Mini football figure - South Korea

South Korea

The South Korean national football team is the Korea Football Association football team from the East Asian Republic of Korea. It is one of the most successful Asian teams since its international debut at the 1948 Summer Olympics.

History

Korea had a ball game called chuk-gu in earlier times, which was very similar to football at the time. Koreans first saw a version of football in 1882 when British ship members played in the port of Incheon.

In 1921, the first Korean football tournament was held and in 1928, the Korean Football Association was established to lay the foundation for the spread and development of football in Korea. During the decades of colonial rule under the Japanese, football provided a way to release frustrations and reinforce hopes for independence.

The Korean Football Association was re-established in South Korea in 1948. In 1948, the KFB joined FIFA, and in 1954 it also became a member of the AFC.

Since the 1960s, South Korea has emerged as an Asian football power, winning several tournaments in Asia, including the Asian Cup twice. The South Korean national team has participated in nine World Cup finals, without interruption since 1986. A professional football league was established in 1983, the first of its kind in the Asian region. It helped to strengthen South Korean football once again.

The 2002 World Cup is a sign of the rapid progress South Korean football has made. Hosting the tournament together with Japan is the result of the enthusiasm and interest of the South Korean people, but also an indicator of the economic growth opportunities that football still offers in the Asian region. Under the leadership of Dutch coach Guus Hiddink, the national team managed to get past the group stage for the first time. Victories over Italy and Spain saw an Asian team reach the semi-finals for the first time in World Cup history. At the 2006 World Cup, South Korea was in Group G with France, Switzerland and Togo, but the South Korean national football team was eliminated in the preliminary round. At the 2010 World Cup, South Korea lost 2-1 to Uruguay in the round of 16 and was eliminated from the tournament. At the 2014 World Cup, South Korea was eliminated in the preliminary round with one point. At the 2018 World Cup, South Korea was in the group with Sweden, Mexico and Germany, in the last match of the preliminary round, South Korea won the only match against Germany 2-0 but missed the round of 16.

South Korea won the East Asian Championship in 2003, 2008 and 2015.