South Korea Women's Volleyball, VNL Relegation Crisis... Has Korea Lost Its Place, Becoming a Historic Crisis?

[Financial News]  The crisis of South Korea's women's volleyball has become a reality. The South Korean women's volleyball team, led by coach Fernando Morales, concluded the 2025 International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) Volleyball Nations League (VNL) with a dismal record of 1 win and 11 losses, ultimately facing the threat of relegation.
On the 13th, South Korea was completely defeated with a set score of 0-3 (17-25 19-25 21-25) in the last match of the tournament against France held in Chiba, Japan. With this defeat, South Korea's world ranking in women's volleyball plummeted from 34th to 37th. Meanwhile, France rose from 16th to 14th, marking contrasting fortunes.
South Korea managed to secure only 1 win in this VNL. During the first week in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, they lost to Germany, Italy, Czech Republic, and the United States without securing a single win.
In the first match of the second week held in Istanbul, Türkiye, South Korea narrowly secured their first victory against Canada with a set score of 3-2, but failed to reverse the mood, losing all three subsequent matches. In the third week, they faced Poland, Japan, Bulgaria, and France in succession but failed to sound the victory gong, ending the tournament bitterly.
This tournament involved 18 countries playing 12 matches each to determine the rankings, with the lowest-ranked team relegated to the Challenger Cup, the lower league of the VNL. South Korea stands at 17th among the 18 countries with 1 win, 11 losses, and 5 points. Although Thailand, which has one match remaining, is in last place at 18th, they also have 1 win, 11 losses, and 5 points, trailing South Korea only in set difference.
Now, the fate of South Korea's women's volleyball depends on the result of Thailand's last match. Thailand, currently playing their third-week schedule in Arlington, Texas, USA, will face Canada in the final match at 5 a.m. on the 14th, our time. If Thailand loses to Canada with a set score of 2-3, adding only 1 point, South Korea will be pushed to the bottom and will not be able to play in the VNL next year.
This means that South Korea's women's volleyball could lose its place on the world stage.
Since the retirement of Kim Yeon-koung, South Korea's women's volleyball has shown instability alongside generational change. They set a goal to secure at least 2 wins in the VNL to survive stably, but faced a harsh reality with only 1 win.




jsi@fnnews.com Jeon Sang-il Reporter