South Korea's volleyball coach sends a message ahead of the reunion with the Vietnam women's volleyball team at ASIAD 2026

The South Korean women's volleyball team, under the leadership of head coach Cha Sang Hyun, has regrouped after finishing their campaign at the 2026 Asian Women's Volleyball Championship, where they only reached the quarterfinals.

The South Korean women's volleyball team has begun its comprehensive preparation for the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi Nagoya (ASIAD 20).

The South Korean women's volleyball team returned home via Incheon Airport on August 28, after losing 0-3 to Thailand in the quarterfinals on August 27. After a short rest, the players will regroup at the Jincheon National Training Center on September 1.

This schedule is part of the plan for the Asian Games. After training in Jincheon, the team will depart for Japan on September 13, where the tournament will be held.

At the 2026 Asian Games, South Korea is placed in Group D alongside the Vietnam women's volleyball team, Hong Kong (China), and Qatar. Thus, the South Korean women's volleyball team will face Vietnam and Hong Kong (China) again in the group stage, having previously defeated both teams by the same score of 3-1 at the Asian Championship.

The goal of the South Korean women's volleyball team is to win a medal. At the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games, they were eliminated in the quarterfinals and did not win any medals.

According to My Daily's assessment, the prospects for a medal this time are not easy for the South Korean women's volleyball team. The recent Asian Championship showed that the gap in level between Asian women's volleyball teams is narrowing. Teams that were once considered weaker than South Korea, such as the Vietnam women's volleyball team and Chinese Taipei, have made significant progress. Meanwhile, the women's volleyball teams of Japan, China, and Thailand have all become formidable opponents. Notably, the Thailand women's volleyball team just won the Asian Championship.

The South Korean women's volleyball team is still in a transition period. After the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, held in 2021, key players like Kim Yeon Koung, Yang Hyo Jin, and Kim Su Ji of Heungkuk Life Insurance successively left the national team. The process of building a new generation is ongoing.

Coach Cha Sang Hyun is also under a lot of pressure as the team's performance in international tournaments has not met expectations. After the Asian Championship, he admitted: "We have to accept the reality and prepare for it. I think that's the right approach."

There is not much time left before the Asian Games begin, so the South Korean women's volleyball team must make the most of its current squad. Notably, the final registration list for the Asian Games includes only 12 players, instead of 14 as in the Asian Championship.

This forces Coach Cha Sang Hyun to make quick decisions, such as whether to use two liberos or just one. He also believes that the group stage schedule could become a factor affecting the results.

At the Asian Championship, the South Korean team once found themselves in a situation where they had to play the first match the next morning after playing the previous evening or afternoon. This made it difficult to maintain the players' physical condition.

Coach Cha Sang Hyun emphasized: "The players have really done their best since the first training session this year." He also said: "If there is any criticism or blame regarding the results and performance, direct it at me, not the players."

This is seen as Coach Cha Sang Hyun's protection of his players ahead of the last international tournament of the year. One notable point is that the results of volleyball matches at the Asian Games are not counted toward FIVB rankings. As of August 31, South Korea is ranked 28th in the world with 142.73 points.

In Asia, Japan is ranked 6th in the world with 323.69 points, while China is ranked 7th with 311.83 points. After winning the Asian Championship, Thailand moved up three places to 14th in the world with 230.67 points.

The Vietnam women's volleyball team, South Korea's opponent in the Asian Games group stage, is ranked 32nd in the world with 128.75 points. Hong Kong (China) is ranked 124th with 13.30 points. Qatar is not listed in the FIVB rankings due to too few international tournaments.

The women's volleyball event at the 2026 Asian Games will begin with the group stage on September 16 and conclude with the final on September 22.