Casey Phair, 16, becomes youngest player to debut in FIFA World Cup

Casey Phair, a 16-year-old soccer phenom, became the youngest player to appear in a FIFA World Cup when she entered Tuesday’s Women’s World Cup match for South Korea against Colombia. Here’s what you need to know:

Phair, at 16 years and 26 days, broke the record that belonged to Ifeanyi Chiejine, who was 16 years and 34 days old when she played for Nigeria against North Korea in 1999.
Phair is also the first mixed-heritage player to be called up to a South Korean World Cup team.
“It was very scary moment,” Phair said at full-time. “But then going in, running around, I think I settled in.”
South Korea fell to Colombia 2-0 in their opening group-stage match and will next face Morocco on Sunday, followed by Germany on Thursday.

Backstory

Phair, born to an American father and a Korean mother and based in the U.S., had the opportunity to train with the U.S. camp last year. Shortly after, she trained with the South Korean side. Though she has long admired USWNT stars such as Alex Morgan and Mallory Swanson, she ultimately opted for continuing the path with the Koreans.

This spring, Phair scored five goals in two games for their under-17s team in Asian Cup qualifying. She was then drafted into the senior squad’s training camp, before being named on the 23-player World Cup roster.

What Phair said

It took nearly one hour for 16-year-old Casey Phair to address a small group of reporters following her historic debut. The forward for South Korea on Tuesday became the youngest player ever to debut in a World Cup tournament at 16 years and 26 days old. She was called up to the senior team just a couple days after her birthday on June 29, she told The Athletic this week.

Colombia defeated South Korea 2-0 in a Group H match that rounded out the first round of group matches in this year’s World Cup. Phair was subbed onto the pitch by head coach Colin Bell in the 78th minute.

When asked about her historic debut, Phair’s initial reaction was to comment on the match. “Today didn’t really go as we planned, like the result didn’t come out as well as we hoped. But I really enjoyed playing for my first time and I’m really happy to be the youngest player in a World Cup.”

She described the pride she felt being the first mixed-heritage player to represent her federation. Her mother is from South Korea, and her father is from the United States. Phair was born in Korea. Her parents relocated to the U.S. when she was one month old. “I’m really proud and really honored to be the first mixed player for the Korean Federation,” she told reporters.

Her favorite moment on the pitch, she says, was being able to just “settle in” after shaking off the initial nerves entering the match. “It was very scary moment, but then going in, running around, I think I settled in,” she says.

She described the moment Bell approached her about entering the pitch. She had been warming up all first half when he gave her the news. “I was kind of scared at first,” she says. “But then I took a couple of deep breaths and then I ran over. I was really excited to get the chance to play.”

The crowd of 24,323 fans was the biggest crowd she’s played before. “I’m hoping to get used to it,” she says, “But, I enjoyed it.”