Last week, the KFA held the draw for the inaugural edition of the W Korea Cup, a women’s equivalent to the existing Korea Cup (previously known as the Korean FA Cup) which has taken place annually since 1996. The launch of the W Korea Cup was announced in December, with the KFA hoping to use the competition to boost interest in the women’s game domestically.
The first edition of the competition will feature 15 teams: the eight WK League clubs and the seven university teams (축구부) of the WU League. It is hoped that the cup will later be expanded to also include university football clubs (축구 클럽) and other amateur teams. The 2026 W Korea Cup will take place over four rounds, with all matches happening in Icheon. The competition is being organised by the Gyeonggi-do Football Association, and funded by Gyeonggi-do.
Round 1 matches will take place on Tuesday, 23rd and Wednesday, 24th June, with kick-off times in the morning, afternoon, and evening. Hwacheon KSPO receive a bye to the second round as 2025 WK League champions. The second round (quarter finals) is scheduled for Tuesday, 25th August. Kick-off times are yet to be confirmed, but with two venues in use, we can reasonably expect to see two matches in the afternoon and two in the evening.
Matchgoing fans will be relieved to hear that the semi-finals and final will be held on weekends. The semi-finals are scheduled for Sunday, 11th October, and the final for Saturday, 21st November, just one week after the second leg of the 2026 WK League championship final. The W Korea Cup champions will take home ₩30m (approximately $20,000 or £14,866) in prize money, while the runners-up will receive ₩10m. For comparison, the prize money for the WK League champions is ₩20m.
At least two WK League sides will be knocked out in the first round of the competition, with Suwon and Gyeongju, and Gangjin and Mungyeong, having been drawn against each other. That said, supporters of other WK League sides who are perhaps less familiar with the university teams shouldn’t expect a walk in the park — the W Korea Cup is a huge opportunity for up-and-coming youth players, many of whom play internationally at the U-20 or U-22 level, to prove themselves against professional opponents. Just recently, Korea University beat Sejong Sportstoto in a qualifying match for this year’s National Sports Festival. Expect to see more upsets as keen youngsters take on their role models and former teammates, and South Korean women’s football finally gets to experience ‘the magic of the cup’.
2026 W Korea Cup Round 1
Tuesday, 23rd June 2026
Ulsan College vs. Dankook University (10:00, Icheon Gongseol Football Field)
Daeduk University vs. Uiduk University (15:00, Icheon Gongseol Football Field)
Suwon FC vs. Gyeongju KHNP (19:00, Icheon Sports Complex)
Wednesday, 24th June 2026
Korea University vs. Seoul City (10:00, Icheon Sports Complex)
Gangjin Swans vs. Mungyeong Sangmu (10:00, Icheon Gongseol Football Field)
Incheon Hyundai vs. Daekyeung University (15:00, Icheon Gongseol Football Field)
Gangwon State University vs. Sejong Sportstoto (19:00, Icheon Sports Complex)
WK League News 
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