Spain vs North Korea: U20 Women’s World Cup final preview
The FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup in Poland is heading towards its conclusion. While Italy and Colombia will battle for bronze today, on Sunday, 27 September, we will find out who will be crowned the next youth world champions. Two of the tournament’s biggest favourites will fight for the title. North Korea are defending champions and are yet to concede a single goal, while Spain have been producing dominant performances and confirming the emergence of an exceptional generation.
Spain vs North Korea (18:00 CET, Łódź)
The U20 Women’s World Cup will come to an end on Sunday evening, when we find out which country has produced the best U20 team in the world. The line-up for the final comes as no surprise: these are two of the tournament’s biggest favourites and the two most recent world champions. Spain won the tournament in 2022, while North Korea lifted the trophy in 2024. North Korea faced Japan in the 2024 final, meaning Sunday will either see the Asian side successfully defend their title or Spain return to the throne.
Spain have already won the U19 European Championship this year, with several members of the current squad playing key roles in that triumph. The biggest star and the tournament’s leading scorer is Real Madrid academy product Pau Comendador, who, among other things, scored the decisive goal in the quarter-final. She has six goals and one assist to her name and will be looking to add to that tally in the final. It will not be easy, though. North Korea are yet to concede a single goal at the tournament.
Standing in Spain’s way are North Korea. If you are wondering how a country ruled by a strict dictatorship has made it all the way to the final, read our article explaining the system behind their success. North Korea have dominated the most recent women’s U20 and U17 tournaments, supported by a carefully structured system in which players undergo intensive development from around the age of 13. But back to the current squad.
Yon-A Chloe has one goal and one assist fewer than Spain’s Comendador. At club level, she plays for Naegohyang, the team that won the most recent edition of the AFC Women’s Champions League. North Korea will be relying on her, as well as goalkeeper Ju-Gyong Pak, who represents the same club.
The U20 Women’s World Cup will soon be followed by the U17 Women’s World Cup, which begins on 17 October and will be hosted by Morocco. North Korea will be defending their title there as well.
Where to watch? The final is gonna be streamed for free on DAZN.com