Defending champions China, along with DPR Korea, comfortably sealed their spot in the knockout stage of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026 at the Western Sydney Stadium on Friday.
DPR Korea got the ball rolling in the early kickoff against debutants Bangladesh, with the game completely turned on its head in first-half stoppage time. An uncharacteristic foul by Bangladesh captain Afeida Khandaker presented DPR Korea with the opportunity to take the lead from the penalty spot.
Myong Yu-Jong stepped up to convert from 12 yards out for her fourth goal of the campaign, with three of those being penalties. Chae Un-Yong then combined with Kim Kyong-Yong as the latter found the bottom corner from an acute angle to give her side a 2-0 lead at the break.
Head Coach Ri Song-Ho introduced Choe Il-Son from the bench for her AFC Women’s Asian Cup debut, with the 19-year-old forward touted as one of the best rising stars, having been a FIFA U17 and FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup winner in 2024, even managing to pick up both the Golden Ball and the Golden Boot in the U20 tournament.
DPR Korea continued to press forward, hungry for more goals with Chae Un-Yong scoring in the 62nd minute before Kim Kyong-Yong’s second goal two minutes later made it 4-0. Kim Hye-Yong completed the goalscoring rout with a wonderful diving header as it finished 5-0 at the full-time whistle.
Elsewhere, China made several changes for their clash against Uzbekistan, and they found the breakthrough on the half-hour mark when forward Shao Ziqin’s unwavering penalty made it 1-0 after she had herself won the spot kick.
The second half belonged to midfielder Li Qingtong, who, on her first appearance in the AFC Women’s Asian Cup, netted a brace. She lobbed the ball into an unguarded net for her first goal, followed by a lovely header in the 77th minute as the Chinese ran out 3-0 winners to maintain their perfect start.
However, China sit second as they trail by goal difference to DPR Korea in Group B, with the pair set to square up for what promises to be a fierce clash on Monday, March 9, to determine who tops the group.
WHAT WE LEARNED
Patience will be key for DPR Korea: DPR Korea are gradually becoming a powerhouse in women’s football, not just in Asia, but also globally, as they have demonstrated in recent years in FIFA’s age group tournaments.
However, their preparations back home remain largely a mystery, and on the back of their performance against Bangladesh, one can assume that the mental side of things is something that they largely focus on.
On Friday, DPR Korea had the ball in the back of the net not once, not twice but thrice inside the opening 30 minutes only for Video Assistant Referee (VAR) to intervene and remarkably rule out all of them. It is very easy for heads to drop in such circumstances; however, they continued to be persistent and ended up scoring five goals in the match, which is a sign of their mental toughness in their return to the continental showpiece for the first time since 2010.
It could all come down to goal difference: In the wider context of the tournament, teams such as the Philippines, India and Chinese Taipei undoubtedly had one eye on Group B’s matches on Friday.
With Uzbekistan and Bangladesh now having a goal difference of -6 and -7, respectively, after back-to-back defeats, goal difference is something that looks likely to determine which teams progress as the best third-placed teams.
Both of the aforementioned sides will take on each other on the final matchday in Group B, whereas India still have a daunting challenge against Japan to play, followed by what could be a decisive clash against Chinese Taipei on March 10. In a nutshell, the fates of the teams are intertwined across all groups.
WHAT THEY SAID
Afeida Khandekar – Bangladesh Captain: “The last few minutes in the first half proved to be the turning point today. It was a bit tough for us playing in Sydney’s heat, but we still have hopes of getting a good result against Uzbekistan in the next match.”
Ante Milicic – China Coach: “I am pretty pleased with the performance tonight, especially since we made a lot of changes to the starting lineup. We were in control throughout and were able to display certain combinations and cohesions that we have worked on. Maybe we could have scored a few more goals, but the main thing is that we have now qualified for the quarter finals.”
WHAT COMES NEXT
Group B will reach its conclusion on Monday, March 9, with matches taking place in both Sydney and Perth.
DPR Korea vs China PR
Monday, March 9 at 8:00pm
Western Sydney Stadium
Bangladesh vs Uzbekistan
Monday, March 9 at 5:00pm
Perth Rectangular Stadium
Listen to the From Dreams to Goals podcast as we review the action from the AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026
