Our goal is to win the East Asian Cup, and we're playing soccer with Shin Sang-woo, who revealed his ambition

Jul 08, 2025

Our goal is to win the East Asian Cup, and we're playing soccer with Shin Sang-woo, who revealed his ambition
photo courtesy of the Korea Football Association



Shin Sang-woo, head coach of the South Korean women's soccer A team, has launched the East Asian Football Federation (EAFF) E-1 Championship (hereinafter referred to as the East Asian Cup) in 2025.

At the official press conference of the East Asian Cup held at Yongin Mir Stadium on the 8th, coach Shin said, `As it is a competition in Korea, our goal is to win as well.'

The East Asian Cup, hosted by EAFF, is more competitive because the women's team is considered the strongest in Asia. Along with South Korea, Japan, China, and Taiwan will participate in this competition. It will be held at Suwon World Cup Stadium and Hwaseong Gyeonggi Town from the 7th to the 16th, and South Korea will end the tournament with a match against China at 8 p.m. on the 9th in Suwon, a match against Korea at 8 p.m. on the 13th in Hwaseong, and a match against Taiwan at 7:30 p.m. on the 16th in Suwon.




Shin said, `It's good to be able to compete with good teams in preparation for the Asian Cup. To achieve the goal of winning, we have to win the first match against China, so we are only thinking about the match against China."

South Korea is effectively a challenger in the East Asian Cup. Since he participated as a host in 2005 and won the championship, he has not won a single championship. On the other hand, Japan, which boasts the seventh place in the FIFA women's soccer rankings, has become the champion since 2008, 2010 and 2019, as well as the previous 2022 tournament. China has yet to win a championship, but it is a strong 17th-ranked team, four places ahead of South Korea (21st) in the FIFA Women's Soccer Rankings. Even if Taiwan is ranked 42nd, it is hard to guarantee a high ranking. Moreover, considering the upcoming 2026 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Women's Asian Cup and 2027 Women's World Cup, efforts to change the generation are also needed from this tournament.

Our goal is to win the East Asian Cup, and we're playing soccer with Shin Sang-woo, who revealed his ambition
photo courtesy of the Korea Football Association
Coach Shin, who aimed to win, responded to the question of generational change and main appointment, saying, `As we aim to win, the combination of existing and new players in Korea is going well. I prepared well in the hot weather. That's why I aimed to win the championship. If the direction goes well, I expect a good result in the Asian Cup, which I aim for next year," he replied.




Since the East Asian Cup is not held during the A-match period set by FIFA, players active in Europe and North America can be selected only after consultations with their teams are made. Ji So-yeon (Seattle Lane), Lee Young-joo (Levante Badalona), Casey Eugene Fair (Angel City FC), Choi Yu-ri and Lee Geum-min (Birmingham) were on board through consultation. However, Choi Yu-ri and Lee Young-joo were eliminated due to injuries, and instead, new faces such as Kim Min-ji (Seoul City Hall) and Maeng Da-hee (Hwacheon KSPO) joined Shin Sang-ho.

Regarding the injury loss and relative inferiority of some players, coach Shin said, `It is regrettable and unfortunate that some players were injured, but we selected players to replace them. The players adapted well in training. China and Japan rank much higher than us, but the competition and hot weather in Korea can be variables. I don't play soccer in terms of ranking, so I think I can say that with confidence."





This article was translated by Naver AI translator.