The Suwon Samsung Bluewings () are a South Korean football club based in Suwon that competes in the K League 2, the second tier of the South Korean professional football league system. Founded in December 1995, they have won the K League on four occasions (1998, 1999, 2004 and 2008), as well as the Asian Club Championship twice, in 2000–01 and 2001–02.
History The club was formally founded on 15 December 1995 by Samsung Electronics, becoming the ninth member of the K League from the 1996 season. It was also the first club to be founded in one specific city, a plan which led to the K League initiating plans to encourage its other clubs to forge similar links with local communities.
Former South Korean national team manager Kim Ho took charge of the side from their first season in the K League, and the team finished runners-up in the championship play-off that season. The championship was secured in 1998 and retained in 1999 as Suwon started to dominate Korean football.
Suwon lifted the Asian Club Championship twice in succession in 2000–01 and 2001–02, and also added the Asian Super Cup to their roll of honours on two occasions, in 2001 and 2002.
In the 2002 season, Suwon also won the Korean FA Cup for the first time, achieving a continental double.
The departure of Kim Ho in 2003 saw Korean football legend Cha Bum-kun appointed manager ahead of the 2004 season, and the club won its third league title in his debut season as manager.
Suwon finished runners-up in both major domestic competitions in 2006, as Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma claimed victory in the K League championship play-off final and Chunnam Dragons won in the FA Cup final, thwarting Suwon's attempts to win the first ever domestic double in South Korean football.
The 2008 season became one of the most successful seasons in the club's history. Suwon achieved a domestic double by winning the K League Championship and the League Cup.
After the appointment of coach Seo Jung-won in 2013, the team started focusing on financial self-sufficiency and reducing expenditures, marking a shift away from reliance on generous support from its parent company Samsung Electronics, with ownership eventually being transferred to Cheil Worldwide, a Samsung affiliate. The club began transitioning from being a "team that wins by effectively utilizing the parent company's budget" to "a team that generates its own revenue and maintains appropriate performance."
Despite failing to win another domestic or continental title, the club continued to be a force in South Korea and Asia, finishing as K League runners-up in the 2014 and 2015 seasons, as well as reaching the semi-finals of the 2018 AFC Champions League. Suwon's last major honour came in 2019, winning the Korean FA Cup and qualifying for the 2020 AFC Champions League.
Major financial changes at the club led to poor results, and in the 2023 season, the club was relegated to the second-tier K League 2 for the first time in its history after finishing last.
After failing to be promoted for two seasons in a row, the Bluewings hired Gwangju FC manager Lee Jung-hyo to manage the club. In the club's first game with him at the helm, the opening game of the 2026 K League 2 season, they defeated Seoul E-Land 2–1 at home and set a new K League 2 attendance record of over 24,000.
Crest and colours Crest The current crest has been used by the Bluewings since 2008. It depicts the Hwaseong Fortress, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a prominent symbol of the city of Suwon. The wing on the top of the crest is the club's first crest and symbolises their will to rise to the of world football.
Colours The Bluewings' colours are blue, red and white. Blue is the colour of Samsung and also symbolises youth and hope. Red is the symbol of bravery, passion, challenge, vitality and dynamism. White represents benevolence, purity and fair play.
Stadium
The Suwon Samsung Bluewings used the 11,808-seat Suwon Sports Complex as their home stadium from 1995 through 2001.
Samsung began building the Suwon World Cup Stadium, the current home of the Bluewings, in 1996, but construction stopped in 1998 due to the 1997 Asian financial crisis. With the support of the city of Suwon and Gyeonggi Province, the stadium was completed in May 2001. It was used as a venue for the 2002 FIFA World Cup. Based on the shape of the roof of the stadium, fans sometimes call the stadium the "Big Bird".
The Bluewings' training ground is located in Dongtan, a district of Hwaseong.
Supporters and rivalries Frente Tricolor (청백적 전선, 靑白赤 戰線) is the official Suwon Samsung Bluewings supporters group. The group is known for its fanatical support for the club, especially versus its major rivals, which has sometimes led to violent incidents between Suwon supporters and rival fans.
The club's official theme song is "My Love, My Suwon" by the South Korean punk rock band No Brain. It is based on the song "Little Baby", released in 2003, and Suwon fans sang it by changing the lyrics.
