South Korea, aiming for a fourth consecutive title in men's football at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, will compete against Saudi Arabia and Qatar for a spot in the quarterfinals.
South Korea will face Qatar on September 15 and Saudi Arabia on September 22. Among the 15 participating countries, Groups A to C consist of four teams each, while Group D has only three teams, with the top two from each group advancing to the quarterfinals.
Group D, which includes South Korea, is the only group with three teams, meaning the standings will be determined by just two matches.
In terms of player composition, South Korea boasts the strongest lineup. Coach Lee Min-seong has finalized a squad of 23 players, including nine from European clubs such as Bae Jun-ho (Stoke City), Yang Min-hyeok (Tottenham), Kim Ji-soo (Brentford), and Park Seung-soo (Newcastle). The three wildcards are Lee Gi-hyeok (Gangwon), Yang Hyun-jun (Celtic), and Eom Ji-sung (Swansea City). Lee Gi-hyeok, Yang Hyun-jun, Eom Ji-sung, and Bae Jun-ho were also part of the national team that competed in the North and Central America World Cup qualifiers in June.
However, based on recent performances of the age-group national teams, South Korea's dominance is not as clear-cut. In the AFC U-23 Asian Cup held in Saudi Arabia last January, South Korea reached the semifinals but lost to Japan 1-0. In the third-place match, they drew 2-2 with Vietnam after extra time but lost 7-6 in the penalty shootout, finishing in fourth place.
Saudi Arabia did not advance past the group stage in the same tournament. As the host nation, they secured a 1-0 victory over Kyrgyzstan but lost 3-2 to Jordan and 1-0 to Vietnam, finishing third in their group with one win and two losses.
Qatar struggled even more in this year's U-23 Asian Cup, losing all three matches without scoring, falling 2-0 to the United Arab Emirates, 1-0 to Syria, and 2-0 to Japan, resulting in an early exit from the group stage.
Comparing the recent U-23 Asian Cup results, South Korea finished fourth, while Saudi Arabia was eliminated in the group stage, and Qatar lost all their matches. South Korea has assembled a strong squad for the Asian Games, including four players with World Cup experience and nine from European clubs.
In this short group stage, where only two of the three teams will advance, each match carries significant weight. If all three teams end up with one win and one loss, tiebreaker criteria will come into play, making the outcome of the opening match against Qatar crucial.
Having won consecutive titles in Incheon in 2014, Jakarta-Palembang in 2018, and Hangzhou in 2022, South Korea's pursuit of a fourth consecutive Asian Games title will be closely watched.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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