According to a report by Channels Television on Thursday, November 5, 2026, Japan advanced to the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup final with a thrilling semi-final victory over defending champions North Korea.

With a 4-1 victory in the penalty shootout, the Japanese team guaranteed their spot in the championship match. At the end of regulation time, the score was 1-1, sending the game to a penalty shootout.

In the 51st minute, Ri Ui-gyong scored to put the defending champions of North Korea ahead and put them in control of the match. They seemed to be well-positioned to win again and advance to the final after scoring that goal.

But the Japanese staged a miraculous comeback in the final lap to preserve their title hopes alive. The game went into a penalty shootout after W. Sol-Gyong scored an own goal in the 90th+3 minute to tie the score.

After that, Japan was much more composed in the shootout, and they converted four penalties to one for North Korea. This win put an end to the title defense and set up Saturday's final between Nigeria and Japan.

In the other semi-final, Nigeria defeated Brazil 3-1; as a result, Japan will play the Flamingos of Nigeria on November 7 in Morocco.

With great leadership from Queen Joseph and Awawu Bashiru, Nigeria qualified for the first time in its history. In the 56th minute, Joseph scored the first goal, and in the 71st minute, Bashiru doubled the advantage.

In the 80th minute, the forward scored her second goal to give Nigeria a commanding three-goal advantage. Even though Greise Kelly scored a goal for Brazil in the 89th minute, the Flamingos were able to hold on to their lead and win.

With their historic run to the final, the Nigerian U-17 women's national team will be vying for the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup trophy.

Having dispatched of the two-time reigning champions, Japan will approach the match with confidence. Additionally, the Japanese squad has experience winning the tournament; they did it in 2014.

So, in Saturday's final, Nigeria has a chance to win the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup for the first time and make history as the first African country to do so. Equally committed to winning their second title will be Japan.