South Korea Women's Football Draws 1-1 with North Korea at Asian Games, Advances to Quarterfinals as Group Runner-up

Clash in Group F of the Aichi-Nagoya Tournament

Chae Eunyoung scores for North Korea, Yoon Sujeong for South Korea

South Korea finishes second behind North Korea on goal difference

The South Korean women's national football team was unable to secure a victory against their formidable opponent, North Korea.

Under the leadership of head coach Shin Sangwoo, South Korea drew 1-1 with North Korea in the third Group F match of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games women's football group stage, held on the 21st at Ecopa Stadium in Fukuroi, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. Both South Korea and North Korea finished the group stage with two wins and one draw, but South Korea placed second in the group due to an inferior goal difference and advanced to the quarterfinals. In head-to-head matches against North Korea, South Korea's record stands at 1 win, 5 draws, and 16 losses, with their only victory coming at the East Asian Football Federation Championship in August 2005 (1-0).

South Korean female soccer players celebrate after scoring an equalizer in the third match against North Korea in Group F of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games at Shizuoka Stadium Ecopa in Fukuroi, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan, on the 21st. Fukuroi=Photo by Yonhap News

As the second-place team in Group F, South Korea will face Uzbekistan, the second-place team in Group G, in Osaka on the 25th for a spot in the semifinals. This year's women's football tournament features 12 nations divided into three groups for the group stage. The top two teams from each group (six teams in total) and the two best third-placed teams will advance to the quarterfinal knockout stage.

North Korea took the lead in the 36th minute of the first half, with Chae Eunyoung scoring the opening goal. In a set piece situation, Chae capitalized on a loose ball that South Korea's defenders failed to clear and found the net with a right-footed shot. South Korea leveled the match in the first minute of the second half, as Yoon Sujeong scored the equalizer with a right-footed shot from directly in front of the penalty area. Both teams continued to battle fiercely, but were unable to score any additional goals.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.