S. Korea-N. Korea showdown set in Olympic women's football qualifiers

Summer Olympics 14:10 May 18, 2023

By Yoo Jee-ho

SEOUL, May 18 (Yonhap) -- Hoping to make it to the Olympics for the first time, South Korea will face North Korea, China and Thailand in the second round of the Asian women's football qualifying tournament this fall.

In a draw held at the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) House in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday, South Korea ended up in Group B with those three countries.

Coached by Colin Bell, South Korea are the second-highest ranked team in the group at No. 17. China check in at No. 13 and Thailand are No. 44. North Korea, because of their recent inaction, are not ranked, though they have a strong tradition in women's football.

In this file photo from April 11, 2023, South Korean players celebrate a goal by Lee Geum-min (C) during a women's football friendly match against Zambia at Yongin Mireu Stadium in Yongin, some 40 kilometers south of Seoul. (Yonhap)

South Korea have only beaten North Korea once in 19 meetings so far, with three draws and 15 losses. The lone victory came in August 2005.

South Korea have also struggled against China, posting just four wins against eight draws and 29 losses.

Against Thailand, South Korea have been far more successful, with seven wins, one draw and two losses.

The second round of the Asian qualifying campaign will feature three groups of four. The top teams from each group, plus the best runner-up from the three groups, will advance to the third round. Second-round matches will be played from Oct. 23 to Nov. 1 in Australia, China and Uzbekistan.

This image captured from the website of the Asian Football Confederation shows the results of the draw for the Asian qualifiers for the 2024 Olympic women's football tournament on May 18, 2023. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

Group A teams are Australia, Chinese Taipei, the Philippines and Iran. Japan, Vietnam, Uzbekistan and India will play in Group C.

The two winners from the third round, scheduled to be played in February next year, will punch their tickets to Paris for the 2024 Summer Olympics.

Women's football made its Olympic debut in Atlanta in 1996. The United States have won the most gold medals with four, and Canada, Germany and Norway have grabbed one gold medal each.

South Korea came within a goal of qualifying for the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. In the final qualifying round, South Korea held a 2-0 lead over China in the second leg before settling for a 2-2 draw and missing out on the Olympic spot.