Japan and China PR have become the first Asian nations to secure passage to the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup™.
The final two AFC berths for Poland 2026 will be settled tomorrow as the quarter-finals conclude at the AFC U-20 Women’s Asian Cup in Thailand.
In the first of the last eight showdowns, Japan were nearly flawless in brushing aside Vietnam while China PR were made to work hard against Uzbekistan to earn a ticket back to the global stage after an eight-year absence.
Japan goals: Mao Itamura (18, 61), Natsumi Tago (45+1), Noa Fukushima (45+2)
Three weeks after the senior side won the continental title to qualify for the FIFA Women’s World Cup™, the Young Nadeshiko followed in their dazzling and dancing footsteps.
Having steamrolled their way through the group stage with three straight wins, they dominated Vietnam from start to finish in Pathum Thani.
Dutch-based string-puller Mao Itamura struck in either half, the second a rasping 25-yarder that flew past Le Thi Thu at her near post. By that point Japan were in total control, with a rare Noa Fukushima header and a slick Natsumi Tago finish in first-half stoppage time coming after waves of sustained pressure.
Japan, the France 2018 champions, breezing into a ninth edition of the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in a match where they registered a remarkable 90 per cent of possession.
China PR goals: Zeng Yujia (29), Yu Jiaqi (42)
Uzbekistan goal: Mehribon Egamberdieva (69)
Runners-up in two of the first three editions of the U-20 Women’s World Cup, it’s been a barren spell for a China PR side that hadn’t qualified for the last two tournaments. The first of those two silvers came back in 2004 in Thailand and more than two decades on they sealed their return in the same nation.
Forward Yu Jiaqi played a key role in the win, teeing up Zeng Yujia’s opener just shy of the half hour and then scoring herself late in the opening stanza.
Uzbekistan pulled a goal back in the second period, with Mehribon Egamberdieva capitalising on confusion in the Chinese backline and twice they came close to levelling things over a frantic final period.
In the end, Colin Bell’s China side hung on to seal the narrow win that sends them back to the global stage for the first time since France 2018.
Images courtesy of the AFC
