

regular season In an organized sports league, a typical season is the portion of one year in which regulated games of the sport are in session: for example, in Major League Baseball the season lasts approximately from the last week of March to the last week of S ...

of the K League. Pohang won the first leg 3–1 at home, and then traveled to Seongnam for the second leg game, recording a 1–0 victory to seal a 4–1 aggregate triumph. The Steelers had ended the K League season in fifth place, but then defeated

Gyeongnam FC Gyeongnam FC () is a South Korean professional football club based in South Gyeongsang Province that competes in the K League 2, the second tier of South Korean football. Its home stadium is the Changwon Football Center, located in Changwon ...

, Ulsan Hyundai Horang-i, Suwon Samsung Bluewings and finally Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma in the play-offs to win the championship. Pohang again made the play-offs in the 2008 season by finishing the season in fifth place, but were knocked out in their play-off game by Ulsan Hyundai after the penalty shoot-out. However, the club fared much better in the 2008 Korean FA Cup. After beating Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma in the quarter-finals, Pohang knocked out

Daegu FC Daegu FC () is a South Korean professional football club based in Daegu. The club was founded as a community club at the end of 2002, and made their K League 1 debut in 2003. Daegu has played mostly in the K League 1 but was relegated at the ...

in the semi-finals and then defeated Gyeongnam FC in the final to ensure qualification for the

2009 AFC Champions League The 2009 AFC Champions League was the 28th edition of the top-level Asian club football tournament organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), and the 7th under the current AFC Champions League title. The final was held at the Nati ...

. In the 2009 AFC Champions League, the Steelers defeated Umm-Salal of Qatar 4–1 on aggregate in the semi-finals to advance to their first ever AFC Champions League final. The Steelers defeated Saudi club

Al-Ittihad Al-Ittihad may refer to: Sports Football Men Teams * Al-Ittihad Club (Jeddah), Jeddah, Saudi Arabia * Al Ittihad SCSC (Tripoli), Tripoli, Libya * Al Ittihad Gheryan, Gharyan, Libya * Al Ittihad Misurata SC, Misurata, Libya * Al Ittihad SC ...

2–1 at the

National Stadium Many countries have a national sport stadium, which typically serves as the primary or exclusive home for one or more of a country's national representative sports teams. The term is most often used in reference to an association football ...

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

, Japan to claim the title. For the 2009 K League season, Pohang once again qualified for the play-off phase of the league by finishing the regular season in second place, equal with

FC Seoul FC Seoul () is a South Korean professional Association football, football club based in Seoul that competes in the K League 1, the top flight of Football in South Korea, South Korean football. The club is owned by GS Sports, a subsidiary of GS G ...

on points, but ahead on goal difference. The Steelers had a bye to the semi-finals, but lost to Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma. Nonetheless, their regular season placing saw them qualify for the

2010 AFC Champions League Group stage The 2010 AFC Champions League group stage matches took place between 23 February and 28 April 2010. Groups Group A ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- Group B ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- Group C ---- ---- --- ...

Following the conclusion of the 2009 K League season, at the

2009 FIFA Club World Cup The 2009 FIFA Club World Cup (officially known as the FIFA Club World Cup UAE 2009 presented by Toyota for sponsorship reasons) was a football tournament played from 9 to 19 December 2009. It was the sixth FIFA Club World Cup and was played in Ab ...

in December, the Steelers finished in

third place In sociology, the third place refers to the social surroundings that are separate from the two usual social environments of home ("first place") and the workplace ("second place"). Examples of third places include Church (building), churches, C ...

after defeating Mexican side Atlante 4–3 on penalties. Pohang saw further success on the pitch under new manager Hwang Sun-hong with a unique playstyle dubbed 'Steel Taka', winning the

2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...

and

2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...

editions of the Korean FA Cup, and also the 2013 K League season. However, the club has not won a league title since 2013 as

Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors FC () is a South Korean professional football club based in Jeonju, North Jeolla Province that competes in the K League 1, the top tier of South Korean football. Jeonbuk have won the K League a record nine times, including ...

and later Ulsan rose to dominate the league, and went into an extended trophy drought. In April 2019, Kim Gi-dong took over as manager. He led Pohang back to the top half of the league, and in

2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...

