Korean men's volleyball team clashes with Japan in the semifinals of the Asian Championships

(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Jang Hyeon-gu = The Korean men's volleyball team will play the semifinals against Japan, the favorite, at the Asian Championships, where a direct ticket to the 2028 Los Angeles (LA) Olympics is at stake.

Japan, ranked 6th in the world rankings of the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB), defeated India (49th) with a set score of 3-0 (25-17 25-15 25-19) in the quarterfinals of the Asian Championships held at Kitakyushu City Gymnasium in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan on the 11th.

Korea (23rd), who defeated China the previous day and advanced to the semifinals, will compete with Japan at 3:30 pm on the 12th to advance to the finals.

The winning team of this tournament will advance directly to the LA Olympics, and the winning team, as well as the second and third place teams, will receive an invitation to the 2027 FIVB Men's World Cup, which also includes three LA Olympic qualification spots.

The semifinals of the Asian Championships were condensed into Korea-Japan and Iran (17th)-Australia (37th) matches.

Since taking 4th place in 2019, Korea has advanced to the semifinals at the Asian Championships for the first time in 7 years, and has not advanced to the Olympics since the 2000 Sydney Games.