The U11 team of Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors FC (Chairman Lee Do-hyun, hereinafter Jeonbuk Hyundai) has departed for Japan to build friendship through a Korea-Japan soccer exchange.

The participating team, composed of Jeonbuk Hyundai U11 players, left through Incheon Airport on the morning of the 10th to participate in the '2025 Nike Atlas Cup' tournament.

The Nike Atlas Cup is a prestigious youth soccer tournament in Japan where 32 teams compete in the finals after qualifying through regional preliminaries.

This tournament is hosted by the renowned Japanese J-League club 'Kashima Antlers' and is specially sponsored by Nike Japan. This year, many youth teams including Kashima Antlers and Kawasaki Frontale are participating.

Jeonbuk Hyundai has been participating annually since 2016, except during the COVID period, after receiving a special invitation from Kashima Antlers.

The Jeonbuk Hyundai U11 team is scheduled to play six qualifying matches and ranking matches over three days from the 11th to the 13th during the tournament.

The tournament consists of 32 teams divided into 8 groups, with matches being played in 15-minute halves with 8 players per team.

In addition to soccer matches, the Jeonbuk Hyundai U11 team will participate in a 'Stadium Tour' at Kashima Antlers and stay at the homes of Kashima Antlers youth players through homestay programs to foster friendship through soccer exchanges between Korea and Japan.

In March, when the Kashima Antlers youth team visited Jeonju, the Jeonbuk Hyundai youth team players hosted them for a homestay program.

Coach Park Beom-hwi of the U12 team expressed deep gratitude to Jeonbuk Hyundai and Kashima Antlers for providing another great opportunity for their players this year, stating that the tournament itself is a precious.gif'>t for the players. He also mentioned that he hopes the friendship formed through soccer during this tournament will continue even as the players grow into adults, providing them with a time for mutual growth rather than just competition.