K League PlayONE Cup, Where People with and Without Developmental Disabilities Play Together, Opens Today

The 2026 K League PlayONE Cup, a unified football tournament where people with and without developmental disabilities play on the same team, kicks off today (the 16th) and runs through the 18th at the Jecheon Football Center in North Chungcheong Province.

Organized by the K League Assist foundation, the tournament has been held annually since 2021 with the aim of spreading mutual understanding through sports, as well as the values of social inclusion and equality for people with developmental disabilities.

This year's tournament features about 350 participants across 14 teams, including 13 teams affiliated with K League clubs and a team from the Korea Professional Football League.

The matches are played in an 11-a-side format, with each team fielding six players with developmental disabilities and five players without disabilities.

Each half lasts 20 minutes.

Starting with this tournament, players with developmental disabilities will capture the tournament scenes as "special photographers."

A new "Coach Award" has also been established to honor coaches who demonstrate harmony, fair play, and sportsmanship.

In November, K League Assist will also run overseas cultural programs in Tokyo, Japan, including watching the 2026-2027 Asian Football Champions League Elite (ACLE) match between Daejeon and Kashiwa Reysol, as well as a South Korea-Japan unified football exchange match.
(Photo provided by Korea Professional Football League, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.