Lee Min-sung aims to revive Korean football with Asian Games gold bid
South Korea's U-23 coach Lee Min-sung says his squad will target a gold medal at the Asian Games in Nagoya to lift the sport's waning reputation.
At a press conference in Nagoya, Lee Min-sung confirmed that his under-23 squad will compete for Korea's fourth straight Asian Games football title, hoping a gold medal can reverse the sport's recent decline. The team, which includes four members of this year's FIFA World Cup, will play Qatar on Tuesday and Saudi Arabia on September 22, each match held at Nagoya City Mizuho Park Rugby Field. Lee acknowledged the intense scrutiny following the senior team's early exit from the World Cup and a disappointing AFC U-23 Asian Cup run, but said the criticism fuels improvement.
He noted that training in rainy conditions in Shizuoka should help the players adapt to Nagoya's weather. If Korea tops Group D, they will meet the Group C runner-up in the quarter-finals; a second-place finish leads to the Group C winner. Lee, whose contract ends after the Games, stressed the value of each match as the team seeks to bring Korean football back to prominence.
Why it matters
A gold medal could revive national confidence in Korean football after a series of high-profile disappointments.
How this story developed
- Sep 7 Tokyo weighs permitting North Korean athletes and officials to attend Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games
- Sep 9 Malaysia's Asian Games delegation is closely tracking severe weather and flooding in Aichi and Gifu as the 2026 Games approach.
- Sep 10 Tokyo is now assessing a request to permit a record-sized North Korean delegation to attend the Asian Games.
- Sep 13 Japan raised a level‑five emergency alert following the river overflow.
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