South Korea have reached the men’s football final of the 2026 Asian Games after coming from behind to defeat China 2–1 in a dramatic semi-final in Osaka on Wednesday.
The defending champions secured their place in a fourth consecutive Asian Games final after Bae Jun-ho scored the winning goal in the 82nd minute. The victory keeps South Korea’s bid for an unprecedented fourth straight gold medal alive.
China started the match strongly and took the lead in the 22nd minute through Wang Yudong. He controlled a long pass before breaking into the penalty area and firing a left-footed shot past the South Korean goalkeeper.
South Korea responded 11 minutes later. Stand-in captain Eom Ji-sung delivered a corner into the box, and Lee Young-jun rose to head the ball into the net in the 33rd minute, bringing the match level at 1–1.
The two teams remained level for much of the second half, with China defending strongly and creating opportunities of their own.
China came close to taking the lead again in the 62nd minute when defender Peng Xiao found himself in a good position after a defensive mistake, but his shot went wide.
South Korea eventually found the breakthrough eight minutes from full time.
Eom Ji-sung produced another important contribution, sending a long cross towards the far post. Bae Jun-ho arrived at the right moment and finished from close range to give South Korea a 2–1 lead.
Bae later revealed that he and Eom had discussed the move during half-time. The Stoke City attacker said he anticipated Eom’s cross and positioned himself behind the Chinese defender before finishing the opportunity.
South Korea managed to protect their advantage during the closing minutes and secured their place in Saturday’s final.
The victory means South Korea have now reached the men’s Asian Games football final for the fourth consecutive tournament. They previously reached the final and won gold at the 2014 Incheon, 2018 Jakarta-Palembang and 2022 Hangzhou Games, with the latter held in 2023.
The final will take place on October 3 at Toyota Stadium in Aichi. South Korea will face either Japan or Uzbekistan, who are scheduled to meet in the other semi-final.
A fourth consecutive gold medal would also have a significant benefit for the South Korean players. Under South Korean rules, male athletes who win an Asian Games gold medal can receive an exemption from mandatory military service.
For China, the defeat ended their first Asian Games semi-final appearance in 28 years. The team had also reached the AFC Under-23 Asian Cup final earlier in the year but again fell short of a major title. Midfielder Xu Bin nevertheless said the development of young Chinese players was continuing, pointing to the growing number of players gaining experience in European football.
South Korea’s victory was also a turnaround after suffering two previous defeats to China at this age level. The Koreans entered Wednesday’s semi-final determined to avoid another setback and ultimately secured the result through goals from Lee Young-jun and Bae Jun-ho.
With the final now ahead, South Korea remain one victory away from making Asian Games football history by becoming the first men’s team to win four consecutive gold medals.
