2026 Hwarang Cup wraps up in Gyeongju with 789 teams, 15,000 players over 16 days

The 2026 Hwarang Cup National Youth Football Tournament, the country's largest youth football festival, concluded successfully after 16 days of competition.

Gyeongju city announced Monday that the tournament, held from Aug. 28 through Saturday at venues including the Civic Stadium, Football Park, Alcheon Stadium and Smart Air Dome, had wrapped up without incident.

Organized by the Korea Football Association and co-hosted by Gyeongju city and the Gyeongju Football Association, the tournament drew 789 teams — 395 in the U-12 category and 394 in the U-11 category — and about 15,000 participants from schools and clubs across the country.

The tournament was divided into two weekly rounds, with players competing across 2,400 matches to showcase the skills they had honed.

The U-12 competition followed a level-based tournament format, while the U-11 division used a level-based round-robin format with no final rankings.

Matches were played at the Civic Stadium, six pitches at Football Park, five pitches at Alcheon Stadium and the Smart Air Dome. Training sessions also took place at sports parks in Angang, Geoncheon, Oidong, Gampo and along the Hyeongsan River, as well as at Hwarang Village and Seocheon Riverside.

The large influx of players, officials and supporters from across the country helped raise Gyeongju's profile as a hub for youth football and a national sports destination.

On the final day, Saturday, an awards ceremony for U-12 group winners was held at the Civic Stadium at 5:30 p.m., bringing the 16-day event to a close.

"We will continue to develop our football infrastructure and tournament operations so that players can showcase their abilities in a safe and comfortable environment, and uphold Gyeongju's reputation as the center of youth football in Korea," Gyeongju Mayor Ju Nak-young said.