South Korea will face North Korea, China, and the Philippines in Group B for the 2028 LA Olympics women’s football final qualifiers, according to a draw held on May 12 in Kuala Lumpur at the Asian Football Confederation House, sportschosun.com reported.
The tournament expands to 16 participating nations for the Los Angeles Games, up from 12 at the Paris Olympics. Asia holds 2.5 qualification slots for the event.
Eight countries qualified for this final stage by reaching the quarterfinals of the 2026 AFC Women’s Asian Cup. South Korea, Japan, North Korea, Australia, China, Chinese Taipei, the Philippines, and Uzbekistan make up the competing field.
Teams play a home-and-away round-robin schedule across FIFA international windows in April, October, and November-December 2027. Each nation plays six matches in total.
The two group winners earn direct qualification to the Olympic tournament. The two second-place finishers contest a home-and-away playoff, with the winner advancing to an intercontinental playoff against Argentina.
South Korea opens its qualifying campaign away against China on April 19, 2027. The team then hosts North Korea on April 24, 2027, before playing away against the Philippines on October 7, 2027.
South Korea has never qualified for the Olympic women’s football tournament since the competition debuted at the 1996 Atlanta Games. The team holds an all-time record of one win, five draws, and 16 losses against North Korea.
Against China, South Korea holds five wins, 10 draws, and 29 losses. Recent meetings show tighter margins, including a 1-1 draw against North Korea and a 1-0 victory over China in the bronze medal match at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.
The remaining fixtures pit South Korea at home against the Philippines on October 12, 2027, and away against China on November 29, 2027. The final group match sends South Korea away to North Korea on December 4, 2027.