South Korea, Saudi Arabia Qualify for Men's Olympic Soccer Tournament

BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) – South Korea and Saudi Arabia both qualified for the men's Olympic soccer tournament after winning games on Wednesday.

South Korea beat Australia 2-0 and Saudi Arabia defeated Uzbekistan 1-0 in the semifinals of the Asian Under-23 championship in Thailand. The final is Sunday in Bangkok.

Three teams will qualify for the Tokyo Olympics from the Asian competition, joining host Japan in a 16-nation lineup. Australia and Uzbekistan play for the other Olympic entry in a third-place game on Saturday.

South Korea won bronze at the 2012 London Olympics, beating Japan in the third-place game. The IOC barred a South Korean player from the medal ceremony after he displayed a flag with a political statement against Japan in the stadium.

Other nations already qualified are France, Germany, Spain, Romania, New Zealand, Ivory Coast, Egypt and South Africa. CONMEBOL's qualifying tournament is currently in progress, and Concacaf's begins March 20.

SI Staff contributed to this report.