▲ Provided | Korea Football Association
[SPOTV News = Reporter Park Dae-hyun] South Korea's U-17 women's national team saw its World Cup hopes end after a 1-0 quarterfinal loss to long-time rival Japan.
The defeat ended Korea's bid to reach a third straight U-17 World Cup.
Coach Lee Da-young's side fell 1-0 to Japan in the quarterfinal of the 2026 AFC U-17 Women's Asian Cup at the Taihu Football Sports Center in Suzhou, China, on May 11.
Korea advanced from Group C with a 2-1 record, finishing second in the group to reach the quarterfinals.
But they couldn't break through Japan's defense on the road to the semifinals.
The team was unable to carry forward the momentum from its third-place finish at the 2024 Asian Cup in Singapore.
As a result, Korea missed out on one of the four qualification spots for the 2026 U-17 Women's World Cup in Morocco.
The team had hoped to make a third consecutive World Cup appearance after competing in the 2024 tournament in the Dominican Republic and last year's event in Morocco, but those plans fell short.
Japan also moved ahead in the head-to-head series between the two countries at this age level.
Before this match, the teams were level with three wins, four draws and three losses each.
After the result, the overall record shifted to three wins, four draws and four losses, leaving Korea with more defeats than victories.
▲ Korea couldn't get past rival Japan on the way to the semifinals. They failed to build on their momentum from a third-place finish at the 2024 Asian Cup in Singapore, and as a result missed one of the top-four qualifying spots for the 2026 U-17 Women's World Cup in Morocco. A bid for a third straight World Cup, following appearances in the 2024 Dominican Republic and last year's Morocco tournaments, fell short. ⓒ Yonhap News
Korea named the same starting lineup against Japan that it used in its final group-stage match versus North Korea.
Lee opted for a 4-2-3-1 formation.
He entrusted the lone striker role to middle-school standout Im Ji-hye (Ulsan Cheongun Middle School).
Baek Se-young (Gyeongnam Robot High), Kim Min-seo (Ulsan Hyundai High) and Jang Ye-jin (Ulsan Hyundai High) played just behind her to support the attack.
In midfield, captain Han Guk-hee (Pohang Women's Vocational High) and Choi Se-eun (Gyeongnam Robot High) were tasked with linking defense and offense.
The back four, from left to right, featured Woo Seo-yeon (Gyeongnam Robot High), Park Na-young (Ulsan Hyundai High), Chu Ji-yeon (Ulsan Hyundai High) and Kwon Hyo-ri (Gyeongnam Robot High), with goalkeeper Lee Seung-ah (Ulsan Hyundai High) between the posts.
After a scoreless first half, Korea had a golden chance to take the lead in the 69th minute of the match.
Im Ji-hye went down under a challenge inside the Japanese penalty area and won a penalty kick.
Captain Han Guk-hee stepped up but saw her penalty saved by the Japanese goalkeeper.
Korea failed to capitalize on that prime opportunity.
Four minutes later, they conceded from a set piece.
In the 74th minute, Rara Higuchi curled a right-footed free kick from outside the box into the Korean net with a beautiful trajectory.
Lee Da-young's side pushed for an equalizer through the final whistle.
But they could not find the goal and went down 1-0.
The quarterfinal exit also ended their hopes of qualifying for the U-17 Women's World Cup.
▲ Korea now trails the head-to-head series with Japan. Before this match, the U-17 teams were tied at 3 wins, 4 draws and 3 losses; the overall record now stands at 3 wins, 4 draws and 4 losses, giving Korea more losses than wins. ⓒ Yonhap News
