Champions League hopes fade for Mainz’s Korean duo

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Champions League hopes fade for Mainz’s Korean duo

Published: 06 May. 2025, 14:14 Updated: 08 May. 2025, 13:52

PAIK JI-HWAN
[email protected]

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

Mainz midfielder Lee Jae-sung, center, vies for the ball during a Bundesliga match against Frankfurt at Mewa Arena in Mainz, Germany, on May 4. [AP/YONHAP]

Korean midfield duo Lee Jae-sung and Hong Hyun-seok may miss out on their Champions League debuts in the 2025–26 season, as Mainz is unlikely to qualify for Europe’s top club competition even with wins in their final two Bundesliga matches.

Mainz, currently sitting in seventh place with 48 points, cannot catch No. 4 Freiburg, who have 52 points, unless Freiburg drop at least four points in their last two fixtures — an unlikely scenario.

A seventh-place finish would mark Mainz’s best result since finishing sixth in the 2015–16 campaign, but it would still mean another year without UEFA competition. The club last participated in a European tournament in the 2016–17 Europa League.

A fifth-place finish would secure Mainz a spot in the Europa League, while sixth would earn a place in the Conference League.

Missing out on the Champions League would deny Lee and Hong their first appearances in the tournament.

Lee has only competed in domestic German competitions, with Mainz’s eighth-place finish being the club’s best result since he joined in 2021.

Hong, meanwhile, made 27 Conference League appearances and featured in two Europa League qualifiers with KAA Gent before joining Mainz ahead of this season.

Mainz midfielder Hong Hyun-seok during the Bundesliga match against VfL Bochum in Mainz, Germany, on Jan. 11. [AFP/YONHAP]

The 2025–26 season represents Lee’s final opportunity to play in the Champions League with Mainz unless he renews his contract, which expires in June 2026.

If he leaves when his contract ends, he will depart after five years as a key midfielder for the club.

Lee has been a regular starter since the 2021–22 season, tallying 24 goals and 17 assists in 121 appearances. He has played well this season, with seven goals and seven assists across 32 matches.

Correction, May 8: A previous version of this story incorrectly said that Hong Hyun-seok made 39 Conference League appearances with KAA Gent, but he made 27 appearances in the tournament with the Belgian team.

BY PAIK JI-HWAN [[email protected]]