WK League News

South Korea’s national women’s team drew 3-3 with Australia last night in their final group stage match of the 2026 AFC Women’s Asian Cup. The result leaves Korea tied with the hosts on points, but their superior goal difference sees them progress to the knockout stage as winners of Group A, almost certainly avoiding some of their biggest rivals until at least the quarter finals.

South Korea and Australia had already secured their place in the knockout stage of the competition ahead of last night’s match in front of a packed stadium in Sydney, both teams having beaten Iran and the Philippines. However, despite the home advantage it was Shin Sangwoo’s squad who had the upper hand, their goal difference slightly better than that of the Matildas, meaning a draw would be enough to see them top the group.

The match provided plenty of entertainment for the 60,279 fans inside the Stadium Australia, although no doubt the majority were left disappointed by the end result. Moon Eunju opened the scoring for Korea early on, providing the finish after a perfect assist from a rapid Jeon Yugyeong, catching Australia’s defence off guard with a speedy break. A corner in the 31st minute led to a messy scramble in front of Korea’s goal, with Alanna Kennedy eventually scoring the equaliser after it seemed that just about everyone had a touch in the box, and the Matildas went into half time leading 2-1 thanks to Sam Kerr’s stoppage-time goal.

Manager Shin brought Kang Chaerim and Kim Shinji on as substitutes at the start of the second half and the pair soon made their presence felt. Just a few minutes after the recommencement of play, Kang had a shot on goal that deflected off Courtney Nevin’s arm in the box to give Korea a penalty kick. Kim stepped up and sent the ball straight into the back of the net, recording her debut international goal. Just minutes later, she added an assist for good measure, crossing the ball for Kang to score Korea’s third.

It looked as if South Korea were on their way to three wins out of three, but with seven minutes of stoppage time, Australia kept the pressure up and netted the equaliser with barely any time left on the clock. Tensions were high, but for the Korean team, the sound of the final whistle soon brought relief. Meanwhile for the Matildas, it was a draw that felt like a loss, as their second-place finish means they will face the runners-up of Group B: either North Korea or China, depending on the result of those two teams’ head-to-head tonight. It’s the second time in a row South Korea have delivered a blow to Australia’s Asian Cup hopes; in the 2022 tournament, the former knocked the latter out in the quarter-finals. Elsewhere in Group A, the Philippines beat Iran 2-0 to cement their position in third place and improve their chances of progressing to the knockout stage.

As Group A winners, South Korea’s next opponent will be the third-placed team from either Group B or Group C, meaning they will avoid their toughest rivals until at least the semi-finals. This gives Shin Sangwoo’s squad an easier path to World Cup qualification, one of his major aims at this tournament. South Korea’s quarter-final match is set to take place on 14th March in Sydney. Their opponent will be confirmed when the group stage ends tomorrow.