Defending the U17 Women's World Cup title, North Korea's "overwhelming advantage" stems from extremely intense training.

Written by Han Bing In the early hours of November 9th Beijing time, North Korea's U17 women's team triumphed over the Netherlands U17 women's team 3-0 to retain the U17 Women's World Cup crown. This is the fourth championship for North Korea's U17 women's team since their debut in 2008 and their most outstanding achievement so far. During the tournament in Morocco, they won all seven matches with a remarkable goal difference of 25 to 3. In the history of the U17 Women's World Cup, only the 2014 champion Japan U17 women's team achieved a similar undefeated record and goal difference (23 to 1), but Japan played only six matches then.

Last year's final saw North Korea's U17 women's team narrowly win 5-4 on aggregate, including a 4-3 victory in the penalty shootout against defending champions Spain U17 women's team. This year, their dominance was almost overwhelming. In seven matches, except for the opener against Mexico, they had over 20 shots in each of the other six games, with four games recording more than 10 shots on target. In the round of 16, they beat host Morocco 6-1, scoring from all six shots on target. Notably, in the group stage, they defeated the newly crowned U17 European champions Netherlands 5-0, with a massive disparity in shots (38 to 1) and shots on target (13 to 1).

North Korea's U17 women's team maintained their overwhelming superiority even against stronger opponents in the knockout rounds, beating Morocco 6-1, Japan 5-1, and Brazil 2-0 to reach the final. In the semifinal against Brazil, they had 24 shots to 7, with 14 shots on target to 2; in the final against the Netherlands, they recorded 23 shots to 4 and 10 shots on target to 1, leading 3-0 within the first 42 minutes, demonstrating total dominance.

In addition to their commanding unbeaten championship, North Korea's U17 women's team also swept the Golden Ball, Silver Ball, Golden Boot, and Silver Boot awards at this U17 Women's World Cup. Forward Yu Jong-hyang, who scored twice in three matches, earned both the Golden Ball and Golden Boot with 8 goals. The 15-year-old forward Kim Won-sim scored twice in two matches, opening the scoring against the Netherlands within 14 minutes of the final, winning the Silver Ball and Silver Boot with 7 goals. All of Kim Won-sim's goals were from open play, whereas Yu Jong-hyang's Golden Boot included 6 goals from open play. Yu's stunning solo goal against Brazil in the semifinals, where she dribbled past three defenders, was particularly impressive.

The North Korean U17 women's team that won the U17 Women's Asian Cup in May with an undefeated record included only one player, 16-year-old third goalkeeper Hong Ryul-mi, who also participated in this U17 Women's World Cup. This North Korean U17 team mainly used a 4-4-2 formation. Four players from the famous 4.25 Sports Club women's team were in the starting lineup, including Golden Ball and Golden Boot winner Yu Jong-hyang. The teams Baek Su and Yalu River Sports Club contributed three players each, while Silver Ball and Silver Boot winner Kim Won-sim came from the North Korean International Football School. The youngest forward, Ri Jil-rim, was only 14 years old, born in December 2010, and appeared as a substitute four times in this tournament.

This North Korean U17 women's team inherits the traditional traits of abundant stamina, aggressive tackling, and strong willpower, placing great emphasis on teamwork. They continuously attack from start to finish. Their attacking football philosophy and relentless spirit form the foundation of their title defense. Tactically, they focus on full-court pressing, quickly launching counterattacks with multiple players after regaining possession, and taking as many shots as possible. Combined with superior physical endurance and mental strength compared to their opponents, their victory in this youth world tournament is well justified.

The North Korean Football Association conducts nationwide regular selections for youth aged 9 to 15, then sends them to various sports schools led by the Pyongyang International Football School for highly selective training. Especially for the female teams at all age levels, there are not only formal club competitions but also at least a month-long intensive training camp before international tournaments. During these camps, they build team awareness, improve tactical cohesion, and increase physical intensity. They also frequently train with North Korean men's clubs and the national team. Although North Korean football has limited international exchanges, the volume of domestic training and matches is astonishing. The "club-style" preparation before major tournaments is a key factor in achieving excellent results.

In May’s U17 Women's Asian Cup semifinal, China's women's team narrowly lost 0-1 to North Korea. This year, China’s U17 women’s team has had several friendly matches against North Korea’s U17 team and even recorded a 4-2 victory over them. When first assembling the team for training in October 2024, head coach Wang Hongliang clearly stated that the goal for China’s U17 women's team is to benchmark against North Korea. The core principle is to train hard and endure hardship, with three training sessions daily during camps, including one high-intensity session every three days. Players run a minimum of 12,000 meters, up to 15,000 meters. Regular training involves running distances between 8,000 and 10,000 meters, including 500-700 meters of high-speed running and at least 100-200 meters of sprinting. North Korea’s U17 women’s team sprint training from one baseline to the other (100 meters) can last an entire morning, demonstrating the tremendous training intensity.

After completing the U17 Women's World Cup journey, Wang Hongliang gave an exclusive interview to our newspaper, discussing North Korea's U17 women's team again. "The North Korean team makes opponents feel suffocated because their transitions involve long passes behind the defense, using a 4-2-4 formation with four players pressing upfront. The North Korean youth women's team does not change their match tempo regardless of the opponent. If you can't keep up on the field, any team playing against North Korea will feel overwhelmed." This is Wang Hongliang’s impression of the North Korean team. "To give a vivid example, their sprinting from baseline to baseline (100 meters) can be sustained for an entire morning. The reason North Korea can win the World Cup is because hard training is their path to success."

North Korea’s women's football team winning three youth world championships in two years should serve as a model to inspire the rising Chinese women's football team to enhance their physical conditioning, tactical skills, and mental toughness.