Korean football needs good news at the Asian Games

Korean football is looking for a lift at the Asian Games in Japan next week after a poor World Cup year. The men’s U-23 team, coached by Lee Min-sung, is chasing gold partly because it can exempt players from mandatory military service. Korea is in Group D with Saudi Arabia and Qatar, and the team’s recent form has been shaky after a semifinal loss to Japan at the Asian Cup in January.

Korea has won gold at the last three Asian Games, and a gold medal at the event can exempt football players from Korea’s 18 to 21 months of military service.

Lee Min-sung has selected three overage players: Yang Hyun-jun of Celtic, Eom Ji-sung of Swansea City, and Lee Gi-hyuk of Gangwon FC.

Korea is in Group D, the only group with three teams, and the top two teams will advance to the quarter-finals.

Korea’s U-23 team lost to Japan’s U-21 players in the Asian Cup semifinal in January.

Lee said the team has not yet played a match with its full squad and that it must focus on its own game against Qatar and Saudi Arabia.

Published Sep 9, 2026 11:37 am KST

Korean men's national football team players gather in circle before practice at Korea Football Park in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province, Sept. 1. Yonhap

Korean football needs some good news after this year's terrible World Cup. The Asian Games start next week in Japan and it remains to be seen if this is going to be a repeat of what happened in Mexico or something much better.

For the men's team, this is not that far behind the World Cup in terms of importance. The multisport event is second only to the Olympics in terms of size and offers a similar perk for the players — success can bring an exemption from Korea's mandatory military service.

Win any medal at the Olympics or gold at the Asian Games and you are freed from the 18 to 21 months of military service, apart from a few weeks of basic military training. It is a big deal, especially for football players.

No military service means more chances of being picked up by a European football club. For those already in Europe, it means getting better at the game and being offered better contracts. In terms of career, prestige, fame and earnings, not having to return home and play for the army team in the K-League by the time you are 28 makes a big difference.

That is why Korea takes the tournament more seriously than most and has won gold at the last three games, resulting in dozens of player exemptions.

It is an Under-23 competition with each coach allowed to select three overage players. Most nations treat it at a developmental tournament, especially Japan, with the host nation choosing an entire roster of players 21 or younger. That helps Japan’s development, but Korea does not have that luxury.

Korea’s older trio are Yang Hyun-jun of Scottish giants Celtic, Eom Ji-sung of Welsh club Swansea City and Lee Gi-hyuk of Gangwon FC. If they take gold Yang and Eom can return to Europe free to focus on extending their careers.

First the good news: There are only 15 teams in the running. Korea in Group D, the only one containing three teams. The top two from each go through to the quarter-finals. Saudi Arabia and Qatar are tough opposition but the Taeguk Warriors have enough to get through to the last eight, and once there, they will have the advantage of having played just two games instead of the three that the other teams have faced.

The bad news is that the team’s form is not great. It still looks like the build-up to the World Cup, but this time it is head coach Lee Min-sung under the microscope, not Hong Myung-bo.

Under Lee, the U-23 team did not impress at the Asian Cup in January, losing to Japan's U-21 players in the semi final.

"We have not yet played a game with our full squad with all the players available," Lee said. "I believe the players who have gone through that period will have learned valuable lessons."

There is no room for mistakes.

"We just have to play our own game, and not worry so much about our opponents," Lee said. "We have prepared ourselves against both Qatar and Saudi Arabia, and we will try to play well right from the start."

在经历了一个糟糕的世界杯赛季后，韩国足球希望在下周于日本举行的亚运会上重振旗鼓。由李珉成执教的韩国U23男足力争金牌，部分原因是参赛球员可以免服兵役。韩国与沙特阿拉伯和卡塔尔同处D组，自今年1月在亚洲杯半决赛负于日本后，球队近期的状态并不稳定。

韩国在过去三届亚运会上都获得了金牌，而获得亚运会金牌可以让足球运动员免除韩国 18 至 21 个月的兵役。

李珉成挑选了三名超龄球员：凯尔特人队的杨贤俊、斯旺西城队的严智成和江原FC队的李基赫。

韩国队被分在D组，这是唯一一个有三支球队的小组，小组前两名将晋级四分之一决赛。

今年1月，韩国U-23队在亚洲杯半决赛中负于日本U-21队。

李表示，球队还没有以全员阵容进行过比赛，现在必须专注于与卡塔尔和沙特阿拉伯的比赛。

发布于2026年9月9日上午11:37（韩国标准时间）

9月1日，韩国男足国家队队员在忠清南道天安市韩国足球公园训练前围成一圈。（韩联社）

经历了今年糟糕的世界杯之后，韩国足球急需一些好消息。亚运会将于下周在日本开幕，届时韩国队的表现会重蹈墨西哥世界杯的覆辙，还是会取得更好的成绩，还有待观察。

对于男子队来说，这项赛事的重要性不亚于世界杯。这项综合性运动会的规模仅次于奥运会，并且为运动员提供类似的福利——成功参赛可以免除韩国的强制兵役。

在奥运会上赢得任何奖牌或在亚运会上获得金牌，即可免除18至21个月的兵役，只需接受几周的基础军事训练。这对足球运动员来说意义重大。

无需服兵役意味着更有机会被欧洲足球俱乐部选中。对于已经在欧洲踢球的球员来说，这意味着可以提升球技，并获得更好的合同。从职业生涯、声望、名气和收入的角度来看，28岁之前不必回国为韩国职业足球联赛（K联赛）的军队球队效力，这会带来巨大的优势。

正因如此，韩国比大多数国家都更重视这项赛事，并在最近三届比赛中都获得了金牌，从而获得了数十名球员的参赛资格豁免。

这是一项U23赛事，每位教练可以挑选三名超龄球员。大多数国家都将其视为一项发展性赛事，尤其是日本，东道主通常会选择全部由21岁或以下的球员组成阵容。这有助于日本的足球发展，但韩国却没有这样的条件。

韩国三位老将分别是效力于苏格兰豪门凯尔特人的杨贤俊、效力于威尔士斯旺西城的严智圣以及效力于江原FC的李基赫。如果他们夺得金牌，杨贤俊和严智圣就可以自由返回欧洲，专注于延长自己的职业生涯。

先说好消息：只有15支队伍参赛。韩国队在D组，D组是唯一一个有三支队伍的小组。每个小组的前两名晋级四分之一决赛。沙特阿拉伯和卡塔尔都是强劲的对手，但韩国队有足够的实力晋级八强。一旦进入八强，他们将拥有只打了两场比赛的优势，而其他队伍则要打三场。

坏消息是，球队状态并不理想。虽然看起来仍然像是在备战世界杯，但这次承受压力的是主教练李珉成，而不是洪明甫。

在李的带领下，U-23 队在 1 月份的亚洲杯上表现不佳，在半决赛中输给了日本 U-21 队。

李说：“我们还没有全员出战过一场比赛。我相信经历过这段时间的球员们会从中吸取宝贵的经验教训。”

容不得任何差错。

李说：“我们只需要打好自己的比赛，不要太担心对手。我们已经为对阵卡塔尔和沙特阿拉伯的比赛做好了准备，我们会力争从一开始就发挥出色。”