The South Korean men's national football team, aiming for their fourth consecutive gold medal at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, has secured an early berth in the quarterfinals after playing just a single match in the group stage.

In the Group D second match of the tournament's men's football held today at the Mizuho Park Rugby Stadium in Nagoya, Japan, Saudi Arabia decisively defeated Qatar 2-0.

In Group D, which features only three teams—South Korea, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar—this match result left Qatar with two losses from two matches, confirming their elimination at the bottom of the group.

Men's football at this tournament features 15 teams divided into four groups for the group stage, with the top two teams from each group advancing to the quarterfinals.

Due to Qatar's elimination, South Korea and Saudi Arabia, which each secured a win (3 points) in their opening matches, have automatically advanced to the quarterfinals regardless of the outcome of their remaining head-to-head match.

South Korea, which thrashed Qatar 4-1 in their first match on the 15th, leads the group ahead of Saudi Arabia (+2) on goal difference (+3).

After taking a day off yesterday, the national team trained at the Toyota City Sports Park Athletics Stadium this morning, followed by indoor training at their accommodation's weight training facility in the afternoon to boost their condition.

Head coach Lee Min-sung and the coaching staff visited the stadium where the Saudi Arabia-Qatar match took place to closely analyze the capabilities of Saudi Arabia, their final opponent in the group stage.

Following victories at the 2014 Incheon, 2018 Jakarta-Palembang, and 2022 Hangzhou (held in 2023) Games, Lee Min-sung's squad is aiming for a fourth straight Asian Games title and will play their final group stage match against Saudi Arabia on the 22nd to determine the group winner.

(Photo: Yonhap News)