Nat'l football tournament to kick off May 9 after long delay

By Yoo Jee-ho

SEOUL, April 28 (Yonhap) -- The national football governing body said Tuesday its signature tournament will kick off May 9.

The Korea Football Association (KFA) said the 2020 FA Cup will begin with the first round featuring 32 semi-pro and amateur clubs from the K3, K4 and K5 Leagues.

The tournament, which will also feature top-tier pro clubs, was slated to have begun March 14 but was delayed due to the coronavirus outbreak. Early matches will be played without fans in the stands to prevent the spread of the virus.

The 16 first-round winners will meet with six more teams from the K3 League, the top semi-pro circuit, and 10 clubs from the K League 2, the second-division pro competition, in the second round. It will take place June 6.

Then the 16 second-round winners and eight K League 1 clubs will compete in the third round on July 1.

Of the K League 1 contestants, those also competing in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League will earn a bye to the round of 16 on July 15. Those four teams are Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, Ulsan Hyundai FC, FC Seoul and the reigning FA Cup champs, Suwon Samsung Bluewings.

The FA Cup quarterfinals will be held July 29, and the semifinals are scheduled to be held Oct. 28.

The fixture is subject to change, depending on the situation with the coronavirus.

The semifinals are normally a two-legged affair but because of a potential scheduling conflict with the K League and the AFC Champions League, they will be one-and-done this year.

The dates for the two-legged finals will be set later.

jeeho@yna.co.kr
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