, they finished third in the league, qualifying for the AFC Champions League. The club made a strong run in the

2021 AFC Champions League The 2021 AFC Champions League was the 40th edition of Asia's premier club football tournament organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), and the 19th under the current AFC Champions League title. Al-Hilal won their fourth title by ...

, reaching the

final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final examination or finals, a test given at the end of a course of study or training *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which d ...

but finishing as runners-up after losing to continental rivals Al Hilal. In 2023, Pohang celebrated their 50th anniversary by winning the

FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...

, defeating Jeonbuk Hyundai in the final and securing their first FA Cup victory in ten years. After Kim Gi-dong left for FC Seoul in December 2023, Pohang appointed Park Tae-ha as the new manager. While they started the season well, their form deteriorated and the club finished sixth in the league. However, they won the rebranded Korea Cup in 2024, defeating rivals Ulsan HD 3–1 in extra time in the final for a second consecutive cup victory.

Stadium

Pohang's home is the

Pohang Steel Yard The Pohang Steel Yard is a football stadium in Pohang, South Korea. It is the home stadium of Pohang Steelers. The stadium holds 17,443 spectators and was built in 1990 as the first football-specific stadium in South Korea. Its balcony typed stru ...

, completed in 1990 as South Korea's first football-specific stadium. Pohang080413 6

The club's players train at the Pohang Steelers Club House, located in the Buk District of the city. It was completed in 2001 at the cost of approximately 8 billion won.

Club culture

Pohang Steelyard safe standing section N fans

Supporters

The Steelers have a number of supporters groups, including Levante, Steel Warriors, and Marines. The club enjoys the support of many actual ROK Marines members. Steelers fans have friendly relations with the supporters of

in a friendship dubbed the Supo Alliance (수포동맹). Suwon's Frente Tricolor supporters group raised money for the city of Pohang in the aftermath of Typhoon Hinnamnor.

Rivalries

The club's arch-rival is Ulsan HD, in a match dubbed the Donghaean Derby. The geographically close cities of Pohang and

Ulsan Ulsan (; ), officially the Ulsan Metropolitan City, is South Korea's seventh-largest metropolitan city and the eighth-largest city overall, with a population of over 1.1 million inhabitants. It is located in the south-east of the country, neighbo ...

are two of the largest industrial cities in South Korea, with Pohang being home to POSCO, one of the world's largest steelmakers and Ulsan being home to HD Hyundai, the world's largest shipbuilding company. One of the most memorable matches between the two sides was played in the final round of the 2013 K League Classic season. Ulsan were top of the table coming into the final round, and Pohang needed to defeat Ulsan away from home to win the title. Kim Won-il scored the winning goal for Pohang late in injury time for the club's fifth K League title. Pohang also triumphed over Ulsan in the 2024 Korea Cup final to secure their record sixth cup title. Pohang fans in away end at Ulsan World Cup stadium

Pohang fans in away end at Ulsan World Cup stadium

Another rivalry is shared with

Jeonnam Dragons The Jeonnam Dragons () are a South Korean professional football club based in the city of Gwangyang, South Jeolla Province that competes in the K League 2, the second tier of South Korean football. The Dragons play their home matches at the G ...

, another club owned by POSCO and located in Gwangyang, home to POSCO's largest steelworks that are even larger than the ones in Pohang. The two met in the final of the

2007 Korean FA Cup The 2007 Korean FA Cup, known as the 2007 Hana Bank FA Cup, was the twelfth edition of the Korean FA Cup. Qualifying rounds First round Second round Final rounds Bracket Third round Jeonnam Dragons, Seongnam FC, Seongnam Ilhwa Chun ...

, with Pohang losing both legs of the tie.

Kits

In 1994, POSCO Atoms wore a green kit and a white kit with a multicoloured sun in the middle. In 1997, Pohang Steelers wore a white shirt with black stripes on the shoulders and black shorts. In 2000, the first kit consisted of a sky blue shirt and white shorts, while the away kit was a black and red hooped shirt with black shorts (similar to the current kit). In 2002, the kit was red with a black "V" on the chest.

