N. Korea claims third title at FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup

North Korea’s women’s football team won the FIFA U-20 World Cup. This is the team's third win in the tournament and its first since its last win eight years ago.

On Monday, North Korea lifted the trophy after defeating Japan 1-0 in the tournament's final in Bogota, Colombia. The victory was North Korea’s third title in the tournament, after 2006 and 2016, tying them with the U.S. (won in 2002, 2008, 2012) and Germany (won in 2004, 2010, 2014) for the most titles.

North Korea’s forward Choe Il Son scored an opening goal in the 15th minute of the first half. “With a dominant performance from start to finish, Choe Il Son led North Korea to victory,” FIFA wrote in its coverage of the final between North Korea and Japan. “Choe was undoubtedly the best player of the tournament, with her dynamic movements and technical excellence shining through,” FIFA said. Choe, who scored the game-winning opening goal in the semifinal against the U.S., won both the Golden Boot (top scorer) and Golden Ball (best player) awards with six goals in the tournament. At 17 years old, she is eligible for one more appearance at the U-20 World Cup, which is held every two years. She is currently splitting her time between North Korea’s U-17 and U-20 national teams.

North Korea remained undefeated in the tournament, winning all seven matches, including three in the group stage. Its offense was potent, scoring 25 goals in seven games and conceding just four. FIFA said the North Korean team raised the standard of U-20 women’s football with its relentless performance. Japan, seeking its second title in six years, finished runner-up for the second consecutive tournament. Japan lost to Spain in the final of the 2022 tournament after winning the championship in 2018. On Sunday, the U.S. defeated the Netherlands 2-1 in the third-place game.


Hong-Gu Kang windup@donga.com