WK League News

In addition to action in the WK League and other domestic competitions, South Korea’s women’s national squads have been away on international duty, with the senior team taking part in the 2026 FIFA Series in Brazil and the U-20 side battling it out at the AFC U-20 Asian Cup in Thailand.

Disappointing results but experience gained for a rotated squad at FIFA Series

Shin Sangwoo’s squad has been in Cuiaba, Brazil, for the 2026 FIFA Series, where they came up against Canada and Zambia, as well as the hosts. Coming shortly after the AFC Women’s Asian Cup, and with the WK League playing on through the April international window, it was a significantly rotated squad that travelled to Brazil for the series of three friendlies. Ahead of the tournament, manager Shin spoke about using it as an opportunity to assess players and see their performance against strong sides, as he looks ahead to next year’s World Cup.

The tournament saw Lee Geummin captain the side as she joined the Century Club, making her 100th full international appearance for South Korea. The Birmingham City midfielder made her A match debut in 2013, scoring 27 goals in her first 99 appearances. Lee was joined in this squad by a few other seasoned veterans — Choo Hyojoo, Son Hwayeon, and Kang Chaerim; even Lee Eunyoung and Casey Yujin Phair have a good deal of experience at this level by now. The other twenty members of the squad arrived at the tournament with fewer than 100 caps between them. Even the most experienced goalkeeper in the group, Ryu Jisu, had only played in four senior international matches before arriving in Brazil. It wouldn’t be fair to call the squad a ‘B team’, but this definitely wasn’t South Korea at full strength.

Even so, the results are disappointing, as the side returns from Brazil without a win. The opening match saw Brazil put five past South Korea, with Park Soojeong managing a last-minute consolation goal to prevent the hosts from keeping a clean sheet. Three days later, Korea were only 1-0 down when Canada’s Jade Rose was sent off in the first half. Kim Shinji equalised almost immediately, but despite several attempts against their ten-woman opponents, the Korean side conceded twice in the second half to lose the match 3-1. Still, these two matches were against sides ranked significantly higher than South Korea in the FIFA World Rankings. The final match, against Zambia (ranked even more significantly lower), should have been an opportunity to record a win and boost the relatively inexperienced Korean squad’s confidence. However, it was Zambia that went ahead in the first half, and Shin Sangwoo’s side again managed just one goal — this time from Casey Yujin Phair, getting her name on the scoresheet for the national team for the first time in over two years. South Korea and Zambia both finished the series with two losses and a draw, with the former going into third place based on goal difference.

It’s not all doom and gloom. The results may look bad, but this was a friendly tournament played by a heavily rotated squad, including several debutantes. While some members of the ‘new generation’ of Korean women’s football have had time to settle in, others are still finding their feet on the international stage. With the World Cup approaching next year, this tournament was a valuable opportunity for Shin to put some potential squad members through their paces. He doesn’t need to assess the likes of Ji Soyun, Kim Hyeri, Jang Selgi, and Kim Minjung — they are known quantities. Some of the players who got their first international cap in Brazil may go on to play in the World Cup, but even if they don’t, they are likely to be, at the very least, on the fringes of the squad in the months and years to come. Whether they become key players or reliable backup options, having a few international matches under their belts will give them a better chance of performing under pressure at major tournaments. The FIFA Series will also leave Shin Sangwoo and his coaching team with plenty to think about as they develop their strategy and tactics in the lead-up to the World Cup.

U-20 side lose out in Asian Cup semi final

South Korea’s U-20 side lost to North Korea for the second time in the space of a few days when they came up against each other in the semi-finals of the AFC U-20 Women’s Asian Cup. Last Monday, South Korea beat hosts Thailand in the quarter-finals, with Park Juha scoring the winner in extra time. The win secured the team a place at this year’s FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup, set to take place in Poland in September, and set up a semi-final rematch with the North Korean side that hammered them 5-0 in the group stage.

Manager Park Yoonjeong made several changes to her starting lineup ahead of the clash, and looked stronger in the face of tough opposition, at least at first. However, once North Korea’s Pak Ilsim broke the deadlock in the first half, South Korea became unstuck, and soon conceded a second goal. Still, Park Younjeong’s side returned from the break resolute in the face of waves of attacking play, with goalkeeper Kim Chaebeen making a few good saves. Substitute Choe Yon-a scored North Korea’s third late in the second half, and the match ended 3-0, North Korea heading to their seventh successive final in this competition.

North Korea faced Japan in Saturday’s final, narrowly losing 1-0 despite dominating much of the match. The finalists, along with semi-finalists South Korea and China, will all be present at the U-20 World Cup in September.