The club shares its fiercest rivalry with FC Seoul in a derby dubbed the Super Match. The origins of the derby come from when FC Seoul was based in the city of Anyang, where its previous parent company LG had a major presence. The derby was not only a rivalry between the cities of Anyang and Suwon, but one between Samsung and LG, two of the largest electronics companies in South Korea. The rivalry has continued since FC Seoul's relocation to Seoul. The derby now represents a rivalry between Seoul, the largest city in South Korea, and Suwon, the capital of Gyeonggi Province, the most populous administrative unit in South Korea that surrounds Seoul.
The club also shares rivalries with other major clubs in the Seoul Capital Area, including cross-town Suwon FC (Suwon Derby), FC Anyang (Jijidae Derby), Incheon United (Suin Derby), and Seongnam FC (Magye Derby), although its rivalry with Seongnam has weakened since Seongnam has declined as a major force in the K League.
Players Current squad
Out on loan
Club captains
Year Captains Vice-captain(s) 1996 Kim Doo-ham Yoon Sung-hyo 1997 Shin Sung-hwan 1998 Jung Sung-hoon 1999 Shin Hong-gi 2000 2001 Park Kun-ha 2002 Seo Jung-won 2003 Kim Jin-woo Lee Woon-jae 2004 Lee Byung-keun Kim Young-sun 2005 Choi Sung-yong Kim Dae-eui 2006 Kim Nam-il Cho Jae-min 2007 Lee Kwan-woo Lee Jung-soo 2008 Song Chong-gug Kwak Hee-ju 2009 Lee Woon-jae Hong Soon-hak 2010 Cho Won-hee Kim Dae-eui 2011 Choi Sung-kuk Yeom Ki-hun 2012 Kwak Hee-ju Oh Beom-seok 2013 Kim Do-heon Oh Jang-eun 2014 Yeom Ki-hun 2015 Kim Eun-sun 2016 Hong Chul, Shin Se-gye 2017 Koo Ja-ryong, Lee Jong-sung 2018 Kim Eun-sun 2019 Yeom Ki-hun Choi Sung-keun, Hong Chul 2020 Choi Sung-keun, Kim Min-woo 2021 Kim Min-woo Min Sang-gi 2022 Min Sang-gi Choi Sung-keun 2023 Lee Ki-je Ko Seung-beom 2024 Yang Hyung-mo Kazuki Kozuka, Lee Jong-sung 2025 2026 Hong Jeong-ho Song Ju-hun, Park Dae-won
Notable players Hall of Fame Seo Jung-won (1999–2004) Park Kun-ha (1996–2006) Lee Woon-jae (1996–2011) Lee Byung-keun (1996–2006) Kim Jin-woo (1996–2007) Ko Jong-soo (1996–2004) Denis Laktionov (1996–2003, 2006–2007) Sandro (2000–2002, 2005–2007) Nádson (2003–2008) Kwak Hee-ju (2003–2013, 2015–2016) Natanael Santos (2013–2017) Yang Sang-min (2007–2022) Yeom Ki-hun (2010–2023)
Greatest ever team (10th anniversary) In the spring of 2005, as part of the club's celebration of its 10th anniversary, Suwon fans voted for the best players in the club's history. The players who received the most votes in each position were named in the club's greatest ever team. Goalkeeper Lee Woon-jae (1996–2011) Defenders Park Kun-ha (1996–2006) Choi Sung-yong (2002–2006) Lee Byung-keun (1996–2006) Midfielders Ko Jong-soo (1996–2004) Denis Laktionov (1996–2003, 2006–2007) Kim Do-heon (2001–2005, 2009–2014) Seo Jung-won (1999–2004) Kim Jin-woo (1996–2007) Forwards Nádson (2003–2008) Saša Drakulić (1998–2000)
Greatest ever team (20th anniversary) In the spring of 2015, as part of the club's celebration of its 20th anniversary, Suwon fans voted for the best players in the club's history. The players who received the most votes in each position were named in the club's greatest ever team. Goalkeeper Lee Woon-jae (1996–2011) Defenders Choi Sung-yong (2002–2006) Mato Neretljak (2005–2008, 2011) Lee Byung-keun (1996–2006) Kwak Hee-ju (2003–2013, 2015–2016) Midfielders Denis Laktionov (1996–2003, 2006–2007) Ko Jong-soo (1996–2004) Kim Jin-woo (1996–2007) Seo Jung-won (1999–2004) Forwards Park Kun-ha (1996–2006) Nádson (2003–2008)
