South Korea defeated Japan 1-0 in the men's football final at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, becoming the first team to win the tournament four times in succession. Um Ji-sung scored the decisive goal in the second half at Toyota Stadium in Aichi Prefecture on October 3, delivering another gold medal for the team led by head coach Lee Min-sung.
- Final score
- South Korea 1-0 Japan
- Match winner
- Um Ji-sung, 61st minute
- Venue
- Toyota Stadium, Aichi Prefecture
- Achievement
- Fourth consecutive Asian Games men's football title
The match remained scoreless through the first half, when possession was evenly divided and neither side created a decisive advantage. South Korea recorded two shots during the half, while Japan produced three. The hosts posed a particular threat through left winger Yumeki Yokoyama and substitute Yuya Fukunaga, who entered in the 28th minute.
Um broke the deadlock in the 61st minute. The Swansea City player, selected as one of South Korea's over-age players, supplied the only goal needed to settle a closely contested final. Japan could not find an equalizer, leaving South Korea to complete a 1-0 victory on Japanese soil.
A championship run without precedent
The result extends a championship run that began at the 2014 Incheon Asian Games and continued through the Jakarta-Palembang and Hangzhou editions. It also marked the third consecutive Asian Games final in which South Korea faced Japan, with South Korea winning each of those title matches.
For the under-23 team, the victory turns a successful tournament run into a record-setting achievement. South Korea entered the final after advancing through the knockout rounds and finished by again overcoming its regional rival. Attention will next turn to how the players who delivered the title progress with their clubs and in future national-team selections.