Coupang Play Series 2026: K-League vs Man City Skybox Review
Relive the excitement of the 2026 Coupang Play Series! We share our experience at Team K-League vs Manchester City in Seoul, covering fan events, food, and skybox perks.
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Relive the excitement of the 2026 Coupang Play Series! We share our experience at Team K-League vs Manchester City in Seoul, covering fan events, food, and skybox perks.
K League★My Nationwide Stadium Adventures 2026 Coupang Play Series Team K League 1:3 Manchester City August 5, 2026 (Wed) 20:00 @Seoul World Cup Stadium |
Last year I was working, but this year I got to be a spectator!
I headed out to watch the Coupang Play Series
featuring Team K League and Manchester City!
I've been going to soccer matches for 20 years,
but I still can't get used to this heat.
Seriously, it was boiling hot....🥵
Having experienced the game firsthand,
I'll be sharing all about the Fan Park plaza events,
the delicious food, the incredible atmosphere in the premium seats,
and more, straight from my personal experience!
FAN PARK
Usually, Coupang Play events draw
tens of thousands of spectators,
but it turned out there were 'only' about 28,000 people
at the stadium today.
It was a bit less than the average for an FC Seoul home game...? Perhaps that's why
when I arrived at Sangam around 7 PM, an hour before kick-off,
it wasn't quite as packed as I'd imagined...!
I imagine the Manchester City vs. Atlético Madrid match
will draw even bigger crowds,
so if you want plenty of time to explore and get settled,
I'd definitely recommend arriving two hours before kick-off!
Given it's such a huge match,
I totally expected food trucks,
but nope! No food trucks! 🙅♀️
But don't worry! There were plenty of street stalls (pojangmacha)
offering delicious snacks like Dakgangjeong (sweet and spicy fried chicken), Dakkochi (chicken skewers), Sundae (Korean blood sausage), hotdogs, and sausages –
more than enough to satisfy any craving!
We bought some Dakgangjeong and took it in with us,
and luckily, there aren't really any strict restrictions on outside food!
(Just a heads-up: no alcohol or drinks over 1L.)
In the Fan Park plaza,
(not sure if that's always the case ㅠ)
there were just a few simple things, so I'll quickly breeze through them.
Mostly, it was Coupang-related booths
that were set up.
They also had merchandise for Manchester City, Atlético Madrid,
and K League available for sale.
Seven-Eleven only had Sanrio cards, so if you wanted other merchandise,
you had to head to the official MD shop in the center,
write down what you wanted on a piece of paper,
and buy it there.
I'd actually already visited the Sanrio pop-up store
at The Hyundai, so I didn't need to buy anything extra.
But honestly, the Manchester City and AT Madrid merchandise felt a bit... sparse ㅠ.
I'm not a fan of either team myself,
but I can't help but wonder how the dedicated fans felt about it.
And guess what? In the plaza, I even ran into player Go Kwang-min,
who was there with his kids! How cool is that?
So great to see him! 😁
They say the drama is fun, but...
Wow, that title is really something!
Hahaha!
The LED screen was really well-made,
designed to recognize football shots,
and even the kids were participating enthusiastically! ^_ㅠ
The BYD booth, a sponsor of Man City,
had the most participants.
They also seemed to have the widest variety
of events and prizes prepared.
But I just couldn't handle that waiting line ㅠㅠ Ugh.
HD Hyundai, who partnered with K League,
was showcasing heavy machinery and
giving away free bottled water and fans.
The ice had melted a bit,
so the water wasn't perfectly cold,
but HD saved my life! ㅠㅠㅠㅠ💦
WARMING UP
After taking a look around,
it's time to head into the stadium!
For the N-section, bag checks are done first
at the 1st floor plaza.
Water, beverages under 1L allowed (including cap)
No alcoholic beverages,
No megaphones, whistles, etc.,
No spray products,
No cameras exceeding 20cm, etc.
Coupang Play Series Prohibited Items
W, S, and E sections also have mandatory bag checks,
so you can head towards your respective sections.
Of course, you have to enjoy a beer while watching football!
Beer is sold at the GS25 convenience store
located inside the Seoul World Cup Stadium.
The convenience store wasn't as crowded as I expected,
so I was able to buy things quickly.
However, the refrigerators weren't very cold...
For drinks, they have water, Coke, Gatorade,
Pocari Sweat, and Powerade.
Beers include Cass (720ml👍), Tsingtao,
Heineken, Asahi, G-Dragon Beer,
and ice and ice pops.
Be sure to get a paper cup with your drink
to pour it into!