Honours
Domestic K League 1 Winners (4): 1998, 1999, 2004, 2008 Runners-up (4): 1996, 2006, 2014, 2015
K League 2 Runners-up (1): 2025
Korean FA Cup Winners (5): 2002, 2009, 2010, 2016, 2019 Runners-up (3): 1996, 2006, 2011
Korean League Cup Winners (6): 1999, 1999s, 2000, 2001, 2005, 2008
Korean Super Cup Winners (3): 1999, 2000, 2005
International Asian Club Championship Winners (2): 2000–01, 2001–02 Asian Cup Winners' Cup Runners-up (1): 1997–98 Asian Super Cup Winners (2): 2001, 2002 A3 Champions Cup Winners (1): 2005
Records Season-by-season record Season Division Teams Position League Cup Korean Cup Super Cup AFC Other Manager199619Runners-up3218955733+24636th (A)Runners-up Kim Ho1997105th1877423230286th (A)3rd (P)Quarter-finalRunners-up (CW) Kim Ho199810Champions2013163422+12356th (A)4th (PM)Quarter-final Kim Ho199910Champions2923066026+3464Winners (A)Winners (D)First roundWinners4th (CC) Kim Ho2000105th27140134843+536Winners (A)8th (D)Quarter-finalWinners Kim Ho2001103rd27125104035+541Winners (A)First roundChampions (CC)Winners (SC) Kim Ho2002103rd2712964026+14454th (A)WinnersChampions (CC)Winners (SC) Kim Ho2003123rd441915105946+1372No competitionRound of 32No competition Kim Ho200413Champions2714673224+8464th (S)Round of 16 Cha Bum-kun20051310th2461082932–328Winners (S)Round of 16WinnersWinners (A3)Group E 2nd (CL) Cha Bum-kun200614Runners-up29121073125+64612th (S)Runners-up Cha Bum-kun2007143rd2715663625+1151Semi-final (S)Round of 16Competition ceased Cha Bum-kun200814Champions2818464926+2358Winners (S)Round of 16 Cha Bum-kun20091510th2888122932–332Quarter-final (PK)WinnersRound of 16 (CL)Winners (PP) Cha Bum-kun2010157th28125113944–541Semi-final (PC)WinnersQuarter-final (CL)Runners-up (ST) Cha Bum-kun Yoon Sung-hyo2011164th3017495133+1855Semi-final (RC)Runners-upSemi-final (CL) Yoon Sung-hyo2012164th442013116151+1073Competition ceasedQuarter-final Yoon Sung-hyo2013145th38158155043+753Round of 16Group H, 4th (CL) Seo Jung-won201412Runners-up38191095237+1567Round of 32 Seo Jung-won201512Runners-up38191096043+1767Round of 32Round of 16 (CL) Seo Jung-won2016127th381018105659–348WinnersGroup G, 3rd (CL) Seo Jung-won2017123rd38171386341+2264Semi-finalGroup G, 3rd (CL) Seo Jung-won2018126th381311145354–150Semi-finalSemi-final (CL) Seo Jung-won Lee Byung-keun (C) Seo Jung-won2019128th381212144649–348Winners Lee Lim-saeng2020128th2787122730–331Quarter-finalQuarter-final (CL) Lee Lim-saeng Ju Seung-jin (C) Park Kun-ha2021126th381210164250–846Quarter-final Park Kun-ha20221210th381111164449–544Quarter-final Park Kun-ha Lee Byung-keun20231212th 3889213557–2233Quarter-final Lee Byung-keun Choi Sung-yong (C) Kim Byung-soo Yeom Ki-hun (C)20242136th361511104635+1156Round of 16 Yeom Ki-hun Byun Sung-hwan2025142nd39201277650+2672Third round Byun Sung-hwan K League Championship results are not counted. The 1998, 1999 and 2000 seasons had penalty shoot-outs instead of draws. A – Adidas Cup, P – Pro-Specs Cup, PM – Philip Morris Cup, D – Daehan Fire Insurance Cup, S – Samsung Hauzen Cup, PK – Peace Cup Korea, PC – Posco Cup, RC – Rush & Cash CupCW – Asian Cup Winners Cup, CC – Asian Club Championship, SC – Asian Super Cup, CL – AFC Champions League, A3 – A3 Champions Cup, PP – Pan-Pacific Championship, ST – Saitama City Cup
AFC Champions League record
All results (home and away) list Suwon's goal tally first.