North Korea eyes 2nd straight title at FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup

North Korea’s women’s football team continued to showcase its dominance at the youth level, cruising to a 2-0 victory over Portugal in its opening match of the 2026 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup.

North Korea defeated Portugal, representing the Union of European Football Associations, 2-0 in Group E action in Lodz, Poland, on Monday.

North Korea is drawn in Group E alongside Portugal, Costa Rica of the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football, and Colombia of the South American Football Confederation.

Striker Kang Ryu-mi emerged as an early player to watch after scoring both of North Korea’s goals.

North Korea opened the scoring in the 25th minute after Choe Rim-jong’s shot from the right side of the penalty area struck a Portuguese defender’s hand, resulting in a penalty.

Kang stepped up and calmly converted the spot kick into the bottom-left corner to give North Korea a 1-0 lead.

North Korea doubled its advantage just five minutes into the second half.

A cross from the left wing traveled across the penalty area before Choe Rim-jong headed the ball toward the center. In an unfortunate sequence for Portugal, its goalkeeper and a defender collided while attempting to clear the ball.

Kang was positioned in front of goal and needed only a simple header to make it 2-0.

North Korea dominated the match statistically, outshooting Portugal 18-5 and registering six shots on target to Portugal’s two.

Established in 2002, the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup has been held 11 times. North Korea has won the competition three times, tying the United States and Germany for the most titles in tournament history.

North Korea also won the most recent edition in 2024.

At that tournament, North Korea went unbeaten throughout its seven matches, scoring 25 goals while conceding just four. The team defeated three major women’s football powers — Brazil in the quarterfinals, the United States in the semifinals and Japan in the final — on its way to the title.

Following their championship triumph in 2024, the North Korean U-20 women’s team received a hero’s welcome at Pyongyang’s Sunan International Airport and was later received by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

Meanwhile, South Korea, competing in Group C, earned a valuable point after drawing 1-1 with powerhouse France on Sunday.

Japan, in Group D, defeated New Zealand 2-1, while China, in Group F, routed New Caledonia 5-0.

All four Asian teams competing at this year’s tournament therefore made positive starts to their campaigns.

This article from Xportsnews is adapted by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.