S. Korea to face Japan, China, UAE in Olympic football qualifying tournament

Published : Nov 23, 2023 - 20:14 Updated : Nov 23, 2023 - 20:14

Hwang Sun-hong (right), head coach of the South Korean men's national under-23 football team, shakes hands with his players at Incheon International Airport on Nov. 13. (Yonhap)

South Korea will play Japan, China and the United Arab Emirates in the Asian qualifiers for the 2024 Olympic men's football tournament next spring.

South Korea will play out of Group B at the 2024 Asian Football Confederation U-23 Asian Cup, whose draw was held Thursday in Doha, the capital city of the tournament host, Qatar.

There will be four groups of four countries. The top two teams from each group will advance to the knockout stage.

The three best teams at the U-23 Asian Cup will punch their tickets to Paris for the 2024 Olympics. Then the fourth-place team will play Guinea, the fourth-placed team from the African qualifiers, in a playoff match.

Coached by Hwang Sun-hong, South Korea will try to qualify for their 10th consecutive Olympics.

The U-23 Asian Cup kicks off on April 15 and will conclude on May 3. (Yonhap)