Identify the first two Asian teams qualifying for the U20 World Cup

The first two Asian tickets for the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup 2026 have been officially claimed, after China and Japan successively advanced past the quarter-finals of the 2026 Asian Women's U20 Championship.

In the later match, China's women's U20 team defeated Uzbekistan with a 2-1 score in a match that was far from easy. From the very first minutes, the East Asian representative pushed forward aggressively and maintained continuous pressure. In the 3rd minute, Xie Zongmei unleashed a dangerous shot forcing goalkeeper Sevinova to showcase her skills to save it. Subsequent rebound shots by Zeng Yujia also failed to be converted into goals.

However, China's relentless pressure finally materialized in the 28th minute. Yu Jiaqi accelerated down the left flank before delivering a precise cross for Zeng Yujia to leap high and head the ball, opening the scoring. Just minutes later, Xie Zongmei made her mark with a skillful dribble and shot forcing the opposing goalkeeper to block, before Yu Jiaqi rushed in to score the rebound, raising the score to 2-0 in the 41st minute.

Moving into the second half, China continued to control the match and created a series of opportunities. Wang Aifang had a narrow-angle shot in the 56th minute but couldn't beat Sevinova, while Li Ke twice consecutively sent the ball hitting the crossbar and post, full of regret.

Despite trailing by two goals, Uzbekistan did not give up. The Central Asian team intensified their pressure strongly in the final 20 minutes of the match. In the 70th minute, Mehribon Egamberdieva executed a clever move inside the penalty area, creating a dangerous opportunity. Towards the end, Uzbekistan continuously threatened China's goal, but the solidity of the defense and a crucial save by goalkeeper Xiao Yafei helped the East Asian representative preserve the 2-1 victory.

This victory enabled China to secure a spot in the semi-finals, simultaneously becoming the second Asian team to participate in the 2026 Women's U20 World Cup hosted in Poland.

Earlier, Japan was the first team to claim a ticket after comfortably overcoming Vietnam with a 4-0 score, affirming the strength of the world runner-up.

The final two tickets will be determined after the quarter-final matches between Thailand vs South Korea and North Korea vs Australia conclude on April 12.