Spain Wins U-20 Women's World Cup, Stopping North Korea's Bid for Back-to-Back Titles

Spain has claimed the championship at the 2026 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup by defeating defending champions North Korea.

In the tournament final held today (KST) at the Municipal Stadium in Lodz, Poland, Spain secured a 4-3 victory in a penalty shootout after a scoreless 0-0 draw through 120 minutes including extra time.

Goalkeeper Laia Lopez led Spain to victory by blocking penalty shots from Choe Yon-a and Park Il-sim.

With this win, Spain lifted its second career trophy four years after capturing its first title by defeating Japan in the final of the 2022 Costa Rica tournament, where North Korea did not participate.

On the other hand, North Korea, which triumphed at the 2024 Colombia tournament, fell short of securing consecutive titles and its fourth championship overall.

This tournament featured many players from both teams who had played in the 2024 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup final, where North Korea beat Spain in a penalty shootout, allowing Spain to successfully exact revenge.

Spain, whose senior men's national team won the North and Central American World Cup earlier this year for the first time in 16 years, once again demonstrated its global dominance in women's football.

Over the past decade, Spain has won the FIFA U-17 and U-20 Women's World Cups twice each, along with one senior Women's World Cup title.

North Korea scored a total of 16 goals in the tournament and made history as the first team in FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup history to go through the tournament without conceding a single goal, but had to settle for the runner-up finish.

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.