**Gimcheon Sangmu faces automatic relegation at the end of the 2026 K League 1 season regardless of final position, as part of the league’s expansion to 14 teams in 2027 and the end of its military-team residency agreement.** Current standings after 32 matches place Gwangju FC last on 18 points, 14 points behind 11th-placed Bucheon FC 1995, with the bottom six now entering the five-match Final B split. Gwangju cannot mathematically catch the sides above it even with maximum points from the remaining fixtures. Because the automatic relegation belongs to Gimcheon Sangmu rather than the actual last-place finisher, the 12th-placed team (almost certainly Gwangju) enters a promotion/relegation playoff against the loser of the K League 2 promotion playoff. This structure leaves open the possibility of either one or two teams dropping from K League 1, shaping trader views on the final tally.