As a traditional tycoon in Korean football, Ulsan Hyundai carries the glory and expectations of Asian football in the Club World Cup, but it is not easy to break out from the group.
【Basic Information】
Country: South Korea
Continent: Asia
First route: AFC four-year points ranking from 2021 to 2024
Main honors: 2 AFC Champions League champions
Past Club World Cup record: Participate in Club World Cup 2
[Scene Analysis]
Ulsan Hyundai advanced to the Club World Cup through the AFC’s points ranking in the past four years. Ulsan Hyundai twice entered the semi-finals of the AFC Champions League twice in the 2020-21 and 2023-24 seasons, among which, defeated Yokohama Mariners 1-0 in the first leg of the AFC Champions League semi-finals in April 2024, allowing the team to qualify for the Club World Cup. Ulsan Hyundai’s record this season has declined significantly. Not only did the team perform in the AFC Champions League, but its performance in the domestic league is also unsatisfactory. The team is currently 6 points behind the leader Jeonbuk Hyundai in two more games. In terms of the strength of this group, it is extremely difficult for Ulsan Hyundai to break through. Head coach Kim Sengkun made it clear that the team will get as much as 4 points as possible to compete for the right to qualify in the group stage. The first match against Mamlodi Sunset is very critical, and it is also important to narrow the gap and win points in the game against Fruminense and Dortmund.
【Core Player】
Brazil striker Farias Eric, who joined Juventus Tude in Brazil in March 2025, performed well. After joining Ulsan Hyundai, he scored 9 goals in 15 games. He is currently the sharpest sharp knife on the team’s forward line. The two Swedish foreign players Boyanic and Ludwigsong are also quite strong. They are the core of Ulsan Hyundai’s midfield offensive and defensive organization.
Ulsan Hyundai has many players familiar to Chinese fans in the team, including former Evergrande defender Kim Young-kwon, Huang Seok-ho who once played for Tianjin, Kim Yoo-woo from Rongcheng, Beijing Guoan, Jiang Xiangyou from Chongqing, and Zheng Yourong from South Korea’s national goalkeeper Zhao Xianyou and former Bolton winger Lee Qing-long. These veterans over 30 years old are still Ulsan.The mainstay of modernity.