[Official] 'Eliminated from Asian Quarterfinals' South Korea U17 Soccer Team Drawn into FIFA U17 World Cup Group B with New Caledonia, Ecuador, and Others

*This content was translated by AI.

The South Korea U17 national soccer team, which was eliminated in the quarterfinals of the 2026 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U17 Asian Cup, has been drawn into Group B of the FIFA U17 World Cup, to be held in Qatar this November, alongside New Caledonia and others.

On the 22nd (Korean time), during the draw for the 2026 FIFA U17 World Cup finals held at FIFA headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland, South Korea was placed in Group B with New Caledonia, Ecuador, and the winner of the African Play-off (PO). The African PO will feature matches between Ethiopia and Mozambique, and Uganda and Ghana.

The FIFA U17 World Cup, previously held every two years, has been held annually since last year, with the number of participating nations expanded from 24 to 48. In Asia, a total of nine teams will participate, including host nation Qatar and the teams that reached the quarterfinals of the previous AFC U17 Asian Cup.

The U17 national soccer team, led by head coach Kim Hyun-jun, reached the quarterfinals at the Asian Cup held in Saudi Arabia this month, securing a spot in the World Cup finals, but was eliminated midway after drawing 2-2 with Uzbekistan in the quarterfinals and losing in a penalty shootout.

The U17 World Cup features a group stage with 12 groups of four teams each. The top two teams from each group, along with the eight best third-placed teams among the 12th groups, advance to the Round of 32 to determine the champion. This year's tournament will be held in Qatar from November 19 to December 13.

South Korea's best-ever performance at the FIFA U17 World Cup was reaching the quarterfinals in the 1987, 2009, and 2019 tournaments. In the 2025 tournament, the team was eliminated in the Round of 32.

- Group A: Qatar, Panama, Egypt, Greece

- Group B: South Korea, African PO 1, New Caledonia, Ecuador

- Group C: Argentina, Australia, African PO 2, Denmark

- Group D: France, Haiti, Saudi Arabia, Uruguay

- Group E: Italy, Jamaica, Côte d'Ivoire, Uzbekistan

- Group F: Senegal, Croatia, Cuba, Tajikistan

- Group G: Mali, New Zealand, Belgium, Vietnam

- Group H: Spain, China, Fiji, Morocco

- Group I: Brazil, Ireland, Tanzania, Costa Rica

- Group J: United States, Montenegro, Chile, Algeria

- Group K: Mexico, Romania, Cameroon, Venezuela

- Group L: Japan, Colombia, Serbia, Honduras

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*This content was translated by AI.