Lee Young-jun and Um Ji-sung Start in Korea-Japan Final for Men's Football Team's Quest for Fourth Straight Title

Lee Young-jun (Grasshopper), Um Ji-sung (Swansea City), and Bae Jun-ho (Stoke City) are set to start in the Korea-Japan showdown where the men's football team is chasing its fourth consecutive Asian Games title.

The South Korean under-23 (U-23) national football team, led by head coach Lee Min-sung, will deploy Lee Young-jun as the starting striker for the final of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games against Japan, held today (October 3) at the Toyota Stadium in Japan.

Joining Um Ji-sung and Bae Jun-ho in the second-line attack is Yang Hyun-jun (Westerlo), who returns to the starting lineup. Meanwhile, captain Lee Ki-hyuk (Gangwon), who missed the semifinal against China due to foot inflammation, returns to partner with Lee Seung-won (Gangwon) in central midfield.

The back four defense consists of Bae Hyun-seo (Gyeongnam), Kim Ji-soo (Brentford), Shin Min-ha (Gangwon), and Choi Seok-hyun (Ulsan), while Kim Jun-hong (Suwon) once again guards the goal.

Kim Myung-jun (Genk), Park Seung-soo (Newcastle), Lee Hyun-ju (Arouca), and Kang Sang-yun (Jeonbuk) will start on the bench.

Having secured consecutive titles at the 2014 Incheon, 2018 Jakarta-Palembang, and 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games (held in 2023), South Korea will achieve a monumental milestone of four straight championships if they win this match.

This marks the third consecutive Asian Games men's football final between South Korea and Japan, following the matchups in Jakarta, Hangzhou, and the current tournament.

Japan has selected European-based forward Nwadike Uche BS (Aalborg), whose father is Nigerian, among their starting lineup.

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