Men’s, women’s squads set for host S. Korea for East Asian football tournament

The host country South Korea finalized their men’s and women’s squads for the upcoming East Asian football tournament on Monday.

The Korea Football Association (KFA) unveiled the men’s and women’s teams, each featuring 23 players, for the July 7-16 East Asian Football Federation (EAFF) E-1 Football Championship.

With the tournament not part of the official FIFA international match calendar, the KFA opted for players based mostly in the domestic or other Asian leagues, with no Europe-based stars for men and eight players coming from Europe or North America for women after the KFA had earned their clubs’ permission.

Coached by Hong Myung-bo, the men’s team has 23 based in the K League and three based in Japan’s J. League. Seven of those 23 players have earned their first international call-ups, while Na Sang-ho of the Japanese club FC Machida Zelvia has made the national team for the first time since June 2023.

The men’s team also includes a few names who have appeared during South Korea’s successful World Cup qualifying campaign, including Ulsan HD FC goalkeeper Jo Hyeon-woo, FC Seoul defender Kim Joo-sung, and Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors midfielder Jeon Jin-woo.

South Korea will open their tournament against China at 8 p.m. on July 7, followed by Hong Kong at 8 p.m. on July 11 and then Japan at 7:24 p.m. on July 15. All men’s matches will be played at Yongin Mireu Stadium in Yongin, some 40 kilometers south of Seoul.

South Korea won the men’s EAFF titles in 2003, 2008, 2015, 2017 and 2019.

The women’s team, coached by Shin Sang-woo, will be led by the country’s all-time leading scorer, Ji So-yun of Seattle Reign FC, who has netted 72 goals in 166 matches. Casey Yujin Phair of Angel City FC, a half-Korean forward with 15 caps at age 17, is back on the team, too.

Birmingham City Women FC teammates Lee Geum-min and Choe Yu-ri also got the call, as did Kim Shin-ji of AS Roma Women.

South Korea will host China at Suwon World Cup Stadium in Suwon, some 30 kilometers south of Seoul, to begin the women’s competition at 8 p.m. on July 9. They will then play Japan at 8 p.m. on July 13 at Hwaseong Stadium in Hwaseong, just south of Suwon. The finale will be against Chinese Taipei at 7:30 p.m. on July 16 at Suwon.

South Korea’s lone EAFF women’s title came in 2005.