▲ South Korea's Lee Young-jun, who scored the equalizer, celebrates with Bae Jun-ho cheering during the men's football semifinal match between South Korea and China at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on September 30.
The South Korean under-23 (U-23) men's football national team, now just one win away from achieving the first four consecutive gold medals in Asian Games men's football history, will face archrival Japan in the final.
Led by head coach Lee Min-sung, the national team will play the final of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games men's football tournament at Toyota Stadium in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, at 7:30 p.m. on October 3.
With this matchup, South Korea and Japan are set to clash in the Asian Games final for the third consecutive time, following the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang and 2022 Hangzhou tournaments.
South Korea emerged victorious in both of their previous final encounters.
In the final of the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Games, South Korea defeated Japan 2-1 after extra time with consecutive goals from Lee Seung-woo and Hwang Hee-chan. Three years ago at the Hangzhou Games, they secured a 2-1 comeback victory powered by goals from Jung Woo-young and Cho Young-wook, achieving the first-ever three-peat in Asian Games men's football history.
Looking solely at objective squad strength and players' physical condition, South Korea holds a slightly advantageous position in this tournament.
Japan advanced to the final dramatically after enduring a grueling 120-minute semifinal against Uzbekistan, followed by a nerve-wracking penalty shootout that extended to the 10th kicker (winning 9-8).
Consequently, fatigue and physical wear among key Japanese players ahead of the final are inevitable.
Furthermore, the Japanese national team assembled its squad with under-21 (U-21) players for this Asian Games and, unlike South Korea, did not select any wildcard (over-age) players.
However, they remain an opponent that cannot be underestimated.
Coach Lee's squad carries a painful memory of a 0-1 defeat to this exact U-21-based core of the current Japanese team in the semifinals of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U-23 Asian Cup held in January of this year.
Of course, compared to that time, South Korea's squad has been bolstered by the addition of European-based players such as Um Ji-sung (Swansea City) and Bae Jun-ho (Stoke City).
Nevertheless, the talent leakage caused by injury variables accumulated over the course of the tournament remains a regrettable point.
Winger Yang Hyun-jun (Celtic), who felt discomfort in his hamstring, and midfield core and team captain Lee Ki-hyuk (Gangwon), who developed inflammation in his foot, both missed the previous semifinal match.
In the semifinal without them, South Korea struggled significantly even against China.
Although they managed a hard-fought 2-1 comeback victory thanks to Bae Jun-ho's dramatic late goal in the second half after a tight battle, it left some concerns.
Speaking immediately after the semifinal regarding the status of the two players, Coach Lee played his cards close to his chest regarding the possibility of fielding a full squad for the final, stating, "It will not be easy for them to recover to 100 percent in time for the final."
"No matter how important the tournament is, if a player's physical condition is not fully intact, protecting them without pushing them is the priority," he emphasized. "It would be ideal if we could field our full squad, but our basic principle is player protection."
(Photo: Yonhap News)
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