North Korea advanced to the semifinals of the 2026 AFC U17 Women's Asian Cup after a six-goal rout of Thailand, keeping alive its bid for a second straight title.
North Korea defeated Thailand 6-0 in the quarterfinals on Monday, at Taihu Football Sports Center in Suzhou, China.
North Korea effectively secured the match in the first half, taking a 3-0 lead through two goals from Yu Jeong-hyang and an own goal. In the second half, Ri Gyeong-im added another goal, while Seo Ye-rim scored twice to complete the rout.
After defeating Taiwan 10-0, the Philippines 8-0 and South Korea 3-0 in the group stage to finish first in its group, North Korea continued its dominant run with the win over Thailand. Through four matches in the tournament, the team has scored 27 goals without conceding once.
North Korea, tied with Japan for the most titles in tournament history with four and the defending champion after winning the 2024 tournament in Indonesia, also secured a berth in the 2026 U17 Women's World Cup, which will be held in Morocco in October, by reaching the semifinals.
North Korea has also been the dominant team at the U17 Women's World Cup level, winning a record four titles, including consecutive championships in 2024 and 2025.
North Korea will face China, which defeated India 3-0, on May 14 for a place in the final.
Meanwhile, the South Korean national team, coached by Lee Da-young, failed to secure one of the tournament's four World Cup berths after losing 1-0 to Japan in the quarterfinals.
(This article was produced with the assistance of AI. — Ed.)
khnews@heraldcorp.com
