By OkayGoal
There is a lot of excitement coming our way this fall. From September 5 to September 27, the U-20 2026 FIFA Women’s World Cup will take place in Poland. With 24 teams in the tournament, there is a ton of talent that will be on display. Let’s dive into some more details about what’s to come.
Top Teams
Defending champions, Korea DPR, are looking to repeat. Not only are they the team to look out for, but they remain hungry and expect nothing less than victory. With their determination, the possibility to take the lead as the national team with the most U-20 World Cup titles can surely become a reality.
As of now, Korea DPR is tied with the US and Germany for the most U-20 World Cup titles in history. Each has 3 secured titles, so it will be interesting to see if this tie will be broken this time around.
Alongside these three squads, strong teams to also keep an eye out for include Spain, Brazil, Japan, and Nigeria. Spain is the reigning champion at the senior level, so to not consider their youth talent would be a massive mistake. Japan has a similar style of play to Spain, where technique and skill are always on display.
Brazil have not shown dominance at the U-20 level, yet they remain to be the powerhouse team coming out of South America. Anytime Brazil has an opportunity on the soccer field, opponents need to be ready and fans are definitely in for a treat. On a similar note, Nigeria has dominated their African qualifying competitions. The electric and explosive speed, skill, and scoring ability of the Nigerian team is something to appreciate as fans and consider as an opponent.
Take a look at how the teams are grouped up in the tournament.
Key Players
There are numerous players to look forward to seeing compete in the U-20 WWC. For the US, there is a combination of collegiate and NWSL stars on the roster. Kennedy Fuller (Bay FC) and Melanie Barcenas (San Diego Wave) are two notable members of the squad who are expected to play a significant role in the U-20’s journey to gold.
Korea DPR’s Choe Il-son has demonstrated tremendous skill on the ball, especially as a scorer. From the previous U-20 WWC, Choe swept the award categories and took home the Golden Boot, MVP, and the WWC title. There is a lot to look forward to from Choe and the entire Korea DPR team.
Along with these players, Momoko Tanikawa is also another skillful player to monitor. She gives the Japan squad an energetic fuel as a tactical and attacking central midfielder. Being able to weave through immense defensive pressure, using either foot to add, along with being a long-range threat makes Tanikawa as unique as they come.
Overall, the upcoming U-20 WWC is one to follow and is sure to bring a great level of excitement along the way. Make sure to stay up to date and follow the tournament this fall!
Featured image via @momoko.tanikawa
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