This image provided by the Korea Football Association shows the award ceremony of the 2019 EAFF E-1 Football Championship held in Busan, South Korea. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, May 23 (Korea Bizwire) — Three Gyeonggi provincial cities — Yongin, Suwon and Hwaseong — will host the top East Asian football tournament in July, the national football governing body said Friday.
The Korea Football Association announced that the East Asian Football Federation (EAFF) E-1 Championship will take place in the three cities from July 7 to 16.
This will be the first E-1 tournament in South Korea since the southeastern city of Busan hosted it in 2019.
The men’s tournament will be played entirely at Yongin Mireu Stadium, about 40 kilometers south of Seoul, as previously announced. South Korea will face China on July 7, Hong Kong on July 11, and Japan on July 15.
The women’s competition will feature South Korea, Japan, China, and Chinese Taipei, the latter replacing North Korea, which withdrew after initially qualifying. The women’s matches are set for July 9, 13 and 16.
The Suwon World Cup Stadium will be the venue for the July 9 and 16 women’s matches. The July 13 match will be held at Hwaseong Sports Complex, due to scheduling conflicts at the Suwon stadium involving a K League 2 match, according to the KFA.
The EAFF E-1 Championship was launched in 2003 for men and 2005 for women. South Korea leads the men’s tournament with five titles, while Japan tops the women’s side with four championships.
(Yonhap)
