The South Korean men's soccer team is set to face Vietnam in the quarterfinals of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, aiming for their fourth consecutive title.
The U-23 team, led by coach Lee Min-seong, will play Vietnam on September 25 at 7:30 PM at the Mizuho Park Rugby Stadium in Nagoya, Japan.
South Korea topped Group D with two victories, defeating Qatar 4-1 and Saudi Arabia 2-0, thus avoiding a matchup with Japan and Uzbekistan on the opposite side of the bracket. If they win against Vietnam, they will meet the winner of the China-Thailand quarterfinal on the 30th.
In the other quarterfinals, Uzbekistan, a strong contender for the title, will face Saudi Arabia on the 25th, while Japan will take on North Korea the following day.
This match holds special significance for South Korea, as they seek revenge for their defeat to Vietnam in the third-place match of the AFC U-23 Asian Cup held in Saudi Arabia last January, which ended in a penalty shootout.
However, the dynamics of both teams have changed significantly since then. Kim Sang-sik, who coached Vietnam, will not be on the bench due to preparations for international matches in September and October. Instead, assistant coach Dinh Hong Bin will lead the team. Some key players, including forward Nguyen Dinh Bac, have also been called up to the senior national team.
In contrast, South Korea has strengthened its squad. Players who participated in the North and Central America World Cup, including Lee Gi-hyeok (26, Gangwon), Eom Ji-sung (24, Swansea City), and Yang Hyun-jun (24, Celtic), have joined as wildcards, bolstering the team's strength. They have scored six goals and conceded only one in the group stage, showing strong form.
Since the 2014 Incheon Games, South Korea has claimed the men's soccer title at the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang and 2022 Hangzhou tournaments. They are now aiming for a historic fourth consecutive victory.
Coach Lee emphasized the importance of results over performance in the knockout stage, stating, "From the quarterfinals onward, it’s a tournament. We need to adopt a stable approach. From now on, we will play with a clear objective to achieve results."
Meanwhile, the women's soccer team, led by coach Shin Sang-woo, will also compete in the quarterfinals against Uzbekistan on the same day at 7:30 PM at Nagai Stadium in Osaka. The women's team advanced to the knockout stage as the second place in their group with two wins and one draw, aiming for their first-ever final appearance in the Asian Games.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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