North Korea just won the U-17 and U-20 World Cups a month apart, but the senior team hasn’t been to a World Cup since 2011
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There are few countries in the world more shrouded in mystery than the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (or North Korea as the nation is colloquially known), the communist dictatorship where civil and social liberties are in their few.
And for a nation that regularly ranks in the lowest on the planet when it comes to freedom and assumed quality of life, one of the most surprising facts about the secluded nation is the strength of their women’s soccer program. The sporting success without much attention: North Korea has not appeared at a senior international tournament since the 2011 World Cup.
The striking dichotomy begs the question: What’s happening? It might be the most bizarre and mysterious story in soccer.
The nation has made waves over the last year, returning to action on both the youth and senior levels after a period of inactivity due to FIFA bans and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Having pushed Japan all the way in their Olympic playoff for the 2024 Paris Games in February, the Eastern Azaleas (as North Korea’s squad is nicknamed), claimed their first World Cup in eight years when the U-20 team bested their Japanese counterparts in Colombia in September.
The feat that was swiftly followed on Sunday by the recapturing of the U-17 World Cup crown, marking the second time North Korea has completed the U-17/U-20 World Cup double — after becoming the first nation to do so in 2016 — and stripping Spain of both titles, besting La Roja in the U-17 final in the process.
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