North Korea beat Spain to win the 2024 U-17 Women's World Cup

North Korea won the 2024 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup by beating Spain in the final on 3 November 2024 in Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic. The tournament was hosted by the Dominican Republic for the first time.

The victory gave North Korea its third title in the competition, after wins in 2008 and 2016. It also confirmed the country as one of the most successful nations in youth women's football, alongside Japan and Spain, who had each won the tournament before.

Spain, the reigning European under-17 champions and winners of the 2022 World Cup in India, came to the final as strong favourites after a convincing run. The defeat denied them a second consecutive world title at this level.

The result mattered because it showed the strength of North Korea's youth development system, which has repeatedly produced world-class teams at under-17 and under-20 level. It also set the benchmark for the next edition, where Japan and Nigeria later reached the final.