The Korean women's basketball team will face host Japan in the final of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on September 26 at 7:20 PM at the Aichi International Arena. This match marks a chance for Korea to reclaim the Asian Games title after 12 years, and it follows the men's basketball team's earlier victory, aiming for a combined gold medal.
Under the guidance of head coach Park Soo-ho, Korea advanced to the finals by defeating China, known as the 'Great Wall,' 85-80 in the semifinals on September 25. Despite struggling against China's height, led by 7-foot-4 center Zhang Ziyu, Korea finished the first half trailing 36-41. However, early in the third quarter, Heo Yeo-eun (KB) and Lee So-hee (BNK) hit three-pointers to take a 44-43 lead. After falling behind 61-65 in the fourth quarter, team captain Kang Lee-seul (Woori Bank) sparked a comeback with consecutive three-pointers and a driving layup, putting Korea ahead 70-69. Lee So-hee contributed significantly with 23 points, helping maintain the lead.
This marks Korea's first final appearance in women's basketball since winning gold at the 2014 Incheon Games. In the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Games, Korea reached the finals as a unified team with North Korea, securing a silver medal. A victory in this tournament would give Korea its fifth gold medal overall.
Japan, Korea's opponent in the final, decisively defeated Taiwan 80-52 in the semifinals. This will be the first Korea-Japan matchup in the women's basketball final since the 1994 Hiroshima Games, where Korea won 77-76. According to the FIBA women's rankings, Japan is currently ranked 9th, ahead of Korea, which is ranked 14th. Historically, Korea leads the head-to-head record with 47 wins to 24 losses, but has recently lost seven consecutive matches to Japan.
In the group stage of this tournament, Korea achieved a perfect record, defeating Malaysia 106-40, Mongolia 88-61, and Taiwan 73-59, finishing first in their group and advancing directly to the quarterfinals.
The men's basketball team secured a gold medal on September 20 by defeating Japan, and if the women's team also wins, it will mark the first time since the 2014 Incheon Games that both teams have won gold medals together.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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