안전놀이터The South Korean women’s soccer team has returned home after an eight-year run at the tournament that ended in a group stage exit.

The women’s national team, led by head coach Colleen Bell, returned home from the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia-New Zealand 2023 on Friday at Incheon International Airport.

South Korea competed in Group H at the tournament and suffered back-to-back losses to Colombia (0-2) and Morocco (0-1) before pulling off an upset with a 1-1 draw against FIFA No. 2 Germany, but failed to advance to the round of 16 after finishing at the bottom of Group H with a 2-1 record.

South Korea women’s national soccer team head coach Colleen Bell arrives at Incheon International Airport on Friday.

After returning home, Bell said, “I didn’t think of today as a homecoming. We wanted to play better and compete in the tournament. So it’s even more disappointing.”

“This is a really important time for Korean women’s soccer. “We have a lot of players with good skills, but we have players who are approaching or past their 30s,” he said. “It’s important to look at the younger players. It’s something we need to work on over time,” he said, showing his commitment to developing young talent.

After returning home from the 2015 World Cup in Canada, where they failed to reach the round of 16 for the first time in eight years, the women’s team will take a break and begin preparations for a strong showing at the Hangzhou Asian Games on Sept. 25. South Korean women’s soccer’s best result at the Asian Games is a bronze medal (2010, 2014, 2018).