Women s World Cup, North Korea kept a clean sheet as a dark horse, achieved four crowns, and won the Golden Ball and Golden Boot awards

The 2025 FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup concluded in Rabat, Morocco. The event will be held every year starting from 2025, and the participating teams will be expanded from 16 to 24. The five events from 2025 to 2029 will all be located in Morocco, and a unified official logo will be used this time. The 24 teams are divided into 6 groups. The top two teams in the group and the four best third-placed teams advance to the top 16 knockout rounds.

In the final, the North Korean team faced the Netherlands.

The North Korean team’s path to promotion is full of dominance. In the group stage, they defeated Mexico 2-0, Cameroon 2-1, and the Netherlands 5-0, finishing first with an unbeatable record. The knockout stage was even more impressive, sweeping host Morocco 6-1 in the round of 16, defeating Japan 5-1 in the quarter-finals, and defeating Brazil 2-0 in the semi-finals.

The Dutch team's promotion process was full of drama. In the group stage, they narrowly defeated Cameroon 4-3, lost to Mexico 0-1, and lost 0-5 to North Korea. They narrowly advanced to the knockout rounds. In the round of 16, they drew 1-1 with the United States and won on penalty kicks; in the quarter-finals, they drew 2-2 with France and advanced again on penalty kicks; in the semi-finals, they defeated Mexico 1-0 and created a dark horse miracle.

The finals begin. The North Korean team immediately took the initiative after the opening and suppressed its opponents through smooth passing and control. In the 14th minute, the North Korean team got a chance to set the ball in the frontcourt. After the ball entered the penalty area, the Dutch team was not far away from the rescue. Kim Won-shim cleverly stepped in with a header and scored, 1-0. This goal fully demonstrated the North Korean team's tactical discipline and ability to seize opportunities. Just five minutes later, the North Korean team successfully stole the ball in the frontcourt. Park Liyong received a through ball and shot into the far corner with a single shot, 2-0.

The North Korean team, which was leading by two goals, became more and more courageous as they fought. In stoppage time of the first half, the Dutch defender made a mistake in returning the ball. Lee Eui-kyung shot in front of the goalkeeper and scored, 3-0.

Change sides and fight again. The North Korean team appropriately shrinks its formation. Although the Dutch team counterattacks with all its strength, it is difficult to break through the dense defense of the North Korean team. The Dutch team scored a goal in the 85th minute, but VAR confirmed it was offside. In the end, the North Korean team defeated its opponent 3-0, defeated the Netherlands again after the group stage, and won the U17 Women's World Cup for the fourth time.

Technical statistics show that the North Korean team took 18 shots, 10 of which were on target, with a ball possession rate of 62%, completely controlling the rhythm of the game. The Dutch team only had 5 shots and none of them were on target. They were completely suppressed.

In the battle for third place, Brazil and Mexico staged the American Derby. The two sides drew 1-1 in regular time. Brazil opened the scoring in the 78th minute through striker Marta, but Mexico caused an own goal in stoppage time. In the penalty shootout, the Mexican team won 4-2 and won third place with a total score of 5-3. In this game, although the Brazilian team had an advantage in possession of the ball, its offensive efficiency was low, while the Mexican team showed a tenacious defensive counterattack ability.

In terms of individual awards, the North Korean team achieved all the wins. Jin Zhengxiang, who scored 8 goals, won the Golden Globe Award and the Golden Boot Award. His comprehensive offensive and defensive performance conquered all the judges. Jin Yuanxin, who scored 7 goals, won the Silver Ball Award and the Silver Boot Award. Her opening goal in the final sealed the victory for the team. The tacit cooperation and efficient scoring of these two forwards are important guarantees for the North Korean team to win the championship.

The performance of Asian teams in this tournament is obviously divided. The North Korean team won the championship with a complete victory record, showing the highest level of Asian women's football. The Japanese team reached the quarterfinals and lost 1-2 to Brazil in the quarter-finals. The overall performance was remarkable. The Chinese team advanced to the knockout rounds for the first time in history, but lost 0-3 to Brazil in the round of 16, exposing its gap with the world's top teams. The South Korean team was eliminated in the group stage, with one draw and two losses in three games without a win. This differentiation reflects the uneven development of women's football in Asia.

From the perspective of the youth training system, the success of the North Korean team is no accident. Its domestically perfect echelon construction and strict training system have cultivated batches of outstanding players. The tenacious fighting spirit, excellent physical fitness and tactical execution displayed by the North Korean women's football team all stem from daily hard training. In comparison, other Asian teams have deficiencies in youth training investment, coaching level and international competition experience.

The success of the North Korean team proves that a complete youth training system and strict tactical discipline are still effective ways to cultivate young players. The Dutch team's dark horse journey shows that team spirit and tenacious fighting spirit can make up for the lack of strength. For the developing Chinese women's football team, they must not only learn from the system construction of the North Korean team, but also learn from the fighting spirit of the Dutch team in order to achieve breakthroughs in the future.