Korean Women’s Soccer: Concerns & Upcoming Match Details

South Korea’s women’s national soccer team secured their fifth qualification for the FIFA Women’s World Cup after defeating Uzbekistan 6-0 in the quarterfinals of the 2026 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Women’s Asian Cup on February 14th, according to the Korea Football Association.

The match, played at Stadium Australia in Sydney, saw South Korea, ranked 21st in the world by FIFA, dominate against 49th-ranked Uzbekistan. Son Hwa-yeon opened the scoring in the 9th minute, followed by a goal from Ko Yu-jin in the 20th minute, establishing a 2-0 lead at halftime. The second half witnessed a further surge in goals from Park Soo-jung (47th minute), Ji So-yeon (52nd minute), Lee Eun-young (65th minute), and Jang Seul-ki (90+3 minute).

This victory propels head coach Shin Sang-woo’s team to the semifinals of the Asian Cup, marking their second consecutive appearance at this stage, having previously reached the final in the 2022 Indian Games where they finished as runners-up. The team will face either Japan or the Philippines in the semi-final on February 18th.

The qualification also guarantees South Korea a spot in the Women’s World Cup, which will be held in Brazil next year. The tournament will feature 12 countries, with a playoff system determining the final qualifiers. This marks the fourth consecutive World Cup appearance for the South Korean women’s national team, dating back to the 2015 Canadian Games.

Shin Sang-woo was appointed as the manager of the women’s national football team in October 2024, succeeding Colin Bell. Prior to taking the helm of the national team, Shin served as an assistant coach for Gimcheon Sangmu. His playing career included stints with Daejeon Citizen, Gwangju Sangmu, Seongnam Ilhwa, and Incheon United.