North Korea U17 women's team 3-0 Netherlands, fourth world championship

The North Korean women's U17 team defeated the Netherlands women's U17 team 3-0 to win their fourth U17 Women's World Cup title, becoming the most successful team in the history of the tournament (2006, 2016, 2024, 2025). This victory is also the biggest margin of victory ever in a final match of the tournament. Despite giving up some control of the ball, the defending champions still completely controlled the situation and defended their title for the second consecutive year.

Final highlight: direct play decides early

Entering the match with confidence and dominance, the North Korean U17 women's team chose a direct approach, attacking the gaps in the Dutch defense. Kim Won-sim opened the scoring in the 14th minute, putting the opponent on the run. Not long after, Pak Rye-yong doubled the lead, before Ri Ui-gyong made it 3-0 just before half-time.

From there, the Asian representative proactively controlled the tempo, accepting that the opponent had more possession of the ball at some points but still controlled the entire state of the match. Their alertness in managing the game helped them keep a clean sheet and not give the Netherlands, the new recruits of the U17 Women's World Cup, a chance to come back.

Tactical perspective: early pressure, effective in the box

The match was defined by high intensity from the start and direct attacks from the North Korean U17s. Their decisive one-touch play and ability to exploit spaces behind the defence allowed them to make a difference quickly. Although they did not keep the ball for long, the East Asians controlled key areas of the pitch, forcing the Netherlands to sit back and defend passively.

Remarkably, even though Jong Hyang-yu – the tournament’s top scorer with 8 goals – did not score, the North Korean U17 women’s team still won convincingly. This shows the depth and diversity of their attacking options: not dependent on one individual, but based on an effective operating structure.

Numbers speak for themselves.

• Final score: North Korea U17 women 3-0 Netherlands U17 women.
• Opening goal: Kim Won-sim in the 14th minute; second goal: Pak Rye-yong; third goal: Ri Ui-gyong before halftime.
• The victory had the biggest margin in the history of the Women's U17 World Cup final.
• Fourth title: 2006, 2016, 2024, 2025 – North Korea U17 women's team is the most successful team in the tournament.
• Defending the title for two consecutive years, an achievement that only Spain had previously achieved.
• Netherlands U17 Women are the new and current champions of the U17 Women's Euro.
• This year's tournament, taking place in Morocco, has been expanded to 24 teams and is being held for the first time in two consecutive years following FIFA's changes.

The champion's milestone

This year’s title under coach Ri Yu Il confirms the stable cycle of North Korea’s U17 women’s team at the youth level. In the context of the U17 Women’s World Cup becoming an annual tournament and expanding in scale, the overwhelming victory over the U17 Women’s Euro champions shows that they are maintaining a very high standard of competition at this level.