Wales v South Korea
South Korea have participated in 11 FIFA World Cup tournaments, the most for any Asian country, and were the first Asian team to reach the semi-finals when they co-hosted the 2002 tournament with Japan.
The Korea Football Association was founded in 1933, joining FIFA in 1948 and the Asian Football Confederation in 1954. Their first international match was a 5-3 win over Mexico at the 1948 Summer Olympic Games in London.
Wales' first meeting with South Kore will be a friendly international in 2023.
Head to head v. South Korea
| P | W | D | L | F | A | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ALL | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Match details
| no. | date | score | scorers (wales) | venue | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 702 | 8/09/2023 | Wales 0-0 South Korea | Cardiff City Stadium, Cardiff | Fr |
AFC Asian Cup winners (2): 1956, 1960
AFC Asian Cup runners-up (4): 1972, 1980, 1988, 2015
Welsh players to have made their debut against South Korea
No players have made their debut for Wales against South Korea.
Wales' opponents from Asian Football Confederation
Wales have faced eight countries from the current Asian Football Confederation.
Israel joined the AFC in 1954 and as such were an AFC member when they played against Wales in a 1958 FIFA World Cup play-off. However, at the Asian Games held in Iran in 1974, some Muslim and Arab countries refused to play against Israel in the football tournament. At the AFC Congress held during the games, Kuwait proposed Israel be excluded from all AFC competitions; a motion adopted by a vote of 17 to 13 with 6 abstentions.
Kuwait were Wales' next opponents from the AFC, with back to back matches played at The Racecourse, Wrexham and the Al Kuwait Sports Club Stadium, Kuwait City in 1977. Goalkeeper, Dai Davies, was unable to play in the return leg in Kuwait having been denied entry for having an Israeli stamp in his passport.
Iran, drawn in Scotland's group for the 1978 World Cup Finals in Argentina, invited Wales to Tehran as part of their tournament preparations.
With the end of the British Home Championships, the Football Association of Wales accepted lucrative offers to play Saudi Arabia in 1986 and to take part in Japan's Kirin Cup in 1992.
