North Korea has qualified for the Women's World Cup for the first time since a doping scandal in 2011, securing their place alongside the Philippines for next year's tournament in Brazil. Hong Song Ok scored a hat-trick in a decisive 4-0 victory over Taiwan in the Women's Asian Cup play-offs on Thursday.
The qualification marks a significant comeback for North Korea, whose previous World Cup appearance was overshadowed by controversy. In 2011, five players tested positive for steroids, with officials attributing the results to traditional medicines derived from deer glands. The subsequent ban led to North Korea missing the 2014 Asian Cup, failing to qualify for 2018, and missing the 2022 tournament due to COVID-19 travel restrictions.
Head coach Ri Song Ho's young squad, which includes players from the Under-20 Women's World Cup-winning team in 2024, narrowly lost to host Australia in the Asian Cup quarter-finals after finishing second in their group to 2022 champions China.
The Philippines secured their second consecutive World Cup qualification with a 2-0 win against Uzbekistan. Angela Beard broke the deadlock two minutes into the second half, volleying Jael-Marie Guy's cross into the net, before Jaclyn Sawicki doubled the lead with a header in the 52nd minute. Defender Hali Long said: 'It's another step in the right direction for Philippines women's football, and just shows that we belong on the world stage.'
These play-off victories determined the fifth and sixth qualifiers from the Asian confederation for the World Cup. Australia, Japan, China, and South Korea had already secured their places as quarter-final winners. Taiwan and Uzbekistan still have a chance to qualify via inter-confederation play-offs.
The Women's Asian Cup concludes on Saturday with a final between Australia and two-time champions Japan, who advanced after a 4-1 semi-final win over South Korea.
