South Korean football is debating whether to move the K-League away from its traditional March-to-November calendar to a European-style August-to-May format with a winter break, as summers become increasingly unbearable for players and fans alike. A survey found more than 70% of coaches in Asia's oldest professional league back the change, and the players' union, the KPFA, has called for a transition to protect players from the "worsening climate crisis" and preserve the league's competitiveness. The move would also bring the K-League into line with Japan's J-League, which has just switched to the new calendar, and with the Asian Champions League, which made the same shift in 2023.

The pressure has grown as temperatures hit new extremes: Yangsan reached a record 42.5C on 2 August, and Seoul endured 17 consecutive "tropical nights" above 25C, with fans fainting in stadiums. Korea's meteorological agency recorded a 0.9C temperature rise between 2020 and 2024 alone, against a 1.9C rise over the previous century, while summers have lengthened by 25 days and winters shortened by 22 days since the early 1900s. Complicating factors include Korea's harsher winters compared with Japan and a 38-game season, though the 2030 World Cup could offer a natural window for a phased transition, similar to the mini-season Japan used beforehand. China faces a similar dilemma, while cricket's Indian Premier League is also considering shifting its dates away from the increasingly hot Indian summer.