The world’s first national team of that age group
Improve slow growth and nurture national universities
Training with the national team
Give a chance to practice and decide between the good and the bad.
Female players who graduate from college and enter professional soccer have increasing concerns on the field.Except for a few who show skills beyond their age, they spend more time sitting on the bench behind their older sisters.If the time goes on, growth also stops.
There is a way to solve that problem. This winter, when all attention was focused on the 2026 north and Central America World Cup, a ’23-year-old stepping stone’ was born.
South Korea Launches U-23 Future National Team to boost Women’s Football Development
The korea Football Association (KFA) has established a new future national team for women, raising the age of eligibility to 23, in a move designed to bolster the nation’s overall competitiveness and address a gap in player development.This initiative comes as interest in women’s soccer faces challenges ahead of the 2026 North and Central America World Cup. https://www.the-kfa.or.kr/ (Official KFA Website)
Previously, the standing army system focused on players under 19, which the KFA deemed insufficient for sustained growth. kim Jong-yoon, head of the KFA’s technical department, explained the rationale: “There were cases of young players who played in the U-20 World Cup advancing to Europe, but we had to take care of the remaining players as well. We persuaded the Korea Sports council with the judgment that the overall competitiveness of the national team would increase if growth was not slowed at the age of 23.”
The KFA approved the creation of the future national team and the appointment of a coach in November.The inaugural training camp, involving 22 players, took place in Gyeongju from December 8th to 20th. While the KFA initially planned to host the camp at the Korea Football Park in Cheonan,safety inspections of certain facilities necessitated a change of venue.
The initial response to the training camp has been positive. Coach ko Hyun-bok focused on rebuilding players’ fitness and confidence after the end of the season, providing opportunities for those not immediately selected for the senior women’s national team. “The players who rested for about a month at the end of the season got back into shape and also talked about their expectations for next year’s performance,” Coach Ko stated.
A key challenge facing the future national team is the lack of comparable age-group teams in other countries, limiting opportunities for competitive matches. To address this, the KFA is planning to integrate regular training sessions alongside Women’s A-match periods starting next year. When the senior team isn’t traveling internationally, joint training and practice matches at Korea Football Park are being considered, potentially offering a pathway for standout players to earn selection for the senior national team.
Kim Jong-yoon emphasized the importance of player motivation, noting that senior women’s national team coach Shin Sang-woo observed the initial training camp. “I think this will be a big deal for the players. We will help them continue to grow,” he said.