World Cup fever hits Pyongyang-two days late

November 14, 2025

SEOUL – In a rare display of unbridled excitement, residents of Pyongyang took to the streets Monday to celebrate North Korea’s Under-17 women’s football team, which claimed the World Cup title by defeating the Netherlands.

The final, held Saturday at the Olympic Stadium in Rabat, Morocco, saw the North Koreans score three goals in the first half to seal a dominant 3-0 victory. It marked the team’s second consecutive championship win.

Despite the triumph, North Korea’s state-run Korean Central Television only aired the match at 8:30 p.m. Monday, two days after it took place.

On Tuesday, KCTV followed up with footage showing Pyongyang citizens watching the delayed broadcast on large outdoor screens, erupting in cheers and embracing one another as the team scored.

The ruling party’s newspaper, Rodong Sinmun, described jubilant scenes across the capital: “Even young mothers scolded their children to walk faster and stopped in front of the screens, holding them tight as they watched the match,” it said. “The area around Pyongyang Station became a sea of ecstasy.”

This marks the first time North Korean media has shown residents gathering outdoors to watch a sporting event — a rare public display of collective emotion.

State media also aired footage of families of star players reacting to the broadcast and young students at the Pyongyang International Football School celebrating the victory.

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