The Asian Cup runners-up have been named to the roster. Byun aims to match Korea’s U-17 World Cup best.

Byun Sung-hwan’s U-17 team will kick off their campaign at the FIFA U-17 World Cup 2023 on Wednesday (June 12) against the United States.

South Korea’s best finish at the tournament is the quarterfinals (1987, 2009, 2019). “A year and a half ago, we set a goal of reaching the top four,” Byun Sung-hwan said in an interview after the U-17 Asian Cup. Byun qualified for the World Cup with a 4-1 win over Thailand in the Asian Cup quarterfinals. They lost to Japan in the final to finish as runners-up.

Byun, who is aiming for his best-ever World Cup finish, got a glimpse of his potential at the U-17 Four Nations Friendly in Spain last month. The team drew 1-1 and 3-3 against European powerhouses England and Belgium, respectively. They lost 2-3 to Morocco.굿모닝토토 도메인

Byun Sung-hwan, head coach of the South Korean under-17 men’s soccer team, which finished runner-up at the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U-17 Asian Cup, and players pose for a photo after returning home from Incheon International Airport Terminal 2 on Thursday morning.

A number of key players from the Asian Cup were also named to the World Cup roster. Captains Kim Myung-jun (Pohang Steelers U18), Kang Min-woo (Ulsan Hyundai U18) and Yoon Do-young (Daejeon Hana Citizens U18) were among the 16 players called up. Five new names were added to the existing Asian Cup roster, including Bae Sung-ho (Daejeon Hana Citizen U18), Woo Jeong-kyu (Daejeon Hana Citizen U18) and Lee Kyung-jun (Suwon Samsung U18). In particular, Kim Myung-jun, who is known as the biggest name in high school, was selected as one of the 60 most promising players in the world by the British newspaper The Guardian.

Byun Sung-hwan was called up to the National Training Center (NFC) in Paju from the end of last month and held final training until the 5th. On the sixth, the team traveled to Indonesia for the tournament.

The U-17 World Cup is a round of 16 tournament with the four best performers from the second and third place finishers in each group. Byun Sung-hwan, who is in Group C, will face Japan in the round of 16 from Group D, who he met in the Asian Cup final.