(LEAD) S. Korea to battle Myanmar, Kyrgyzstan, Qatar for spots in Olympic men's football qualifying tournament

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By Yoo Jee-ho

SEOUL, May 25 (Yonhap) -- South Korea will take on Myanmar, Kyrgyzstan and Qatar in a battle for spots in the 2024 Olympic men's football qualifying tournament.

South Korea ended up in Group B of the qualification event for the 2024 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U-23 Asian Cup, following a draw at AFC House in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday.

The qualifying matches will be played between Sept. 4 and 12 this year. There will be 10 groups of four and one group of three in the event.

The 11 group winners and the four best runners-up, plus Qatar, the host of the AFC U-23 Asian Cup, will play in the continental tournament.

South Korea will be among 11 hosts of the qualifying event.

The Korea Football Association (KFA) said venues and kickoff times will be determined later.

According to the KFA, matches against Qatar will not affect Group B standings because Qatar are already in the U-23 Asian Cup as the host nation.

North Korea ended up in Group I with Australia, Tajikistan and Laos.

The 2024 AFC U-23 Asian Cup, scheduled to take place in Qatar from April 15 to May 3, will feature 16 nations in four groups of four. This tournament will also function as the Asian qualifying tournament for the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics.

The top three teams of the U-23 Asian Cup will qualify for the Olympics in France. The fourth-best team will face a representative from the Confederation of African Football in a playoff.

Coached by Hwang Sun-hong, South Korea will try to reach the knockout stage at a fourth consecutive Olympic Games. They won the bronze medal in 2012 -- the country's first and so far only medal in Olympic football -- and then made it to the quarterfinals in 2016 and 2021.

jeeho@yna.co.kr
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