Orlando: Ulsan HD FC, three-time defending South Korean football champions, will pursue a knockout berth at the expanded FIFA Club World Cup starting this week in the United States. With 32 teams divided into eight groups of four, Ulsan HD, the lone K League 1 club in the competition, will play in Group F against Fluminense of Brazil, Mamelodi Sundowns of South Africa, and Borussia Dortmund of Germany, widely regarded as the favorite to win the group.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Ulsan HD will open their campaign against Mamelodi Sundowns at Inter and Co Stadium in Orlando, Florida, at 6 p.m. Tuesday (7 a.m. Wednesday in South Korean time). Ulsan will then take on Fluminense at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, at 6 p.m. Saturday (7 a.m. Sunday in South Korea), before closing out the group stage against Borussia Dortmund at TQL Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio, at 3 p.m. on June 25 (4 a.m. on June 26 in South Korea). The top two clubs from each group will qualify for the knockout stage.
This will be Ulsan's third Club World Cup appearance, following the 2012 and 2020 events. They finished sixth among seven teams in 2012 and last among six teams in 2020, going winless on both occasions. Starting this year, the Club World Cup will resemble the World Cup for national teams, being held every four years with 32 teams competing. Although they have won each of the past three K League 1 titles, Ulsan HD are viewed as one of the weakest teams in the tournament.
The opening match against Mamelodi Sundowns represents Ulsan's best chance at pulling out a win in the group stage, with Borussia Dortmund and Fluminense expected to duel for the top seed out of Group F. But the South African club, having won the past eight straight league titles, won't be a pushover, either. Ulsan head coach Kim Pan-gon said Sundowns have some speedy and powerful players, with their Portuguese head coach Miguel Cardoso having established a strong tactical framework since taking over in December 2024.
Both clubs feature highly rated goalkeepers. Jo Hyeon-woo is the reigning K League 1 MVP for Ulsan and he has also been the first-choice keeper for the South Korean national team for a few years. He will be countered by Ronwen Williams, the 2024 African Goalkeeper of the Year as chosen by the Confederation of African Football. Also in 2024, Williams became the first goalkeeper to be nominated for the Yashin Trophy as the world's top goalkeeper while playing for an African club.
In an interview with FIFA.com, Jo said he was looking forward to facing clubs he'd never played before. He expressed hope that participating in the Club World Cup would be a significant boost for Korean football and a personal development opportunity. "As Ulsan HD will be representing Korean football at the Club World Cup, we're aiming to reach the round of 16 and then go even further, and I'll do my absolute best to help make that happen," Jo stated.