North Korea Win Record-Equalling Third Under-20 FIFA Women's World Cup

The North Korea women's under-20 team had not played an international fixture for more than five years, owing to the country's stringent Covid-19 policy

Outlook Sports Desk

Updated on: 23 September 2024 7:31 pm

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North Korea players celebrate after winning the FIFA Under-20 Women's World Cup 2024 in Bogota, Colombia on Monday (September 23). Photo: AP/Fernando Vergara

North Korea came up with a remarkable performance to claim a record-equalling third FIFA Under-20 Women's World Cup title on Monday (September 23, 2024). They defeated Japan by a 1-0 margin in the final in Bogota, Colombia. (More Football News)

With that, the team became the joint-most successful side in the tournament's history, alongside football powerhouses Germany and the United States. What makes this triumph even more eye-catching is the fact that the team had not played an international fixture for more than five years, owing to the country's stringent Covid-19 policy.

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Having not played any game since 2018, the North Korean women's U20 outfit returned to action in March 2024 to compete in the Asian Cup in Uzbekistan. And they won that tournament, prevailing over Japan 2-1 to clinch their second title.

Six months later, they have bagged the top prize at the global stage too.

Choe Il-son's 15th minute winner encapsulated a splendid campaign for North Korea, who won every single game in Colombia. The 17-year-old forward ended up as the competition's overall top scorer, winning the Golden Boot with six goals to her name. She also won the Golden Ball, which is awarded to the World Cup's best overall player.

"It’s so hard to express ourselves right now - this has been a dream of so many of us for so long," North Korea captain Chae Un-yong was quoted as saying in a BBC report.

"The final match was tough, as we expected, and we had to remain calm and play according to the coach’s tactical instructions," she added.

North Korea bulldozed their way through the tournament, packing off the likes of Argentina, the Netherlands and Brazil on the way to the semi-finals.

A 1-0 win over the United States set up an all-Asian final against Japan, who were the runners-up in the previous edition too in 2022.