They also sell Dakgangjeong (sweet and sour fried chicken) inside for ~$9.
Whether you saw him from afar, or from behind,
or even while doing a front roll,
we met the incredibly recognizable Jobin!🤩
He's a photo whiz, hahaha!
He even held the camera himself and took selfies
with us twice! Yay!
Let's go~ into the cooling fog!
The stairs were slippery because of the cooling fog,
so you need to be careful.
FIRST HALF
Thanks to my friend, we were able to watch from the first-class seats!
Looking at the seating chart, it was section W-A.
The corner kicks were right in front of us!
Please refer to this for the view.
Wow... I finally sat down!
It's literally a sauna...🥵
I wasn't usually one to meticulously pack a bunch of things
when going to a stadium,
but deodorant wipes, cooling patches, iced water, a mini fan...
Just bring everything.
For reference, cooling sprays
are not allowed inside. ㅠ
It's a shame Haaland didn't come,
but I'll be cheering for Team K League anyway!
(/◕ヮ◕)/
I'm not sure what it'll be like for the Man City vs. Atlético Madrid match,
but the game with Team K League is incredibly quiet.
ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
It felt like we were back to games
during the COVID era...🤧
If it's your first time, don't be too surprised –
All-Star games are usually like this...
That's why it's not very exciting ㅜ Haha.
Personally, I prefer team vs. team matches,
where there's cheering and it turns into a battle of pride.
But for Team K League, how exactly do you cheer?
K-League~ Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap
Ugh, how boring! 🤮
This is the view from the Coupang Play Series First-Class Seats,
W-A section~
You can clearly see Foden taking a corner kick,
and even substitute players like Ki Sung-yueng and Lee Seung-woo
warming up are perfectly visible 😀
It was 3:1 in the first half alone!
Overall, the players didn't seem to have
warmed up completely yet,
but Man City was definitely playing smoothly,
while the Team K League players seemed a bit stiff.
HALF TIME
Okay... so, I actually have some 'pull' (connections) ㅠㅋ큐ㅠㅋㅋ
When I posted on Instagram that I was at Sangam,
a friend, who was in their skybox, said
they had extra space and invited me over! ❤
The skybox had a buffet,
chilled Guinness beer, and even wine, but
the best thing of all was
the air conditioning ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅜㅜㅜㅜ💙
I couldn't eat much since I'd already had dakgangjeong (sweet crispy chicken)
from a street vendor in the first half,
but seriously, I loved it! - 3-
SECOND HALF
Our skybox was in the E section,
so this is what the view looked like.
I only went outside to take photos,
and otherwise, absolutely stayed inside....
Honestly, Gu Sung-yun should have gotten MVP.
If you disagree, then you're absolutely right!
In the second half, the players seemed to have warmed up more,
The game itself was more exciting, but
no additional goals were scored,
and Man City won 3-1!
Among those big-headed mascots,
our Seedeu was the only one that looked small and not as cute... ㅠ
K League players,
we'll meet again soon!🤗
(Time to get a Gu Sung-yun jersey!)
NEXT GAME
The next match is special because it's Lee Kang-in's
first debut game for Atlético Madrid,
and since it's a game between two European teams,
I think it'll be even more exciting!
I'll be watching it from home 📺
Manchester City vs Atlético Madrid
Is anyone going to watch the match live?
If you have any questions, leave a comment!
📍 Seoul World Cup Stadium
240 World Cup-ro, Mapo-gu, Seoul
🏟️ Seoul World Cup Stadium Seating View 🏟️
🛍 K League X Sanrio Pop-up Store 🛍
The match took place on Wednesday, August 5, 2026, at 8 PM at Seoul World Cup Stadium. The final score was Team K League 1:3 Manchester City.
Outside the stadium, at the fan park plaza, street food stalls (pojangmacha) sold dakgangjeong (sweet and sour fried chicken) and dakkkochi (chicken skewers) instead of food trucks. Inside the stadium, dakgangjeong could be purchased at GS25 for ~$9.
Bringing alcoholic beverages from outside the stadium was not permitted. Various beers such as Cass 720ml, Tsingtao, and Heineken could be purchased and consumed at the GS25 inside Seoul World Cup Stadium.
The 1st class W-A section was directly in front of the corner kick area. From here, you could get a very good view of Foden's corner kicks and substitute players like Ki Sung-yueng and Lee Seung-woo warming up.
In the skybox, guests could enjoy a buffet, refreshing Guinness beer, and wine. Additionally, air conditioning was installed, allowing for comfortable viewing of the match even in hot weather.
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