Japan and South Korea face off in ASIAD men's football final

The men's football final at ASIAD 20 features a high-stakes matchup between Japan and South Korea at Toyota Stadium. South Korea enters the match seeking a historic fourth consecutive gold medal, having won in 2014, 2018, and 2022. They secured their place in the final after a 2-1 victory over China in the semifinals.

Host nation Japan aims to break their recent losing streak against South Korea in gold medal matches. Japan reached the final following a tense semifinal against Uzbekistan, where Sena Ishibashi scored in the 88th minute to force a 1-1 draw, leading to a 9-8 penalty shootout victory.

In other regional football news, the Vietnam national team concluded their FIFA ASEAN Cup group stage with a 4-2 comeback victory against Pakistan. Despite the win, the Vietnamese men's and women's U23 teams saw their ASIAD 2026 campaigns end in the quarterfinals, with the men's side falling 0-4 to South Korea.