The club was founded on 1 April 1973 as Pohang Iron & Steel Company FC. Upon its establishment, the team consisted of 13 players, including South Korea international
Lee Hoe-taik, and was led by manager
Han Hong-ki. The club also joined the
Korean National Semi-professional Football League and won their first title in the spring league of 1975. Their second title came in the autumn league of 1981, and when the competition was re-organised as an all-year league in 1982, Pohang lifted the trophy once again. Renamed as the Pohang Iron & Steel Dolphins, the club was one of the founding members of the
Korean Super League in 1983. The same year, Pohang became the first team in the league to field foreign players, signing midfielder
Sergio and forward
Jose, who had previously been playing for the football team of a Brazilian steelmaking company. Initially competing as a
semi-professional club, the Dolphins turned professional in the 1984 season, and rebranded again a year later, this time as the Pohang Iron & Steel Atoms. In
1986 they won their first championship, and enjoyed a spell of domination in the league; between 1985 and 1998 they were continuously in the top four of the
K League. In 1995, the club was renamed again, becoming the Pohang Atoms. This name change was an attempt to further strengthen local ties with the region, and in 1997 they adopted their current name, the Pohang Steelers. The team won the
Asian Champions Cup in
1997 and
1998. In the 2000s, the club struggled near the bottom of the table, but bounced back to the forefront of South Korean football by winning the first stage of the
2004 K League Championship. The club qualified for the final Championship match of the
2004 season, but lost 4–3 on
penalties to
Suwon Samsung Bluewings. In 2007, the club won the
Championship play-off by beating
Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma, who finished in first place in the
regular season of the K League. Pohang won the first leg 3–1 at home, and then traveled to Seongnam for the second leg game, recording a 1–0 victory to seal a 4–1 aggregate triumph. The Steelers had ended the K League season in fifth place, but then defeated
Gyeongnam FC,
Ulsan Hyundai Horang-i, Suwon Samsung Bluewings and finally Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma in the play-offs to win the championship. Pohang again made the play-offs in the
2008 season by finishing the season in fifth place, but were knocked out in their play-off game by Ulsan Hyundai after the penalty shoot-out. However, the club fared much better in the
2008 Korean FA Cup. After beating Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma in the quarter-finals, Pohang knocked out
Daegu FC in the semi-finals and then defeated Gyeongnam FC in the final to ensure qualification for the
2009 AFC Champions League. In the 2009 AFC Champions League, the Steelers defeated
Umm-Salal of Qatar 4–1 on aggregate in the semi-finals to advance to their
first ever AFC Champions League final. The Steelers defeated Saudi club
Al-Ittihad 2–1 at the
National Stadium in
Tokyo, Japan to claim the title. For the
2009 K League season, Pohang once again qualified for the play-off phase of the league by finishing the regular season in second place, equal with
FC Seoul on points, but ahead on goal difference. The Steelers had a bye to the semi-finals, but lost to Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma. Nonetheless, their regular season placing saw them qualify for the
2010 AFC Champions League Group stage. Following the conclusion of the 2009 K League season, at the
2009 FIFA Club World Cup in December, the Steelers finished in
third place after defeating Mexican side
Atlante 4–3 on penalties. Pohang saw further success on the pitch under new manager
Hwang Sun-hong with a unique playstyle dubbed 'Steel Taka', winning the
2012 and
2013 editions of the Korean FA Cup, and also the
2013 K League season. By winning both competitions, the Steelers became the first club to achieve a
domestic double in South Korean professional football. However, the club has not won a league title since 2013 as
Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors and later Ulsan rose to dominate the league, and went into an extended trophy drought. In April 2019,
Kim Gi-dong took over as manager. He led Pohang back to the top half of the league, and in
2020, they finished third in the league, qualifying for the AFC Champions League. The club made a strong run in the
2021 AFC Champions League, reaching the
final but finishing as runners-up after losing to continental rivals
Al Hilal. In 2023, Pohang celebrated their 50th anniversary by winning the
FA Cup, defeating Jeonbuk Hyundai in the final and securing their first FA Cup victory in ten years. After Kim Gi-dong left for FC Seoul in December 2023, Pohang appointed
Park Tae-ha as the new manager. While they started the season well, their form deteriorated and the club finished sixth in the league. However, they
won the rebranded Korea Cup in 2024, defeating rivals Ulsan HD 3–1 in extra time in the final for a second consecutive cup victory. == Stadium ==