"Were you surprised by France?" Park Yoon-jeong's squad secures a valuable draw against the tournament favorite France with a stunning 1-1 result in their opening match at the U-20 Women's World Cup, thanks to Jo Hye-young's lightning-fast goal.

*This content was translated by AI.

South Korea's under-20 (U-20) women's national football team drew 1-1 against powerhouse France in their opening Group Stage match of the 2026 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup.

Led by head coach Park Yoon-jeong, South Korea secured a 1-1 draw against France in the first Group C match of the tournament held at Arena Sosnowiec in Poland on the 6th (local time).

South Korea took the lead. In the 12th minute of the first half, Han Min-seo (Korea University) intercepted a French pass and created an opportunity. Jo Hye-young (Madrid CFF), receiving the pass, calmly shot amidst the chaos to find the back of the net.

However, the lead did not last long. In the 36th minute of the first half, Younalia Traoré connected with a header from Justine Lucque and scored with a powerful mid-range shot to equalize. Both teams then fought for a winning goal but could not score again, ending the match in a draw.

Having secured a valuable point in their opening match, South Korea will face Ghana in their second Group Stage match at the same venue on the 9th at 10 p.m.

This tournament features 24 nations divided into six groups for the group stage. The top two teams from each group and the four best third-placed teams advance to the Round of 16 to compete for the championship. South Korea has been drawn in Group C alongside France, Ghana, and Ecuador.

Meanwhile, Park Yoon-jeong's squad qualified for this World Cup finals after reaching the semifinals at the AFC U-20 Women's Asian Cup held last March. South Korea's best-ever result in this tournament was third place, achieved at the 2010 Germany edition. France, their first opponent, is a traditional powerhouse with one runner-up finish and one third-place finish in history.

<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>

*This content was translated by AI.