*This content was translated by AI.
'A major setback has occurred for Japan, a strong favorite to win gold in women's football at the 2026 Aichi·Nagoya Asian Games. Key striker Riko Yoshida (INAC Kobe Leonessa) will be unable to participate in the tournament due to injury.
The Japan Football Association (JFA) officially announced on the 10th that "Yoshida will not be able to participate in the Yeo Ja (CEO) team competing at the Aichi·Nagoya Asian Games due to injury."
Japan has selected Ai Tsuzawa, a fellow striker from INAC Kobe, as Yoshida's replacement. This marks Tsuzawa's first selection for the Japan women's A National Team.
This is a painful loss for Japan. Yoshida was a striker who dominated last season in the Japanese women's professional WE League, scoring 16 goals in 22 matches to claim the top scorer title.
However, just as the Asian Games were approaching on home soil, she had to withdraw from the national team due to an unexpected injury.
Japanese news agency Kyodo also reported that "Riko Yoshida, the last season's WE League top scorer striker who was selected for the Yeo Ja (CEO) team, will be unable to participate due to injury."
The replacement player, Tsuzawa, has no prior experience with the A National Team. Although she shares a team with Yoshida at her club, there is a significant gap in their international experience.
Japan is a traditional powerhouse in women's football at the Asian Games. Since women's football was first included as an official event at the 1990 Beijing Games, Japan has reached the summit three times, alongside China and North Korea. They are also the defending champions who won gold at the previous tournament.
This time, they are considered an even stronger favorite to win, benefiting from being the host nation. However, losing their league top scorer just before the tournament has introduced a variable in their attacking lineup.
This could also be welcome news for Korea. Although they will not face Japan in the group stage, there is a possibility of meeting them in the tournament phase.
The Korean Yeo Ja-chuk-gu (CEO) team, led by head coach Shin Sang-woo, aims to reach the final and win gold for the first time in history at this tournament.
South Korea's best-ever result in women's football at the Asian Games is a bronze medal. They finished third three times: at the 2010 Guangzhou, 2014 Incheon, and 2018 Jakarta·Palembang tournaments. Coach Shin stated ahead of the tournament that he aims for better than that.
Twelve countries will participate in women's football at this tournament. The teams are divided into three groups of four for the group stage. The top two teams from each group advance directly to the quarterfinals, while the two best-performing third-place teams also secure spots in the quarterfinals.
Korea will face Myanmar, Bangladesh, and North Korea in F Group, playing all three group stage matches at Suzuka Nagai Stadium.
If Korea finishes first in F Group and Japan second in E Group, they could meet immediately in the quarterfinals. Conversely, if Korea finishes second in F Group and Japan first in E Group, both teams could potentially meet in the semifinals if they both advance through the quarterfinals.
If both teams finish first in their respective groups, a match-up would only occur in the final.
Although not group opponents, for Korea, which is aiming for gold, attention will inevitably turn to Japan's loss of key personnel.
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*This content was translated by AI.
