A closer look at the U20 World Cup group stage: Who shone and who fell short of expectations?

The groupstage of the 2026 FIFA U20 Women's World Cup has come to an end. Alongside the expected results, the six groups also produced several major surprises. Whilst some of the traditional powerhouses, led by Spain and North Korea, lived up to their status without too much trouble, others stumbled upon opponents who were not considered major contenders before the tournament.

Hosts Poland progressed from their group without suffering a single defeat, whilst Italy surprisingly finished above both Japan and the USA, and Portugal also turned their debut appearance into the knockout stages. At the other end of the spectrum is Mexico, for example, who were knocked out of the tournament prematurely. Who impressed us in the group stage, who fell short of expectations, and which players stood out the most?

Group A

Final standings: 1. Poland (qualified), 2. Argentina (qualified), 3. Mexico (eliminated), 4. Benin (eliminated)

One of the biggest surprises of the tournament so far has come from the hosts, Poland. Although this was their first appearance at the U-20 Women’s World Cup in this age group, they stormed through their group without dropping a single point. The Polish team’s greatest strength was, above all, their offense, which proved it can compete with the world’s best.

Argentina, on the other hand, had to recover from a poor start to the tournament, losing 0:3 to the hosts. However, they subsequently regained their confidence and secured second place in the group. The tournament ended in a far greater disappointment for Mexico, who were certainly not expected to be knocked out so early. 

The Mexican women picked up their only point right at the start against the underrated Benin, for whom this also proved to be their only point of the tournament. In the decisive matches against Poland and Argentina, Mexico came away empty-handed, and even a squad full of promising individuals was not enough to secure advancing. The final match against La Albiceleste was particularly bitter, as El Tri had enjoyed the better of the contest but saw their hopes of securing a point dashed in stoppage time.

The players who made the biggest impression: Zuzanna Grzywińska (Poland), Annika Paz (Argentina)

Group B

Final standings: 1. Brazil (qualified), 2. England (qualified), 3. Canada (qualified), 4. Tanzania (eliminated)

Brazil’s first-place finish probably didn’t come as much of a shock to anyone. England’s performances, however, were far more inconsistent, and, given the results of the senior national team and the quality of Women's Super League, more had somehow been expected of them. In their opening match against Canada, the English women only managed to salvage a point thanks to a penalty a minute from time, and in their match against Brazil they failed to hold on to their lead, allowing the Canarinho to turn the score around in the fifth minute of stoppage time. Perhaps only the game against Tanzania, which, as expected, failed to pick up a single point, went decisively in England’s favour.

Canada, on the other hand, showed that this generation is capable of competing with strong opposition. Had it not been for a lack of discipline in the match against Brazil, which resulted in a red card in the 25th minute, the Group B table might have looked very different.

The players who made the biggest impression: Rachel Maltby (England), Annabelle Chukwu (Canada), Clarinha (Brazil)

Group C

Final standings: 1. France (qualified), 2. South Korea (qualified), 3. Ecuador (eliminated), 4. Ghana (eliminated)

Group C had been tipped to be one of the most closely-fought, which was more or less confirmed in the end. As expected, France finished top of the group, although it took them a while for their form to stabilise. South Korea entered the tournament boosted by their opening draw with France, but a surprise defeat to Ghana clipped their wings, and the Taegeuk Nangja had to earn their place in the play-offs in a dramatic final group match against Ecuador.

Ecuador, in particular, has proved to be the most pleasant surprise in this group, thanks largely to its excellent attacking play. Although this South American nation has qualified for the World Cup for the very first time, it came close to a draw in its matches against France and South Korea, and beat Ghana quite convincingly 3–0. Ecuador has thus confirmed that it is capable of performing to a high standard, though it struggles somewhat to maintain that level for the full 90 minutes. Neither Ghana is returning home in disgrace, and their 3:1 victory over a struggling South Korea can be seen as a promising sign for the future.

The players who made the biggest impression: Justine Rouquet (France), Rosa Flores (Ecuador), Seung-Eun Nam (South Korea)

Group D

Final standings: 1. Italy (qualified), 2. Japan (qualified), 3. USA (qualified), 4. New Zealand (eliminated)

Based on the response from the media and fans alike, this proved to be the most competitive and thrilling group of the entire Women’s U20 World Cup. The Japanese, who had won one bronze, two silvers and one gold from their last four appearances; the Americans, who have already won the tournament in this age group three times; the ambitious Italians, who have been rapidly improving in recent years; and New Zealand, who were certainly not there just to make up the numbers.

Le Azzurre dominated the group, thereby stunning the favourites, Japan and the USA. It was in their match against the North American giants that they managed to be more efficient and capitalise on the Americans’ mistakes, which ultimately secured them a comeback victory and three points, despite conceding a goal relatively early on. A further victory over New Zealand and a draw with Japan thus secured the Europeans their first-ever place in the play-offs in the tournament’s history. The USA, however, also shook off their initial struggles and, following a dramatic draw with Japan, thrashed the hapless Football Ferns 9–0.

Nadeshiko’s campaign in the group stage was slightly disappointing. Whilst Japan could only manage draws against their strong opponents, they secured their mandatory victory over New Zealand with a penalty in stoppage time. Quite simply, more was expected from a team with such a strong history. New Zealand, too, failed to make an impact against such high-calibre opposition. They failed to score more than a single goal in any of their three matches and return home with a dreadful aggregate score of 1–14.

The players who made the biggest impression: Kennedy Fuller (USA), Miyu Matsunaga (Japan), Giada Pellegrino (Italy)

Group E

Final standings: 1. North Korea (qualified), 2. Portugal (qualified), 3. Colombia (qualified), 4. Costa Rica (eliminated)

The defending champions from the previous edition, North Korea, entered the group stage as clear favourites and lived up to that role without hesitation. They picked up the maximum number of points, did not concede a single goal, and not one of their opponents was able to stifle their attacking efforts. Colombia was also expected to perform well after beating the USA and drawing with England in their friendly matches, but so far they have only managed to capitalise on that confidence to a limited extent. Although they have qualified for the play-offs in third place, apart from their victory over Costa Rica, their performances have not been all that convincing.

Portugal have also qualified for the knockout stages, largely thanks to their solid defence, which is a remarkable achievement given this is their first-ever appearance at the Under-20 World Cup. Costa Rica, by contrast, finish without a single point, meaning their overall record at the World Cup in this age group has now worsened to 15 defeats in 15 matches.

The players who made the biggest impression: Choe Rim-Jong (DPRK), Erica Cancelinha (Portugal)

Group F

Final standings: 1. Spain (qualified), 2. Nigeria (qualified), 3. China (qualified), 4. New Caledonia (eliminated)

There was probably no doubt as to who the group favourite was. Spain put in a dominant and controlled performance, typical of Spanish football, in all their matches apart from a few brief passages, and breezed through to the play-offs with an impressive score of 16–1. Nigeria’s journey in the tournament is not over yet, either. Although they struggled with accuracy and failed to fully utilize their midfield in their opening match against La Roja, a draw with China and a convincing victory over New Caledonia saw them back in contention, and their quality has gradually improved.

In reality, China presented itself in a much more favourable light than its position in the final table would suggest. It was the only team to score against Spain and even managed a passage in the match where it put the European side under pressure, and it also had the upper hand in the match against Nigeria. New Caledonia was undoubtedly the weakest link in the group, unable to find a way to cope with opponents who were stronger on paper and having to swallow an alarming aggregate score of 1–26.

The players who made the biggest impression: Huang Jiaxin (China), Paula Comendador (Spain), Celia Segura (Spain)