The East Asian soccer world is in a state of flux, and an announcement has thrown a wrench into the East Asian Cup tournament that was originally scheduled to be held in China. According to the latest news, the tournament may be relocated to Japan.
Looking back at the history of the East Asian Cup, the tournament was first launched in 2003, renamed as the East Asian Football Championship in 2010, and made its debut again in 2013 under the name of the EAFF East Asian Cup, and in 2017 it was given the title of the EAFF E-1 Championship. This year's tournament was originally scheduled to take place from July 19 to 27, but due to the pressure of epidemic prevention in China, the venue may change.
The three East Asian countries - South Korea, China and Japan - have traditionally been regulars at the tournament, with Hong Kong and North Korea fighting for a place through the qualifiers. South Korea has won the tournament five times since 2003, and its strength should not be underestimated. It is worth mentioning that the East Asian Cup is not a FIFA tournament, and there is no need to call up players who have stayed in the country, which has caused stars such as Son and Hwang Hee-chan to miss a number of tournaments.
The Korean Football Association (KFA) has an intensive schedule this year - the East Asian Cup, the Hangzhou Asian Games and the Qatar World Cup in that order. Against this backdrop, it has been suggested that the U-23 national team participate in the East Asian Cup. However, FA officials made it clear: "The Korean national team will participate in this year's East Asian Cup, not the U-23 team. Player selection will be discussed by coach Paulo Bento."
