Official: Japan's National Team to Face Australia in the 2026 Asian Cup Final

In the final semifinal match, the Japanese women's national team excellently defeated South Korea with a score of 4-1 to secure their place in the final against host Australia.

Immediately after the starting whistle, Japan quickly established dominance through ball control and high-pressure tactics. Their coordinated plays continuously pressured South Korea's five-player defense into a difficult defensive position. After several missed opportunities, the turning point came at the 15th minute when Riko Ueki capitalized on an opponent's mistake to score the opening goal, continuing her impressive performance in the tournament.

The momentum helped Japan increase their pressure, and at the 25th minute, Maika Hamano shone with a skillful maneuver in tight space before scoring a precise shot, raising the score to 2-0. Not stopping there, the East Asian representative had two more goals against South Korea in the first half, but they were not recognized due to prior fouls.

Entering the second half, South Korea had to push forward their formation to seek a comeback, but this opened up more spaces for Japan to exploit. Despite creating some notable situations, the Korean team lacked accuracy in their final shots.

By the 75th minute, the match outcome was nearly decided when captain Saki Kumagai scored, increasing the lead to 3-0 from a corner kick situation. South Korea's efforts only allowed them to narrow the gap to 3-1 thanks to Kang Chae-rim's goal at the 78th minute.

However, any hopes of reversing the situation were quickly extinguished. At the 81st minute, Remina Chiba secured a 4-1 victory for Japan with a sharp counterattack.

This victory marks Japan's seventh appearance in the final, where they will face host Australia. This also represents a rematch of the 2014 and 2018 finals, where Japan emerged victorious both times, promising a high-level and fateful showdown.