Sunhong Hwang's spot on the U23 team vacated... Won the WAFF Championship

The South Korea U-23 national soccer team has won the 2024 West Asian Football Federation (WAFF) U23 Championship. The victory came while head coach Hwang Sun-hong was away on an interim basis to take charge of the senior national team.

South Korea won the 2024 WAFF U23 Championship final against Australia 4-3 on penalty kicks after a 2-2 draw on Sunday at Al Fateh Stadium in Saudi Arabia. South Korea had previously defeated Thailand 1-0 and Saudi Arabia 1-0 to reach the final.

While the WAFF U23 Championship is a friendly tournament, it is also a precursor to the 2024 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U23 Asian Cup, which serves as the Asian qualifier for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games next month. Many of the nations competing in both tournaments are the same. In addition to South Korea and Australia, there were eight other nations, including Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, and the United Arab Emirates. South Korea will be feeling more confident after winning the tournament.

Hwang, who was away from the national team for the same period to take over the A team, will now return to his job as the Olympic team coach and prepare for the U23 Asian Cup. South Korea must finish in the top three at the U23 Asian Cup to earn a direct ticket to Paris.

Hwang ended his interim stint with one win and one draw, including a 3-0 victory over Thailand on June 26. Hwang said, "As a coach, you always feel inadequate. I have a long way to go. "Now I want to go back to the Olympic team players who are struggling. I will prepare well and try to get good results in the Olympic qualifiers," he said.