South Korea to face Saudi Arabia, Qatar in Asian Games men's football; women draw North Korea

The three-time defending champions South Korea will face Saudi Arabia and Qatar in the Asian Games men's football tournament this fall, while the women's team will face North Korea in the group stage.

The draw for the football competition at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games took place in Nagoya, Japan, on Thursday. With 15 teams drawn into three groups of four and one group of three in the men's event, South Korea ended up in Group D with only two other opponents.

The top two teams from each of the four groups will advance to the quarterfinals, and teams in Group D will play one fewer match than those in the three other groups.

Coached by Lee Min-sung, South Korea will try to win their fourth consecutive gold medal.

The Asian Games men's football event is an under-23 competition, but teams are each allowed to carry up to three players over the age limit.

Lee unveiled his 23-man squad on July 9, featuring four players who were on South Korea's FIFA World Cup squad in June -- including all three over-23 players in Celtic FC midfielder Yang Hyun-jun (24), Swansea City midfielder Eom Ji-sung (24) and Gangwon FC defender Lee Gi-hyuk (26).

Japan, Thailand, Kyrgyzstan and Hong Kong will play in Group A. Group B teams are China, the United Arab Emirates, Iran and North Korea. Vietnam, Uzbekistan, the Philippines and Kuwait will compete in Group C.

The Asian Games opening ceremony is Sept. 19 but the men's football competition will kick off on Sept. 15. The gold medal match is Oct. 3.

South Korea will play Qatar on Sept. 15 and then Saudi Arabia on Sept. 22, both at Paloma Mizuho Rugby Stadium in Nagoya.

"Both Saudi Arabia and Qatar have proven themselves in Asia. And if we were to post good results at the competition, we have to beat our opponents regardless of who they are," Lee said in a statement released by the Korea Football Association (KFA). "We will prepare for the tournament the best we can so that we will play well right from the group stage."

The South Korean women's team, led by Shin Sang-woo, ended up in Group F with Myanmar, Bangladesh and North Korea.

The first match is Sept. 14 against Myanmar, followed by Bangladesh on Sept. 17 and North Korea on Sept. 21. All three matches will be at Nagai Stadium in Osaka, west of Nagoya.

The 12 women's teams were split into three groups of four. The top two teams from each group and the two best third-place teams will qualify for the quarterfinals. Their gold medal match will be Oct. 2.

There is no age restriction in women's football at the Asian Games.

South Korea have not won an Asian Games gold in women's football, with three straight bronze medals in 2010, 2014 and 2018 being their best results so far.

"There are so many great teams in Asia and I don't think there is an easy match at the Asian Games," Shin said in a KFA statement. "I will try to maximize our players' strengths and help them play to the best of their abilities without feeling any pressure."

Shin's team, also released on July 9, will be led by Ji So-yun, the country's all-time leader with 175 caps and 75 goals. She will compete in her sixth Asian Games at age 35.