Kit suppliers

Current squad

Out on loan

Honours

Domestic

League

**Winners (5):

, 1988,

1992 1992 was designated as International Space Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 – Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt replaces Javier Pérez de Cuéllar of Peru as United Nations Secretary-General. * January 6 ** The Republ ...

2007 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...

**Runners-up (5):

1985 The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a n ...

1987 Events January * January 1 – Bolivia reintroduces the Boliviano currency. * January 2 – Chadian–Libyan conflict – Battle of Fada: The Military of Chad, Chadian army destroys a Libyan armoured brigade. * January 3 – Afghan leader ...

1995 1995 was designated as: * United Nations Year for Tolerance * World Year of Peoples' Commemoration of the Victims of the Second World War This was the first year that the Internet was entirely privatized, with the United States government ...

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

2023 Catastrophic natural disasters in 2023 included the Lists of 21st-century earthquakes, 5th-deadliest earthquake of the 21st century 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, striking Turkey and Syria, leaving up to 62,000 people dead; Cyclone Freddy ...

Korean National Semi-Professional Football League The Korean National Semi-professional Football League was contested between South Korean works teams and military teams from 1964 to 2002. It was the predecessor of the Korea National League which was founded in 2003. History After the introduc ...

**Winners (5): 1975 Spring, 1981 Fall, 1982, 1986 Fall,Football Club Pohang Steelers was founded as a semi-professional team in 1973, and turned into a professional team in 1984. Even after the club turned professional, Pohang managed a separate, semi-professional reserves team that participated in the

until the formation of R League. 1988 Fall **Runners-up (2): 1977, 1989 Spring

Cups

**Winners (6):

1996 1996 was designated as: * International Year for the Eradication of Poverty Events January * January 8 – A Zairean cargo plane crashes into a crowded market in the center of the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo ...

2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...

2024 The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudane ...

**Runners-up (3):

2001 The year's most prominent event was the September 11 attacks against the United States by al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror. The United States led a Participan ...

2002 The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...

* League Cup **Winners (2):

1993 The United Nations General Assembly, General Assembly of the United Nations designated 1993 as: * International Year for the World's Indigenous People The year 1993 in the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands had only 364 days, since its ...

2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...

**Runners-up (2):

, 1997s * National Football Championship **Runners-up (2): 1977, 1985 * President's Cup **Winners (1): 1974 ** Runners-up (1): 1989

International

Continental

**Winners (3): 1996–97, 1997–98,

**Runners-up (1):

2021 Like the year 2020, 2021 was also heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the emergence of multiple Variants of SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 variants. The major global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, which began at the end of 2020, continued ...

* Asian Super Cup **Runners-up (2):

A3 Champions Cup A3 Champions Cup (also known as East Asian Champions Cup) was an annual football (soccer) tournament jointly organized by the China PR, Japan and Korea Republic football Association. It began in 2003, involving the league champions of Chinese Supe ...

**Runners-up (1):

2005 2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...

Worldwide

FIFA Club World Cup The FIFA Club World Cup (FIFA CWC) is an international men's association football competition organised by the ''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'' (FIFA), the sport's global sports governing body, governing body. The compe ...

**Third place (1):

* Afro-Asian Club Championship **Runners-up (2):

Invitational

DCM Trophy The Delhi Cloth Mills Trophy, known simply as D.C.M. Trophy, was an invitational football tournament in India. It was held annually in New Delhi and was organised by the Delhi Cloth Mills tournament committee. It was India's first football tourn ...

** Winners (1): 1988 ** Runners-up (1): 1989 * King's Cup ** Runners-up (1): 1987

Season-by-season records

Domestic record

;Key *Tms. = Number of teams *Pos. = Position in league

Continental record

All results list Pohang's goal tally first.

AFC Champions League

AFC Champions League Elite

Managers

* Names in ''italics'' indicates interim or caretaker manager

References

External links

Official website
{{AFC Club of the Year Association football clubs established in 1973 K League 1 clubs Football clubs in North Gyeongsang Province Pohang POSCO 1973 establishments in South Korea Works association football clubs in South Korea AFC Champions League Elite winning clubs