South Korean football bosses in talks to prevent boycott of the Women’s Asian Cup

South Korea’s football bosses said on Monday they were in talks with players to avoid a boycott of next month’s AFC Women’s Asian Cup and expected the national team to train for the tournament as planned.

The country’s women’s side complained about the poor and «discriminatory conditions» offered by the Korean Football Association (KFA) compared to their male counterparts.

A team statement in September, which was made public in January, said players faced grueling long journeys on buses and economy class flights, and were forced to stay in “inadequate” accommodation far from training grounds.

A KFA official said this AFP: “We are continuing discussions with the players to resolve the matter and plan to continue with our training schedule.”

The governing body will call the players for a pre-tournament training camp in mid-February, they added. Players complained about having to pay for their own airport transfers and training equipment.

The players’ statement said they would “suspend participation in all training related to the upcoming AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026” and refuse to play matches if the KFA did not respond by October 17.

It added that there were “clear and undeniable differences” with the men’s national team’s circumstances.

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An internal KFA document seen by AFP it turned out that the women’s team was allocated $1.28 million in 2025. That was less than 10 percent of the total budget for the men’s team.

The 12-team Women’s Asian Cup will be held in Australia from March 1 to 21.

South Korea has been placed in a group with the host countries, Iran and the Philippines in the first round.

Midfielder Ji So-yun, who spent eight years at English club Chelsea, recently said: “It feels like the players are not being treated in a way that befits the members of the national team.

“It is with a heavy heart that I believe that action is needed to bring about change,” she added Yonhap news agency.

Published on February 2, 2026