North Korea defeats Japan to claim AFC U-17 Women’s Asian Cup title

North Korea's women's football team celebrates after winning the Asian Football Confederation U-17 Women’s Asian Cup in Suzhou Sports Centre Stadium in Suzhou, China, on May 17. [ASIAN FOOTBALL CONFEDERATION]

North Korea defeated Japan 5-1 to win the AFC U-17 Women’s Asian Cup on Sunday, successfully defending its title and becoming the tournament’s most successful team.

North Korea routed Japan in the final at Suzhou Sports Center Stadium in Suzhou, China, with Yu Jong-hyang scoring four goals to lead the victory.

The win marked North Korea’s second consecutive title following its triumph at the 2024 tournament in Indonesia. This fifth win puts North Korea ahead of Japan’s four titles for the most in tournament history.

U-17 Women’s Asian Cup is a biennial women’s U-17 football tournament organized by the AFC that also serves as Asia’s qualifier for the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup.

North Korea finished runner-up at last month’s AFC U-20 Women’s Asian Cup in Thailand after losing 1-0 to Japan in the final, but the country’s U-17 squad avenged that defeat one month later.

North Korea dominated throughout the tournament, defeating Chinese Taipei 10-0, the Philippines 8-0 and South Korea 3-0 in the group stage to finish first in Group C.

The team then crushed Thailand 6-0 in the quarterfinals before defeating China 4-2 in the semifinals.

North Korea scored 36 goals and conceded only three across six matches, earning praise for its balance on both offense and defense.

By reaching the semifinals, North Korea also secured a ticket to compete at the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup set to take place in Morocco in October.

North Korea is also the most successful team in FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup history with four titles, including back-to-back championships in 2024 and 2025.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.