Argentina secured their first victory at the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco with a 2–0 win over New Zealand, while defending champions DPR Korea overwhelmed Poland 6–1 in Tuesday’s second round of group-stage matches.

Mercedes Diz scored twice to inspire Argentina to victory over the Young Football Ferns, while DPR Korea’s Yu Jong-hyang made history by becoming the tournament’s all-time leading goalscorer.

Argentina dominated the opening half against New Zealand, creating several chances and hitting the crossbar three times with long-range efforts.

Their persistence paid off shortly before half-time when Brunella Pilati delivered a curling cross that Diz met with a powerful header to put the South Americans ahead.

New Zealand sought an equaliser after the restart but struggled to break through Argentina’s resilient defence.

Argentina then doubled their advantage when Diz connected with a cross from Violeta Alvarez, guiding a left-footed volley into the net to complete her brace and secure the victory.

The result gave Argentina their first three points of the tournament, while New Zealand were left to regroup ahead of their next fixture.

In the other encounter, DPR Korea underlined their status as two-time defending champions with a commanding 6–1 victory over Poland.

Ri Ye-rim opened the scoring from close range after Ri Ui-gyong’s cutback was intercepted but fell favourably for the forward.

Yu doubled DPR Korea’s lead shortly afterwards, smashing the ball into the net after a loose ball fell to her inside the penalty area.

Kim Won-sim then produced a superb outside-of-the-boot finish into the top-left corner to make it 3–0 before scoring again from a Ri Ye-rim cutback to extend the advantage to four goals.

Poland responded immediately after the interval, with substitute Nicola Galuszka firing a powerful first-time effort into the top corner from about 25 yards to reduce the deficit.

However, the European side’s hopes of mounting a comeback were quickly extinguished when Yu rose to head home from a corner, scoring her 12th goal in the competition.

The strike took Yu past Venezuela’s Deyna Castellanos to become the highest goalscorer in FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup history.

Ri Ui-gyong completed the rout with a well-taken volley, capping an impressive performance by the defending champions.

The emphatic victory further strengthened DPR Korea’s position as one of the teams to beat in Morocco, while Poland will need a strong response in their next group fixture.