U20 Women’s World Cup semi-final preview: Who will reach the final?
Tomorrow, 23 September 2026, the semi-finals of the FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup will take place in Poland, deciding which two teams will reach the final and which will have to fight for bronze. What matches are in store? Let’s take a look.
Italy vs Spain (15:00 CET, Łódź)
A clash between two European sides. Spain cruised through the group stage relatively comfortably, as expected. They opened with a 2:0 win over Nigeria, demolished New Caledonia 11:0 and finished with a 3:1 victory over China.
After progressing as group winners, they faced their Iberian neighbours Portugal in the round of 16 and won 2:0. Brazil awaited them in the quarter-finals, perhaps their toughest opponent and closest match of the tournament so far. Spain eventually progressed with a narrow 1:0 victory, with the decisive goal coming in the 27th minute from the tournament’s current top scorer and our Queen of the Week, Pau Comendador.
These young Spanish players know what it feels like to win. Part of the squad lifted a trophy just a few months ago after beating Germany at the U19 European Championship. Becoming world champions, of course, would be another level. Many of the players are part of the Real Madrid or Barcelona academies and are gradually breaking into their senior teams.
Italy had a slightly more difficult journey, but they are the dark horses of the tournament and perhaps not many people would have predicted before it began that they would make it this far. With stars such as Emma Lombardi and Maya Cherubini in the squad, however, we at Queenballers are not quite so surprised.
They began the tournament with a shock victory over favourites USA, then beat New Zealand before dropping points in a draw with Japan. It was still enough to reach the knockout stage.
The round of 16 brought perhaps their biggest struggle so far. Despite outplaying China in virtually every aspect, a goalkeeper error allowed their opponents to equalise and the match eventually had to be decided on penalties. Italy held their nerve and progressed to the quarter-finals, where they comfortably beat South Korea 3–1.
Italy’s most productive player is AC Milan’s Karen Appiah, who impressed with a brace in their most recent match.
Where to watch: DAZN.com
North Korea vs Colombia (18:30 CET, Łódź)
For some, Colombia may be a slightly surprising semi-finalist, and understandably so. They have reached this stage in rather unusual fashion and with a little bit of luck along the way.
Their only victory in the group stage came in their opening match against Costa Rica, followed by a goalless draw with Portugal. They then lost their final group game to their now-familiar opponents North Korea. However, they narrowly qualified from third place and have made their way to the semi-finals with some fortune on their side.
They were not favourites heading into their round-of-16 clash with hosts Poland, and the Polish side outplayed them in virtually every department. Thanks to an excellent Colombian defence, however, Poland were unable to score. The match appeared to be heading for extra time, but an own goal from Poland in the 89th minute sent Colombia through and left the hosts heartbroken.
They were similarly underestimated in their quarter-final against Nigeria. Nigeria had previously produced a huge upset by knocking England out of the tournament with a 3:0 victory and went into the Colombia match full of confidence. However, following a heavy challenge from Kafayaz Mafisere, they were reduced to ten players, before Valerin Loboa eventually decided the match in Colombia’s favour right at the end.
Defending champions North Korea have had an easier journey on paper. They have won every match without conceding a goal and by a margin of at least two goals. But anyone who watched their most recent match against Canada will know it was not quite as straightforward as that.
Although North Korea created most of the chances, Canada were kept in the game by goalkeeper Noelle Henning. The decisive goals did not arrive until the 92nd and 96th minutes.
Compared with Spain against Italy, this semi-final may look less evenly matched. But don’t be fooled. Football has a habit of writing unexpected stories.
And by the way, if you are wondering how one of the world’s most repressive dictatorships became a powerhouse of women’s youth football, read our article from yesterday.
Where to watch: DAZN.com