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Korea's U-23 squad begins Asian Cup with scoreless draw against Iran

Published: 08 Jan. 2026, 13:53 Updated: 08 Jan. 2026, 13:58

Korea U-23 coach Lee Min-sung, center, looks out over the pitch during the AFC U-23 Asian Cup match between Korea and Iran on Jan. 7 at Al Shabab Club Stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, [KOREA FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION]

Korea’s under-23 (U-23) national football team opened the 2026 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U-23 Asian Cup with a draw.

The young Taeguk Warriors, coached by Lee Min-sung, played Iran to a 0-0 draw on Wednesday in its Group C opener at Al-Shabab Club Stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Korea will look for its first win on Saturday at 8 p.m. at the same venue against Lebanon.

Held every two years, the AFC U-23 Asian Cup features 16 teams split into four groups of four. The top two teams from each group advance to the quarterfinals. Korea is in Group C with Iran, Lebanon and Uzbekistan.

Korea had its best finish in 2020, when it lifted the trophy for the first time, led by coach Kim Hak-bum. However, Korea was eliminated in the quarterfinals in each of the next two editions in 2022 and 2024.

Lee’s squad is aiming to win the tournament for the first time in six years, but it was hit by injuries in the opening match, with key players Kang Sang-yoon of Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors and Kim Tae-won of Kataller Toyama going down hurt. In Group B, defending champion Japan routed Syria 5-0 to begin its bid for back-to-back titles.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY PIH JU-YOUNG [[email protected]]