Professional soccer’s K League 1 is on fire. Since the introduction of the relegation system, the league has set a new record by reaching 1 million spectators in the shortest number of games (96). This year’s crowd mobilization has been remarkable, especially since 2018, when only paying fans were counted.

According to the Korea Professional Football Association (KPFA), the K League 1 reached 1,049,969 fans after 96 games as of June 4. This is a “new record” for a minimum of 1 million spectators in a game since 2013, when the promotion system was introduced. The previous record was 108 games in 2013.

In particular, it was twice as fast as in 2018 (185 games), 2019 (123 games), and 2022 (215 games). In 2020 and 2021, the 1 million mark was not 메이저놀이터 reached because the games were played without spectators due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and social distancing suggestions.

Kicking off the season before it had even cooled down from its sensational round of 16 run at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, K League 1 made history from the opening match. It was the largest opening round attendance in the history of the league since the introduction of the promotion system. A total of 101,632 fans attended the six games played over two days on the 25th and 26th.

The box office didn’t stop there. With a significant improvement in overall performance and a surge in attendance from ‘promoted team’ Gwangju FC and Daejeon Hana Citizen, the crowds continued to grow. In addition to the excitement created by the fierce battle for the top spot, the crowd has steadily increased due to various favorable factors such as the invitation of special guests and various contents from ‘Coupang Play’, which will exclusively broadcast the K League 1 from this year, and popular singer Lim Young-woong (31).

If the number of spectators continues to grow, it will only be a matter of time before the number of spectators exceeds 2 million. The last time the number of spectators exceeded 2 million was in 2013 (2,036,413). It will be interesting to see if the league can make a new history in 10 years.