Korea Finalizes 21-Player Squad for U-20 Women's World Cup, Departs for Poland on August 25

The final roster for the South Korean women's national football team heading to the 2026 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup, which will be held in Poland this coming September, has been confirmed.

The Korea Football Association announced the final 21-player entry list for the U-20 women's national team, led by head coach Park Yoon-jung, on August 11.

The squad includes defender Nam Seung-eun (VfR Gunma White Star), who has prior experience being called up to the senior national team, alongside 16 collegiate players and 4 high school players.

Nam Seung-eun, Jeong Da-hee (both of Daeduk University), and Cho Hye-young (Korea University) will step onto the World Cup stage for the second consecutive tournament, following the previous 2024 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup in Colombia.

Korea secured one of the top four tickets to the World Cup by reaching the semifinals of the AFC U-20 Women's Asian Cup held in Bangkok, Thailand, last April, marking their third consecutive World Cup qualification following 2022 and 2024.

Korea's best-ever finish at the U-20 Women's World Cup is third place at the 2010 tournament in Germany, while they reached the Round of 16 at the 2024 tournament.

This year's tournament, featuring 24 countries including South Korea, will take place from September 5 to 27, local time.

After the group stage consisting of six groups of four teams each, the top two teams from each group along with the four best third-place teams will advance to the Round of 16 knockout stage to compete for the title.

Placed in Group C alongside France, Ghana, and Ecuador, the South Korean team will assemble at the Cheonan Korea Football Park on August 12 for their final domestic training camp before departing for Poland on August 25.

The team's group stage campaign will kick off with their first Group C match against France at 10:00 PM on September 6, Korea time, at the Sosnowiec Stadium.

They will then face Ghana in their second match at 10:00 PM on September 9 at the same venue, followed by their final Group C match against Ecuador on September 13 at 1:00 AM after moving to the Lodz Stadium.

Head coach Park Yoon-jung expressed her determination, stating, "Since the World Cup is a stage that is not easily experienced, we will do our best in every match to play well and aim to play as many games as possible." She added, "I will do my utmost to help the players use this World Cup as a stepping stone to eventually advance to the senior national team."

(Photo courtesy of Korea Football Association, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.