'Japan eliminated in quarterfinals,' Japanese soccer 'again' dominates Asia, defeats China to win U17 Asian Cup

*This content was translated by AI.

The Japanese U17 national team defeated China to claim the title at the AFC U17 Asian Cup.

On the 23rd (Korean time), Japan defeated China 3-2 in the final of the 2026 AFC U17 Asian Cup held at the King Abdullah Sports City Hall Stadium in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, to secure the championship.

Japan took early control by scoring three goals in the first half. Although China narrowed the gap to one goal in the second half, Japan ultimately held on to its one-goal lead and claimed the title.

With this victory, Japan overcame the shock of being eliminated in the quarterfinals of the previous 2025 tournament and achieved its fifth overall title in two tournaments since 2023. Japan's five titles are the most in the tournament's history. Six countries, including South Korea, North Korea, and China, share second place with two titles each.

Notably, Japan has reached the final in three of the last four tournaments (2018, 2023, and 2026), reestablishing its position as the strongest team in Asia at this age level.

Japan, with the highest FIFA ranking in Asia at 18th place for its senior national team, has demonstrated its dominance across all age groups, having also won the AFC U23 Asian Cup held in January last year.

In contrast, South Korea, which participated in the same tournament, repeatedly failed to avoid early elimination, expressing regret.

At this 2026 AFC U17 Asian Cup, South Korea, led by coach Kim Hyun-jun, drew against the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Yemen in the group stage, finishing second in the group after being overtaken by Vietnam. In the quarterfinals, South Korea lost to Uzbekistan in a penalty shootout and was eliminated. At best, the team succeeded in securing a spot in the U17 World Cup, which is awarded to all quarterfinalists.

Similarly, during the AFC U23 Asian Cup when Japan claimed the title, South Korea's U21 national team, two years younger, lost to Uzbekistan and Japan and also lost the third-place match to Vietnam, finishing fourth.

The U17 Asian Cup, featuring 16 teams from Asia, was held every two years until the 2023 tournament. Starting with the 2025 edition, it has been held annually. The tournament will continue to be hosted in Saudi Arabia for four consecutive editions through 2028.

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*This content was translated by AI.