Korea Republic take on Uzbekistan for semifinal spot in AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026

Korea Republic won the previous meeting 6–0 in the 1995 AFC Women’s Asian Cup

The third quarterfinal of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026 will see Korea Republic take on Uzbekistan in Sydney.

With a place in the semifinals and a potential spot at the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027 at stake, both sides will head into the clash knowing the magnitude of the occasion.

Korea Republic will rely on their experience on the continental stage, while Uzbekistan will be eager to continue their impressive run and cause an upset in this high-stakes encounter.

The Stakes

Korea Republic

Korea Republic overcame Group A pipping Australia on goal difference. They beat Iran and the Philippines in their first two games before playing an entertaining 3-3 draw with Australia to end the group stage with 7 points.

Sang-Woo Shin’s side scored three goals in each of their group games, showcasing their attacking prowess.

Expect the same in their semifinal game against Uzbekistan.

Uzbekistan

Uzbekistan will go into the game as underdogs. They lost their first two group games against North Korea and China before beating Bangladesh 4-0 in their final game to finish as one of the best third-placed teams, sneaking over Vietnam on goal difference.

Ranked 49th in the Women’s FIFA Rankings, Uzbekistan are the lowest ranked team to make it to the quarterfinals. With the odds stacked against them, it has to be seen if the girls can pull off an upset on Saturday.

Team News

There are no major injury concerns or suspensions for either side ahead of this encounter.

Head-to-Head record in AFC Women’s Asian Cup

Matches Played: 1

Won by Korea Republic: 1

Won by Uzbekistan: 0

Draws: 0

Predicted Line-ups

Korea Republic (4-4-2)

Min-Jing Kim (GK), Hye-Ri Kim, Jin-Young Noh, Yoo-Jin Ko, Sel-Ji Jang, Yu-Ri Choe, So-Yun Ji, Min-Young Jung, Park Soo-Jeong, Eun-Ju Mun, Y. Jeon

Uzbekistan (4-1-4-1)

M. Jonimqulova (GK), Zoirova, Oraniyazova, Shoyimova, Khikmatova, Amirova, Turdiboeva, Karachik, Ablyakimova, Kudratova, Xabibullayeva

Players to Watchout

Eun-Ju Mun (Korea Republic)

Eun-Ju Mun has scored two goals for Korea Republic in the group stage and has been an instrumental part of the side.

The 25-year-old striker has her scoring boots on and has been heavily involved in her team’s attack, expect her to have a massive say in Korea’s attack on Saturday.

Nilufar Kudratova (Uzbekistan)

The 28-year-old has been part of the national team since the age of 17 and is their star player. Nilufar Kudratova is known for her creativity on the right wing and can also play behind the striker.

She has one goal and one assist in the tournament so far.

Did You Know?

• This will be the second meeting between Korea Republic and Uzbekistan at the AFC Women’s Asian Cup, with Korea Republic winning the previous encounter 6-0 on 25 September 1995. 

• Uzbekistan won their most recent game in the AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026 (4-0 vs Bangladesh), the last and the only time they won consecutive matches in the competition was between November 1999 and December 2001 (4 games).

• Kholida Dadaboeva (Uzbekistan) has made 24 clearances in the ongoing edition, the third most by any player behind Fatemeh Amineh (33) and Huang Ke-Sin (25); in fact, only Chinese Taipei’s duo of Su Sinyun and Huang Ke-Sin (10 each) have made more headed clearances this season than Dadaboeva (9). 

• Ko Yoo-Jin (Korea Republic) has logged a passing accuracy of 93.5% in the ongoing competition, the third best among players with 50+ passes attempted behind Steph Catley (95.8%) and Saki Kumagai (94.6%); in fact, Yoo-Jin has completed 217 of her 232 pass attempts, the second most in the competition this term after Clare Hunt (249).

Telecast Details

The match between Korea Republic vs Uzbekistan will be played at Stadium Australia, Sydney on Saturday (14th March 2026).

The game will kick-off at 2:30 pm IST. The match will be streamed live on the FanCode App. There is no telecast on any Indian television channels.

DAZN will broadcast the AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026 matches live in Japan, whereas the host country, Australia, has given its hosting rights to Paramount.

In the Middle East countries like the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Iraq and Jordan, viewers can tune in to beIN Sports for the live action of this game.

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