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Korea crashes out of AFC Women's Asian Cup with semifinal loss to Japan

Published: 19 Mar. 2026, 11:22 Updated: 19 Mar. 2026, 19:51

The Korean women's football team in action at the 2026 AFC Women's Asian Cup in Australia on March 2. [YONHAP]

Korea suffered a crushing 4-1 loss to Japan in the semifinal of the AFC Women's Asian Cup at Stadium Australia in Sydney on Wednesday, ending their bid to win their first Asian Cup title.

Japan took control early in the match. Riko Ueki opened the scoring in the 15th minute, with Maika Hamano doubling the lead in the 25th minute. Saki Kumagai added one more in the 75th minute.

Kang Chae-rum pulled one back for Korea with a right-footed finish in the 78th minute, only for Remina Chiba to score in the 81st minute to end the game 4-1.

With the loss, Korea blew a chance to win their first Asian Cup title and failed to secure their first win against Japan in 11 years. The Taeguk Ladies last beat Japan 2-1 at the EAFF E-1 Football Championship in 2015. Korea has now four wins, 12 draws and 20 losses against the rivals.

Korea still end this year's Asian Cup with a solid run. The country topped Group A with two wins and one draw — two 3-0 wins over Iran and a 3-3 draw with Australia — before thrashing Uzbekistan 6-0 in the quarterfinals.

The squad also secured a ticket to the 2027 Women's World Cup in the process, as semifinalists automatically qualify for the World Cup alongside two winners from the play-in matches of the Asian Cup.

The qualification marks Korea’s fifth appearance at the World Cup. The team has qualified for four consecutive tournaments since reaching the round of 16 in Canada in 2015.

Japan, meanwhile, has showcased their dominance throughout the ongoing tournament.

The team scored 24 goals from 142 shots across four matches before the semifinal and allowed just one shot, which came in their match against the Philippines. Japan did not concede a single goal until Kang found the back of their net on Wednesday.

Japan will face host country Australia in the final at Stadium Australia on Saturday.

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]]