Pohang Steelers


The Pohang Steelers are a South Korean professional football club based in Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province that compete in the K League 1, the top flight of South Korean football. The club was founded on 1 April 1973 as Pohang Iron & Steel Company FC, named after the steel company POSCO, 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 three times.

History

The club was founded on 1 April 1973 as Pohang Iron & Steel Company FC. Upon its establishment, the team consisted of 13 players, including South Korea international Lee Hoe-taik, and was led by manager Han Hong-ki. The following year, Pohang Steel won their first trophy, beating Sungkyunkwan University 2–1 in the final of the President's Cup National Football Tournament|President's Cup]. The club also joined the Korean National Semi-professional Football League and won their first title in the spring league of 1975. Their second title came in the autumn league of 1981, and when the competition was re-organised as an all-year league in 1982, Pohang lifted the trophy once again.
Renamed as the Pohang Iron & Steel Dolphins, the club was one of the founding members of the Korean Super League in 1983. The same year, Pohang became the first team in the league to field foreign players, signing midfielder Sergio and forward Jose, who had previously been playing for the football team of a Brazilian steelmaking company. Initially competing as a semi-professional club, the Dolphins turned professional in the 1984 season, and rebranded again a year later, this time as the Pohang Iron & Steel Atoms.
In 1986 they won their first championship, and enjoyed a spell of domination in the league; between 1985 and 1998 they were continuously in the top four of the K League. 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 and 1998.
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.
In 2007, the club won the Championship play-off by beating Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma, who finished in first place in the regular season 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, 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 in the semi-finals and then defeated Gyeongnam FC in the final to ensure qualification for the 2009 AFC Champions League.
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 2009 [AFC Champions League Final|first ever AFC Champions League final]. The Steelers defeated Saudi club Al-Ittihad 2–1 at the National Stadium in Tokyo, 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 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.
Following the conclusion of the 2009 K League season, at the 2009 FIFA Club World Cup in December, the Steelers finished in third place 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 and 2013 editions of the Korean FA Cup, and also the 2013 K League season. By winning both competitions, the Steelers became the first club to achieve a domestic double in South Korean professional football. However, the club has not won a league title since 2013 as Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors 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, they finished third in the league, qualifying for the AFC Champions League. The club made a strong run in the 2021 AFC Champions League, reaching the final but finishing as runners-up after losing to continental rivals Al Hilal.
In 2023, Pohang celebrated their 50th anniversary by winning the FA Cup, 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

The Steelers' home is the Pohang Steel Yard, completed in 1990 as South Korea's first football-specific stadium. The stadium opened in November 1990 with a match between Pohang and Korea University. It is located in Pohang's industrial area, close to the POSCO steelworks and next to its head office.
The team trains at the Songna Clubhouse, located in Songna-myeon in Pohang's North District. It was completed in 2001 at the cost of approximately 8 billion won, making the Steelers the first club in the South Korean professional football league to have their own clubhouse. In 2019, the club opened the Steelers Football Performance Center at a cost of 2 billion won to improve players' fitness and prevent injuries.

Club culture

Supporters

The Steelers have a number of supporters groups, including Ultras Levante, Steel Warriors, Torcida, and Marines. Members of supporters groups participated in the recording of the official club song "승리를 위하여 달려가자 — We are Steelers", written to commemorate the Steelers' 50th anniversary in 2023. Steelers fans have friendly relations with the supporters of Suwon Samsung Bluewings in a friendship dubbed the Supo Alliance. Suwon's Frente Tricolor supporters group raised money for the city of Pohang in the aftermath of Typhoon Hinnamnor.
Pohang fans made headlines in 2025 when the supporters group Ultras Levante reposted social media posts uploaded by members featuring remarks considered derogatory toward the Jeolla region, following a league match against Gwangju FC. Ultras Levante issued an apology for the behaviour of its members. Steelers chairman Lee Jong-ha initially dismissed the incident as an innocent mistake, suggesting the fans in question were too young to have intended any offence, causing further anger. Gwangju FC contacted the club directly demanding formal disciplinary action over the incident. Several days after the initial controversy, the Steelers issued an official apology and banned two fans from Pohang's home match against Gwangju later in the season.

ROK Marines Corps

The Steelers have links with the ROK Marine Corps, the first division of which is based in Pohang. Marines regularly attend matches at the Steelyard and are known for singing and cheering enthusiastically. The club has hosted special matchday events to commemorate Marines Day, and in 2019 released a special kit to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Marine Corps.

Rivalries

The club's arch-rival is Ulsan HD, in a match dubbed the Donghaean derby. The geographically close cities of Pohang and Ulsan 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.
Another rivalry is shared with Jeonnam Dragons, 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, with Pohang losing both legs of the tie.

Kits

The club's original kit was orange, representing the colour of hot metal during the steelmaking process. From 1984, red and black were established as the team's colours. Pohang's home kit has usually featured red and black hoops, although the team wore cyan blue at home between 1996 and 1998.
In recent years, the Steelers have released several special kits commemorating the club's history and culture. The 2018 home and away kits were released under the concept 'Back to the Original', featuring elements of designs from years gone by. In 2019, a special kit was released to mark the 70th anniversary of the ROK Marine Corps. The following year, the club unveiled another retro kit design, this time celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Steelers' home ground, the Steelyard. In 2023, the club marked their 50th anniversary with an orange kit, bringing back the signature colour of the original POSCO FC.

Kit suppliers

Current squad

Out on loan

Honours

Domestic

League

Continental

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

AFC Champions League Two

Managers

  • Names in italics indicates interim or caretaker manager