The final rosters for South Korea's men's and women's national football teams competing at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games have been confirmed.
The Korea Football Association announced on the 9th that it has finalized 23-player squads for both the men's and women's teams ahead of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, which open in September.
The men's Asian Games team (U-23), led by head coach Lee Min-sung, includes nine players active in Europe, including Bae Jun-ho (Stoke City), Kim Ji-soo (Brentford) and Yang Min-hyeok (Tottenham), along with 14 K League players, including Kang Sang-yoon (Jeonbuk Hyundai).
For the three over-23 wildcard slots permitted under tournament regulations, Yang Hyun-jun (Celtic FC), Eom Ji-sung (Swansea City) and Lee Ki-hyuk (Gangwon FC) were selected.
Park Seung-soo (Newcastle), the only player born in 2007, is the youngest on the roster. Shin Min-ha (Gangwon FC) and Bae Hyun-seo (Gyeongnam FC), who played as starters at last year's FIFA U-20 World Cup, also made the Asian Games squad.
"The Asian Games team has been carrying out systematic preparations since last year with the goal of winning the gold medal. Starting with friendly matches last year and continuing through the U-23 Asian Cup early this year, we played in various international competitions to assess the players' abilities and the completeness of our team tactics. Through this process, we further refined the direction of the football we pursue, while also closely identifying areas that need improvement," Lee said.
On the reasons for the wildcard selections, Lee explained, "The three wildcard players were selected after comprehensively considering tactical versatility, reinforcement of vulnerable positions, international tournament experience and game management ability."
For the women, the senior national team led by head coach Shin Sang-woo will compete at the Asian Games. Of the 23 players, 20 play in the WK League. Choo Hyo-joo and Jeong Min-young (both Ottawa Rapid), who play in the Canadian league, have joined the squad, while the European contingent includes striker Jeong Da-bin, who plays for Stabæk Fotball in Norway. Attacking midfielder Kang Tae-kyung (Seoul City Hall) received her first call-up to the senior national team.
Both the men's and women's teams will assemble in early September to begin full-scale preparations for the tournament. The draw for the football competition at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games will be held on the 23rd.
