The U-23 South Korean men's soccer team, led by coach Lee Min-seong, is set to pursue its fourth consecutive gold medal at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games. Meanwhile, the women's team, under coach Shin Sang-woo, aims to surpass its best-ever performance of a bronze medal and secure its first gold.
Soccer matches will commence before the opening ceremony on September 19. The women's team will play Myanmar on September 14, followed by the men's team facing Qatar on September 15 in their group stage opener.
The men's tournament features 15 countries divided into four groups, with the top two teams from each group advancing to the quarterfinals. South Korea's Group D consists of three teams, including Qatar, and they will also face Saudi Arabia on September 22. With only two matches determining their advancement, a single mistake could jeopardize their entire campaign.
Winning a gold medal at the Asian Games comes with military service benefits, prompting South Korea to consistently field its strongest squad. As a result, the team achieved a perfect record in the 2014 Incheon Games, winning all seven matches without conceding a goal, and continued its success with gold medals in the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang and the 2023 Hangzhou Games.
However, the path to a historic fourth consecutive title is not without challenges. Questions have arisen regarding Coach Lee's leadership, as the U-23 team has recorded only eight wins, four draws, and seven losses in 19 matches since his appointment. In the AFC U-23 Asian Cup earlier this year, the team lost 1-0 to Japan in the semifinals, which was composed of players under 21, and fell to Vietnam in the third-place match after a penalty shootout.
The team's overall strength is also in question, as it lacks standout players like Son Heung-min (LAFC), Lee Kang-in (Atletico Madrid), and Lee Seung-woo (Jeonbuk Hyundai), who have previously excelled in past tournaments. Of the final 23-player roster, nine are based in Europe. The three wild card spots are filled by Yang Hyun-jun (Celtic), Eom Ji-sung (Swansea City), and Lee Gi-hyuk (Gangwon FC), who were part of the final roster for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Baek Jun-ho (Stoke City), who is not subject to age restrictions, also joins the squad.
Before the training camp at Korea Football Park in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province, on September 1, Coach Lee stated, "For just over a year, we have been steadily working towards the Asian Games. The journey to this point has not been easy, but that time has been a great tonic for us. We must treat every match as a final. We will do our best to achieve good results starting from the group stage. Since this is a tournament where we must aim for gold, I will work with the players to ensure we can secure that medal."
The women's soccer team, which will kick off a day earlier, is also targeting its first gold medal at the Asian Games.
Since women's soccer became an official event at the 1990 Beijing Games, South Korea has reached the finals nine times but has never made it to the championship match. The team's best results have been three consecutive bronze medals in 2010 Guangzhou, 2014 Incheon, and 2018 Jakarta-Palembang. In the previous Hangzhou Games, they were eliminated in the quarterfinals after a 4-1 loss to North Korea.
The competition is fierce. In the past nine tournaments, gold medals have been shared among China, North Korea, and Japan, each winning three times. Defending champion Japan, benefiting from being the host nation, is again considered the strongest contender for the title.
South Korea is determined to claim its first gold medal by overcoming Japan, China, North Korea, and others. Coach Shin stated during the final training camp on September 7 at Korea Football Park in Cheonan, "The women's team has previously won bronze medals at the Asian Games. This time, our major goal is to reach the finals and change the color of the medal. You can expect us to aim for victory."
The women's tournament will feature 12 countries divided into three groups of four. The top two teams from each group, along with the two best third-placed teams, will advance to the quarterfinals. South Korea, in Group F, will face Myanmar, followed by matches against Bangladesh on September 17 and North Korea on September 21.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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