South Korea Women's Volleyball Team Faces Hong Kong in Group Opener on Sept. 16 to Wipe Away Hangzhou Disgrace

The South Korean women's volleyball team (ranked 28th globally) will play its first match of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games tomorrow (September 16).

Led by head coach Cha Sang-hyun, the women's national volleyball team is scheduled to face Hong Kong (ranked 127th) in their Group D preliminary match at 4:00 PM tomorrow at Park Arena Komaki in Aichi Prefecture, Japan.

Given the significant gap in skill levels, a one-sided victory is widely expected.

The national team is expected to focus on checking the physical condition and teamwork of its players during the match against Hong Kong.

Following this, the national team will face Qatar (ranked 107th) at 1:00 PM on September 17 and Vietnam (ranked 32th) at 4:00 PM on September 18 in succession.

The match against Vietnam is the ultimate battle in the group stage that will determine the fate of the national team.

Judging by team strengths, the winner of this match is highly likely to advance to the quarterfinals as the top seed of the group, while the loser will enter as the runner-up.

According to a national team official, the winner of Group D will face the runner-up of Group B, and the runner-up of Group D will meet the winner of Group B in the quarterfinals.

China (ranked 7th) is heavily favored to finish first in Group B, with Kazakhstan (ranked 42nd) likely taking second.

Meeting China, a contender for the title, in the quarterfinals would be a burdensome scenario for South Korea.

If South Korea loses to Vietnam, the chances of advancing to the semifinals could drop significantly.

South Korea was caught off guard by Vietnam in the group stage at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games held three years ago, leading to an elimination in the quarterfinals.

At that time, South Korea suffered a shocking defeat after winning the first and second sets but dropping the third, fourth, and fifth sets in their opening group match against Vietnam, finishing second in the group and failing to win a medal after losing to powerhouse China in the quarterfinals.

For this tournament, host nation and expected Group A leader Japan (ranked 6th), China, and Thailand (ranked 13th), which is likely to top Group C, have put forward winning the championship as their goal.

For now, South Korea's top priority is to defeat Vietnam.

National team head coach Cha Sang-hyun stated, "We will definitely win the match against Vietnam," adding, "As we have won both head-to-head matches twice this year, the players are overflowing with confidence. We will prepare thoroughly and secure the victory."

Meanwhile, the South Korean women's volleyball team won the silver medal at the 2010 Guangzhou Games, the gold medal at the 2014 Incheon Games, and the bronze medal at the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Games, but finished fifth at the 2022 Hangzhou Games.

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.