On September 15, Beijing time (CEST), in the first round of the 2026/27 AFC Champions League Elite East Asia region, Daejeon Hana Citizen defeated Kyoto Sanga at home, achieving their first victory in the AFC Champions League in 23 years.

This victory holds extraordinary significance for Daejeon. The last time the team participated in the AFC Champions League group stage was in the 2002-03 season, which was also the first season under the AFC Champions League format. At that time, Daejeon Citizen qualified for the AFC Champions League by winning the 2001 Korean FA Cup and made their debut on Asia's top club competition stage.

The team's last victory in the AFC Champions League dates back to March 14, 2003. At that time, Daejeon Citizen defeated Kashima Antlers 1-0 at Supachalasai Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, with Koly Papa Omar scoring the winning goal in the 87th minute. In that tournament, Daejeon also defeated Shanghai Shenhua 2-1 after entering the group stage, and ultimately finished second in the group with 2 wins and 1 loss. Because only the top team in each group advanced under the format at the time, Daejeon failed to qualify from the group.

Since then, Daejeon has long been absent from Asia's top club competitions. It wasn't until this season that Daejeon returned to the AFC Champions League Elite by virtue of being the K League runner-up last season.

From March 14, 2003, to September 15, 2026, Daejeon waited a full 23 years and 6 months to taste an AFC Champions League victory again.

This also means that Daejeon has set a unique record – with more than 23 years between two AFC Champions League victories, becoming the team with the longest interval between wins in AFC Champions League history.

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