North Korea’s Women’s Soccer Dominance Continues—U-17 Team Destroys Mexico in Opener

North Korean women’s soccer continues to impress on the global stage. Fresh off their recent victory in the 2024 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup, the U-17 team is also making waves.

On Thursday, the North Korean U-17 women’s team kicked off their FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup campaign with a resounding 4-1 win over Mexico in their group-stage opener at the Cibao FC Stadium in Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic. Choe Rim Jong was the standout performer, netting a hat-trick and adding an assist to complete a dominant display.

Despite Mexico entering the tournament as champions of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U-17 Women’s Asian Cup, they were no match for North Korea, one of the powerhouses of women’s soccer. North Korea has a storied history in this tournament, winning the inaugural edition in 2008 and again in 2016. After an eight-year gap, they’ve taken a strong first step toward another potential title run.

With three points in hand, North Korea will face Kenya on October 21 and England on October 24. The England matchup is expected to be a key test, but with the top two teams from each group advancing to the quarterfinals, North Korea is in a favorable position to move on unless any unexpected challenges arise.

North Korean women’s soccer is showing its strength across all levels. Last month, the U-20 team claimed their third FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup title by defeating long-time rivals Japan. A decisive goal from Choe Il Son (17) in the first half sealed the 1-0 win, solidifying North Korea’s dominance in the sport.