South Korea’s women’s football team defeated China 1-0 in the bronze-medal match at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on October 2, earning a place on the podium for the first time in eight years. The match was played at Shizuoka Stadium Ecopa in Fukuroi, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan, where South Korea secured its third consecutive Asian Games bronze medal.
Noh Jinyoung scored the decisive goal as South Korea held off China, a major force in Asian women’s football. The victory ended an 11-year wait for South Korea to overcome China and gave Shin Sang-woo’s team a positive finish after falling short of the final.
South Korea had entered the tournament hoping to improve on its previous medal results. The team had won bronze at the 2010 Guangzhou, 2014 Incheon and 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games, but had not reached the final. Its attempt to advance further ended with a 2-0 semifinal defeat by host nation Japan on September 29.
- Tournament
- 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games
- Match
- South Korea 1-0 China
- Venue
- Shizuoka Stadium Ecopa, Fukuroi, Japan
- Result
- South Korea won the women’s football bronze medal
The bronze therefore became the team’s next target, and the players completed that objective against China. Japan defeated North Korea to claim the women’s football gold medal, leaving North Korea with silver. For South Korea, the result restores an Asian Games podium finish while also keeping alive the team’s longer-term push to challenge for a place in the final.