EN
Han proud of DPR Korea despite defeat
Lodz: Han Chol Hak applauded his DPR Korea players despite their heart-breaking defeat to Spain in the final of the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup Poland 2026 on Sunday.
The East Asian nation's bid for an unprecedented fourth title and the first to win back-to-back crowns was ended by a 4-3 penalty shootout defeat after the decider had ended goalless after 120 minutes.

Han said he could not fault his players' efforts against a resilient Spanish side.

image content
"After the game was all over, all of our players were crying and that really broke my heart. So I tried to comfort them.

"And as the head coach, I think that they all did their best. So I'm very proud of them," said Han.

Laia Lopez was DPR Korea's chief tormentor, with the Spanish goalkeeper producing outstanding saves during the match and denying Choe Yon A and Pak Il Sim in the shootout as the European side won 4-3 to add to the title lifted in 2022.
image content
Despite falling just short, DPR Korea can still walk tall as they created history by becoming the first team to not concede a single goal during a whole FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup tournament.

Ri Kuk Hyang was the Silver Ball winner, with Spain's Rosalia Dominguez taking the top honour while Choe - who scored five goals - earned the Bronze Boot accolade.

Photos: FIFA via Getty Images