The Korea Republic National Team boasts a strong record in the EAFF E-1 Football Championship, winning three consecutive titles in 2015, 2017 and 2019. In their first match of this year' s tournament, the team got off to a good start in their bid for their sixth overall title with a 3-0 win over a young and talented China PR side. In that match, they were under fierce pressure from China PR in many instances, but were unfazed and dominated the shots tally, 16-1. After an own goal in the 40th minute broke the deadlock, KWON Chang Hoon and CHO Gue Sung added goals in the 54th and 80th minutes, respectively, in the second half.

At the AFC Asian Qualifiers (Road to Qatar), which ended in March this year, they engaged in a fierce battle for the top spot with Iran in Group A and qualified for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ by finishing second. And during the international match period in June, despite losing 1-5 to Brazil, they managed to bounce back with a 2-0 win over Chile and a 4-1 win over Egypt. The EAFF E-1 Football Championship will provide a crucial opportunity for the team to prepare for the World Cup, which will take place in November this year. In announcing the squad, Portuguese coach Paulo BENTO said on the official Korea Football Association (KFA) website: "We are taking part in this tournament as a part of our preparations for the World Cup in Qatar, regardless of who we’re going to face or what level of the players we’d be up against."

For Korea Republic, who played through the Asian qualifiers primarily with players affiliated with clubs overseas, as did Japan, this tournament should provide a valuable opportunity for players playing in their home country to showcase their skills as they aim to make the World Cup squad. Among the players selected in this squad, KWON Kyung Won (Gamba Osaka) is the only player who plays for a club outside the country. The rest of the squad is made up of players from the domestic league, including veterans like HONG Chul, who participated in the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™, and KIM Jin Su, who contributed to the team's success in the recent Asian qualifiers.

Meanwhile, in addition to the aforementioned Kwon, the team also includes players who participated in last year's Tokyo Olympics, such as UM Won Sang and SONG Min Kyu (Kwon participated in the Olympics as one of the overaged-players). Coach Bento has also laid the groundwork for the future by giving 19-year-old KANG Seong Jin the opportunity to make his international A-match debut against China PR. Although only two players are registered as forwards in their squad, expectations are high for CHO Gue Sung, who has scored 12 goals in the K-League this season and is second in the goalscoring chart.

FIFA Ranking: 28th (3rd in Asia) *As of 23 June 2022
FIFA World Cup™ Appearance: 10 times, 1954, 1986, 1990, 1994, 1998, 2002 (4th), 2006, 2010 (Round of 16), 2014, 2018
Japan’s Head-to-head Record: 14 wins, 23 draws, 40 losses (71 goals, 119 conceded)

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