Casey Phair. Sipa Press

South Korea forward makes World Cup history

By Victor Barbosa | Last updated 7/25/23

Casey Phair, 16, made World Cup history during South Korea's 2-0 loss to Columbia on Tuesday.

Casey Phair has officially stepped onto the pitch for South Korea. The 16-year-old is now the youngest player to ever debut in a World Cup.
— Melanie Anzidei (@melanieanzidei) July 25, 2023

Casey Phair spoke to a few reporters after her historic debut in Sydney. “I was kind of scared at first. But then I took a couple of deep breaths and then I ran over. I was really excited to get the chance to play," she told us.

Her full comments: https://t.co/j4FtNoNJff
— Melanie Anzidei (@melanieanzidei) July 25, 2023

Despite the shutout loss in their 2023 tournament debut, Phair was impressive, according to Melanie Anzidei of The Athletic.

I lost count of how many times a Colombian player went down after going up against Casey Phair. She does not look intimidated... at all.
— Melanie Anzidei (@melanieanzidei) July 25, 2023

Phair came on late in the match, in the 78th minute, with South Korea down by two.

At 16 years and 26 days, Phair broke the previous mark of 16 years and 34 days old, set by Nigeria's Ifeanyi Chiejine in 1999 against North Korea.

The teenager also made history for the East Asian country by becoming the first mixed-race player of any gender to play for South Korea. Phair was born in the U.S. to an American father and a South Korean mother.

There are other 16-year-olds who have already appeared or could play this summer. Costa Rica's Sheika Scott came on as a substitute during the team's 3-0 loss to Spain last week and Italy midfielder Giulia Dragoni started during her team's 1-0 win over Argentina on Monday, while Isabella Pasion hasn't played in either of the Philippines first two games.

Phair and the rest of the South Korean squad will next face Morocco in group stage play on Sunday. They'll then play Germany on Aug. 3.

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