Did the late arrival of South Korea and Qatar delay the Asian Games Group D match in Nagoya?

The South Korean official did not expect the match to be pushed back. Even so, the late arrival forced players on both sides to hurry through warmups on a rainy Tuesday night.

What other transportation problem did the South Korean football team face in Nagoya before the Qatar match?

Head coach Lee Min-sung was a few minutes late for his pretournament press conference on Monday because the organizing committee had not sent a designated official vehicle to the team hotel. A KFA official said the committee told him to take a taxi before he and a staff member found another official vehicle.

Football teams arrive late to Asian Games stadium after bus drivers get lost

Q: Why did the South Korean and Qatari football teams arrive late at Nagoya City Mizuho Park Rugby Field?

A South Korean team official said both bus drivers got lost and went to an adjacent baseball stadium instead of the football venue. The teams reached the stadium around 6:20 p.m., leaving them little time before warmups.

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Summary

The South Korean and Qatari men’s national football teams arrived late at the stadium in Nagoya on Tuesday after their bus drivers got lost. Both teams reached the venue about 30 minutes behind schedule, leaving little time before warmups for their Asian Games Group D opener. A South Korean official said the buses went to an adjacent baseball stadium instead of the football venue. The Korea Football Association had not yet filed an official complaint.

Key Facts

The match was scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m. at Nagoya City Mizuho Park Rugby Field in central Japan.
The teams arrived around 6:20 p.m., about 30 minutes later than planned.
Players began warming up in pouring rain around 6:45 p.m.
The South Korean official said the organizing committee had previously failed to send a designated official vehicle for coach Lee Min-sung before his pretournament press conference Monday.
Lee Min-sung and a staff member eventually found another official vehicle after being told to take a taxi to the stadium.

By Yonhap

Published Sep 15, 2026 8:48 pm KST
Updated Sep 16, 2026 1:31 am KST

South Korean players form a huddle before a training session for their Asian Games men's football match against Qatar at Toyota City Sports Park in Toyota, Japan, Monday. Yonhap

NAGOYA — The South Korean and Qatari men's national football teams for Tuesday's Asian Games match in Japan arrived at the stadium about 30 minutes later than scheduled, after both of their drivers got lost on the way, a South Korean team official said.

The two countries were scheduled to open Group D action at 7:30 p.m. at Nagoya City Mizuho Park Rugby Field in Nagoya, with the warmup to begin 50 minutes before kickoff.

However, the teams arrived at the venue in central Japan around 6:20 p.m., leaving them barely enough time to get ready for their warmups. According to the official, drivers for both team buses went to an adjacent baseball stadium instead of the football venue.

The football stadium is part of Mizuho Sports Park, which also includes the baseball stadium and a track and field stadium.

The South Korean official said he did not expect the match to be pushed back, though the late arrivals forced players on both squads to scramble to get warmed up before the match on this rainy Tuesday night.

"Something like this should not have happened in an international competition," the Korean official said, adding that the Korea Football Association (KFA) had not yet filed an official complaint.

Players came out to the field to warm up in pouring rain around 6:45 p.m.

This was not the first transportation mishap for the South Korean football team here. Head coach Lee Min-sung was a few minutes late for his pretournament press conference Monday at Nagoya City Mizuho Park Rugby Field, after the organizing committee had failed to send a designated, official vehicle to the team hotel.

According to a KFA official, the organizing committee told Lee to take a taxi to the stadium instead, before the coach and a team staff member found another official vehicle that gave them a ride.

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