The South Korean Under-17 Men’s National Team, led by head coach Byun Sung-hwan, will compete in the FIFA U-17 World Cup, which kicks off on June 10 in Indonesia. A total of 24 nations are competing in the tournament, which is divided into six groups with the goal of advancing to the next round. The first and second place finishers will advance directly to the round of 16, while the third-place teams in each group will compare their results and the top four nations will join the round of 16.굿모닝토토
The national team is aiming for its best-ever finish at the U-17 World Cup. The Korean U-17 team has reached the knockout stage seven times, including this tournament. Of these, they have reached the quarterfinals three times, and the quarterfinals is the best result for Korea.
South Korea reached the quarterfinals at the 1987 U-17 World Cup in Canada, their first appearance. At the time, 16 teams participated in the tournament, with the top two finishers in each group advancing to the quarterfinals. Led by Shin Tae-yong and Seo Jung-won, the team lost 0-2 to Italy in the quarterfinals.
This was followed by a quarterfinal appearance at the 2009 U-17 World Cup in Nigeria. The team was led by current members of the A team, including Son Heung-min and Kim Jin-soo. However, they fell 1-3 to the host nation Nigeria in the quarterfinals.
The third quarterfinal came most recently at the 2019 U-17 World Cup in Brazil. Former and current K-Leaguers such as Jung Sang-bin, Uhm Ji Sung, Lee Han-beom, and Hong Yun-sang made their mark at the tournament. After going 2-1 in the group stage, the team faced Angola in the round of 16 and won 1-0, before falling 0-1 to Mexico in the quarterfinals.
After repeatedly falling short at the quarterfinal threshold, the team has its sights set higher. It will be interesting to see if Byun Sung-hwan’s U-17 team can overcome the quarterfinal jinx and achieve their best ever result.
Meanwhile, the 2023 FIFA U-17 World Cup kicks off in about a month with the opening match between Indonesia and Ecuador on June 10. All U-17 World Cup matches, including South Korea’s, will be broadcast live on SPOTV NOW and SPOTV ON.