With the women’s Asian Cup just over a month away, the South Korean Women’s football team is threatening to boycott.
The tournament is to be held in Australia and will determine who qualifies automatically for the 2027 World Cup.
This potential boycott is over “harsh and unreasonable conditions.”
A statement made back in September last year has been made public by the Korea Professional Footballers’ Association and the national team players to the Korea Football Association.
The statement states that the players will face gruelling long journeys on buses and economy-class flights, will be forced to stay in “adequate” accommodation, and will be required to personally pay for items such as airport transfers and training kits.
According to the statement, the player will boycott games and ‘suspend participation in all training related to the upcoming 2026 AFC Women’s Asian Cup’ if the federation does not respond by October 17.
“The women’s national team players have been working tirelessly for a long time in harsh and unreasonable conditions,” the statement read.
“Nevertheless, some still dismiss the demand for equal treatment with the men’s national team as unreasonable, or disparage their legitimate demands based on their performance.”
South Korea is scheduled to play the hosts, the Matildas, in Sydney on the 9th March.
South Korea is one of the favourites for the tournament, currently ranked 21st in the world, and was the team that knocked Australia out of the most recent Asian Cup.
“It’s an interesting, you know, development. I wasn’t aware of South Korea and what’s happening with them and their Federation,” Matildas midfielder Clare Wheeler told reporters.
“It’s sad to hear that they’re experiencing those conditions. It’s not nice to hear that any teams have to boycott games or training sessions to get better conditions.
“I hope with them and their federation that they can come to a better agreement to improve their conditions, but regarding how Australia may support that, I’m not too sure. I haven’t really read up on that at this time”
While the statement did not have a significant impact, it did mention their most well-known player, Jo So-yum, a 171-cap veteran who played for Chelsea. It said: “Accordingly, veteran players, including Ji So-yun, who has played for the women’s national team for a long time and knows the reality of Korean women’s soccer better than anyone else, have decided to stop their silence and stand at the centre of change,” the statement reads.”
According to the South China Morning Post, a Korean federation official said they had been reviewing the issue since receiving the statement, but with the tournament just weeks away, will the federation bring the sexual inequality or will they miss out on a chance to qualify for the World Cup?
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