The Korea Women’s Under-20 (U-20) National Team is headed to the Asian Cup.
The team, led by head coach Park Yoon-jung, held its final training camp for the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U-20 Women’s Asian Cup 2024 in Gangjin, Jeollanam-do, from Nov. 19 to 25.
The team will depart for the tournament’s host country, Uzbekistan, at 3:35 p.m. on Sept. 27 via 스포츠토토 Incheon International Airport.
The tournament will be held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, from March 3 to 16 next month. Eight countries will compete in two groups of four teams, with the first and second-place finishers in each group advancing to the tournament.
South Korea is in Group A with host Uzbekistan, Australia, and Chinese Taipei. Next month, they will face Australia on March 3, Chinese Taipei on March 6, and Uzbekistan on March 9.
The team must finish in the top four to qualify for the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Colombia in September.
This year, the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup expanded from 16 to 24 nations, increasing the number of World Cup spots allocated to Asia from three to four.
The tournament will be the first major tournament for Park Yoon-jung, who took over as head coach last November.
Park told the Korea Football Association that he is wary of the teams in his group. “There are many reactions around us that we will easily advance to the tournament, but nothing is taken for granted in soccer. I also emphasize to the players that they have to do their best every game to get the desired result.” “First of all, Australia is a team with good physical condition. Chinese Taipei and Uzbekistan are very technical. We will continue to analyze them with the coaching staff.”
Bae Ye-bin, who also plays for the A national team, is a big part of the team. “He has a lot of experience, so he is an example for (the other players) mentally, not to mention physically,” Park said, adding, “I hope he can share his experience with his teammates, and he will have a good influence off the field as well.”
Park said he wants to win the title. “No matter which national team I was in, including the A team, I always aimed to win the championship. “I think it’s good to have a big goal,” he said. “In this Asian Cup, I also aimed to win the title, and in the short term, I think the goal is to win every match. If we give our best in every game, we will get the results we want.”