South Korea's men's football team has had a rough couple of days getting around at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, with transport arrangements letting the squad down for a second straight day.
Lee Min-sung's side opened their Group D campaign in style on September 15, beating Qatar 4-1 at Mizuho Park Rugby Field in Nagoya. Overage player Eom Ji-sung, 24, of Swansea City, scored a hat trick in the win. But getting to the stadium wasn't straightforward. The bus driver apparently wasn't familiar with the route and mistakenly took the team to a baseball stadium near the rugby field that wasn't even being used for Asian Games baseball. After the detour, South Korea arrived at Mizuho Park Rugby Field just an hour before kickoff.
The following day brought more of the same. The team was scheduled to travel to a nearby training ground on September 16 for a recovery session, but the bus organized through the Games' organizing committee failed to show up on time. The Korea Football Association had to scramble to find a replacement vehicle, eventually getting the squad to the training ground at 10:50 a.m., 20 minutes behind schedule.
Not the only team affected
South Korea isn't alone in dealing with logistical headaches at these Games. Vietnam's women's volleyball team was directed onto a bus after arriving in Japan on September 14, only for the vehicle to take them to the wrong hotel. Players ended up walking to their actual destination while carrying their own luggage and equipment.
Indonesia's men's basketball team ran into a similar issue earlier, on September 10, when their bus arrived more than 40 minutes late for a group-stage game against Japan. No explanation was given for that delay.
