[Provided by Gyeongju City]
[Provided by Gyeongju City]

Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, has refurbished its main soccer venues ahead of the 2026 Hwarang Cup National Youth Soccer Tournament, the country's largest youth soccer competition.

The city invested 2 billion won ($1.44 million) to replace the aging artificial turf at fields 5 and 6 of its soccer park with new surfaces meeting Korea Football Association standards, the city said Monday.

Now in its 23rd edition, the Hwarang Cup runs for 16 days from Friday through Sept. 12 across venues in the Gyeongju area.

A total of 789 teams and more than 15,000 players from schools and clubs nationwide will compete in about 2,300 matches.

Matches will be held at venues across Gyeongju, including the Smart Air Dome — the country's first air-dome soccer facility — as well as the soccer park, Alcheon Soccer Stadium and the municipal sports complex.

Alongside the facility upgrades, Gyeongju has also strengthened measures to protect players from the summer heat.

To limit young athletes' exposure to extreme temperatures, the city pushed the tournament's start from early August to late August and scheduled matches to avoid the hottest hours of the day.

Cooling breaks will be observed during matches, and a cooling-fog system will operate at venues to ensure players stay adequately hydrated and rested.

Last year's Hwarang Cup generated an estimated 62.9 billion won in regional economic impact.

"With the venues freshly upgraded, we expect young players to showcase their skills to the fullest in a much better environment," Gyeongju Mayor Ju Nak-young said. "We will do our utmost to thoroughly prepare for heat and safety risks so that both players and parents can feel at ease throughout the tournament."


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