'Kang Sang-yoon and Kim Yong-hak Selection' Lee Min-sung announced the starting lineup for the U23 Asian Cup against Iran

*This content was translated by AI.

The starting lineup of the South Korean national soccer team to play against Iran at the 2026 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Under-23 Asian Cup has been unveiled.

South Korea, led by head coach Lee Min-sung, will face Iran in the first Group C match of the tournament at 8:30 p.m. on the 7th (Korea Standard Time) at Al-Shabab Stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

South Korea's Kim Tae-won (Gatale Toyama) and Kang Sang-yoon (Jeonbuk Hyundai) are expected to be in the front, while Kim Do-hyun (Gangwon FC) and Kim Yong-hak (Pohang Steelers) are expected to operate a 4-4-2 model on both sides.

Kim Dong-jin (Pohang) and Lee Chan-wook (Kimcheon Sangmu) will work together in the midfield, while Bae Hyun-seo (Gyeongnam FC), Shin Min-ha (Gangwon), Lee Hyun-yong (Suwon FC), and Kang Min-joon (Pohang) will stand on the defense line. Hong Seong-min (Pohang) protects the goal.

Kang Sung-jin (Suwon Samsung), Jung Ji-hoon (Gwangju FC), and Jung Jae-sang (Daegu FC) will stand by on the bench.

In this tournament, 16 Asian teams will participate in the group stage, divided into four groups of four teams, and the first and second places in each group will reach the quarterfinals tournament to determine the winning team. In addition to Iran, South Korea was in Group C with Lebanon and Uzbekistan.

This year is not the year when the Olympics are held, so this tournament does not also serve as an Olympic qualifying tournament. Earlier, South Korea first reached the top in the 2020 tournament, but both in 2022 and 2024, it was eliminated from the quarterfinals. In particular, he failed to make the Olympic finals for the first time in 40 years as he was eliminated early after losing to Indonesia at the 2024 Olympics.

According to the Korea Football Association, head coach Lee Min-sung said at an official press conference before the game, "We have a goal prepared, but we can achieve the goal we want only when we play well against Iran, the first game." Coach Lee earlier secured at least a place in the semifinals with this tournament's goal.

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*This content was translated by AI.