"Players felt the need to 'step up' acutely" Stage for Korea's football future, "K League International Youth Cup," kicks off [Incheon on-site]

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

"I acutely felt the players stepping up and developing. We have high expectations for this year as well."

The K League International Youth Cup Incheon 2026, featuring under-17 (U-17) players, announced its opening through an opening media day held at the Harbor Park Hotel in Jemulpo-gu, Incheon, on the 23rd. Now in its fourth year, this tournament is an international competition where a total of 12 U-17 teams—six domestic and six overseas—compete to determine the champion.

Domestic participants include FC Seoul, Ulsan HD, Pohang Steelers, Gwangju FC, and Incheon United (all U18 teams), as well as Incheon Boys' High School. Overseas invitees are AD Union Adarve and Racing Santander (both from Spain), FC Midtjylland (Denmark), Kashiwa Reysol (Japan), Sydney FC (Australia), and PVF Football Academy (Vietnam). The 12 teams will be divided into two groups of six for the group stage, after which the top team from each group will face off in the final to determine the winner.

Based on domestic team standards, players up to the second year of high school are eligible to participate. Depending on team characteristics, middle school students may also participate by skipping a grade. The tournament serves as a stage where youth who will lead their teams' futures, and ultimately the future of Korean football, can gain valuable experience by directly competing against overseas teams from various continents.

Park Yo-han, head coach of the Gwangju U-18 team, who is participating for the second consecutive year following last year's appearance, is a manager who has acutely felt the value of this tournament. Coach Park, who participated as an assistant coach last year, enters this tournament with the title of head coach. At the opening media day, Coach Park stated, "I personally gained a great deal from participating in this tournament last year," adding, "We are grateful to the organizers, the Korea Professional Football League, and the Incheon City Football Association. We have a strong desire to introduce and showcase football that aligns with Gwangju's philosophy and direction. We will do our best to present matches with the mindset of challengers."

Coach Park continued, "Personally, what I felt through this tournament is first that a tremendous amount of energy is poured into infrastructure and environment for this event," noting, "We participated feeling pride and responsibility as a team representing the country and Ji Yeok-eul (CEO). The players who participated also acutely showed signs of stepping up and developing since last year. We have high expectations for this year as well."

He further stated, "In terms of football, a good result is victory. And to achieve victory, there must be an unconditional cause; we seek that cause through attacking football. By playing good matches with aggressive defense and quick attacks, I believe we can reach the final and even win the championship," expressing confidence.

Lee Seong-hyeon, head coach of the Ulsan U18 team, said, "It was a tournament I wanted to see, so I was excited even before arriving. Because the quality of the (tournament) is high, I feel both nervous and excited—half excitement, half tension. We will leave with good memories," revealing his anticipation for the competition.

Coach Lee emphasized, "I believe that Korean football develops under high intensity when there is a lot of aggressive defense, forward dribbling, and forward passing. I want to see how well our kids can perform under high intensity and how well they can implement the match model. We will win in that environment. Our goal is the championship."

Lee Sung-gyu, head coach of the Incheon U18 team, also attributed meaning to the tournament, stating, "For young first- and second-year high school players, I think it is a good opportunity to face strong teams against strong opponents. We sincerely thank the officials from the league and football association for hosting such a good tournament. I believe the players will grow through this tournament, and it will serve as a stepping stone for their development."

He pledged, "While the goal of every tournament is winning, we must not discard the process. We are holding the tournament in our home ground (Incheon). We have built the team with players from third year of middle school to first and second years of high school. We have a long-term plan and look forward to future development. We will showcase the football we want to play and bring results through that process."

Yoon Si-ho, head coach of the Seoul U17 team, said, "As a coach, this is my second time in this tournament. It is an opportunity to see and learn game models by playing against good teams from Europe and elsewhere. It is also an opportunity to see what state we are in when facing foreign teams. International experience is a great help for first- and second-year high school players. We will repay with good matches."

Coach Yoon added, "We will not drop our level just to win. Even against strong opponents, we will play our own football. We will think about how to trouble them from the front and how to break through when they try to press us. If we do that, victory will follow. I believe that if we play good matches against good teams, results will follow."

Im Kyung-hoon, head coach of the Pohang U18 team, said, "It is an honor and a source of pride to be able to play against prestigious teams both domestically and internationally. I want to beat all the overseas teams we are meeting for the first time through this international tournament. Players aged 15 to 17 or under will participate evenly. We aim for victory in every match. Experiencing diverse football is an even greater purpose than just winning."

He added, "The team's goal is the championship. We are aiming for victory in every match. That is our primary goal," while also noting, "Watching how lower-grade players experience and handle such big matches is also a goal of this tournament for us."

Kim Seong-cheol, head coach of Incheon Boys' High School, the only academy team participating for the second consecutive year following last year's appearance, said, "We are quite grateful to be able to participate as a regular team. We can learn a lot about global trends, and I think it will be a great asset for student-athletes. I hope I can also learn a lot and that this becomes a good time."

Coach Kim revealed, "Last year, we did not achieve even one win. This year, our goal is to score more goals. It seems like it will be a good time to challenge without being inferior to youth teams, so I have high expectations," adding, "Rather than winning or losing, I want to maintain a higher possession rate. Personally, I would like a Korean team to win this tournament."

This tournament, hosted and organized by the Korea Professional Football League and the Incheon Metropolitan City Football Association, with support from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Korea Sports Promotion Foundation, and Incheon Metropolitan City, will be held for one week from the 24th to the 30th at the Namdong Asiad Rugby Stadium in Incheon, the Incheon Asiad Auxiliary Stadium, and the Songdo LNG Comprehensive Sports Town Football Field.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original