WARSAW: North Korea’s best finish at the senior Women’s World Cup was a 2007 quarterfinal, but at age-group level they have been the dominant force for a couple of decades and on Sunday will play Spain for a fourth under-20 global title.
The 3-0 win over Colombia at the Stadion Miejski LKS in the Polish city of Lodz on Wednesday kept them on track to defend the title they won in the South American country two years ago.
They missed the 2022 edition as North Korea continued its isolation against COVID-19 and the 2020 edition was canceled because of the pandemic, so you would have to go back eight years for their last defeat at a Women’s under-20 World Cup.
That 1-0 quarterfinal loss to hosts France in 2018 ended their second title defense, but they have suffered no hiccups in Poland this month, cruising to the final having scored 16 goals in six matches and conceded none.
“I’m so happy, but while I’m happy to win today, our aim is to win the World Cup,” midfielder Choe Rim-jong told FIFA.com after scoring North Korea’s second goal in Wednesday’s semifinal win.
That ambition is understandable given North Korea’s pedigree in the tournament, which they first won as debutants in 2006 by crushing China 5-0 in the final.
If they beat 2022 champions Spain in Lodz on Sunday, they would become the first team to win the under-20 title back-to-back.
North Korea have also won four of the nine editions of the under-17 World Cup and will go for a third straight title in Morocco next month.
That has ensured a steady stream of talent flowing into the under-20 team with the overwhelming majority of the squad for the Poland tournament being under-17 World Cup winners in 2024.
That includes attacking midfielder Jon Il-chong, whose playmaking was again instrumental in the win over Colombia on Wednesday.
That progression of talent also augurs well for the senior North Korea team, who will end their absence from the Women’s World Cup next year after doping bans, disappointing results and the global pandemic kept them away for 16 years.
“Yes, I think our players can play in a senior Women’s World Cup in the future,” under-20 coach Han Chol-hak said after Jon won the Player of the Match in the Round of 16 win over Japan.
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