WK League News

The 34th edition of the Queen’s Cup (여왕기 전국 여자축구 대회) is set to kick off this month in Hapcheon, Gyeongnam, with 44 youth teams from across the country competing for a chance at silverware in three divisions: U-12, U-15, and U-18.

Unlike in previous iterations of the tournament, no university teams are participating in this year’s Queen’s Cup. This is due to the launch of the W Korea Cup, in which the seven WU League sides will compete alongside the eight WK League clubs for a chance to win a whopping ₩30m in prize money.

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This year’s Queen’s Cup begins on Monday, 15th June, with the opening matches of the U-15 tournament. Seventeen middle school (or equivalent) teams will battle it out in four groups to try and secure a place in the knockout tournament, starting on 21st June. The U-18 competition follows the same format, with thirteen teams taking part in the group stage, starting on Tuesday, 16th June. Fourteen teams are competing in the U-12 division.

The tournament, a fixture of the Korean women’s football calendar since 1993, will go on for just shy of two weeks, with the finals of the U-15, U-12, and U-18 competitions taking place on the 24th, 25th, and 26th June, respectively. All matches are taking place on the artificial football pitches at Hapcheon Citizens’ Sports Park in Hapcheon County, Gyeongnam.

After scorching conditions at last year’s tournament, all matches at this year’s Queen’s Cup are taking place in the evening. Spectators are welcome, although seating may be limited. For those keen to see the future stars of Korean women’s football but unable to make a trip to Hapcheon, all the action will be streamed via the official KWFF YouTube channel.