As North Korea won back-to-back titles at the 2025 FIFA Under-17 Women's World Cup, a street cheering rally unfolded in the heart of Pyongyang.
The Labor Party's official newspaper Rodong Sinmun said on the 12th that "even a young woman who was hastening her steps while holding the wrist of her young child watched the match in front of a large electronic screen with the child in her arms."
Photos were also published showing citizens tearing up and hugging each other when North Korea scored. The newspaper said, "The area around Pyongyang Station turned, literally, into a sea of joy and a sea of emotion," adding, "Everyone embraced as if they were old acquaintances and shared the thrill of victory."
North Korea has often aired scenes of residents cheering indoors during major international competitions, but this is the first time it has revealed such large-scale street cheering.
Earlier, Korean Central TV broadcast a taped replay of the final held in Rabat, Morocco, on the 10th at 8:30 p.m. The broadcast showed the North Korean national team overwhelming the Netherlands 3-0. On the 11th, it revealed scenes of Pyongyang citizens cheering in the streets. Crowds gathered in front of the large electronic screen outside Pyongyang Station shouted and waved the national flag whenever the match progressed. Some drivers parked their cars on the side of the road and watched the broadcast.
Central TV also visited the players' family homes and aired footage capturing family members' faces as tension and joy mixed while they watched the match.
Rodong Sinmun added, "Some people were so busy notifying family and friends of the broadcast time that their phones were practically on fire, and at some workplaces, people even agreed that soccer is better watched in large groups than alone and that all employees should watch the televised final together."
At this tournament, North Korea won thanks to the performances of forwards Yu Jeong-hyang and Kim Won-sim, both graduates of the Pyongyang International Football School. It is a representative elite sports institution established in June 2013 with the goal of "building a sports powerhouse" by Kim Jong-un, chairman of the State Affairs Commission. Rodong Sinmun said, "Though quite a bit of time has passed since the news of victory by our reliable women's soccer players was delivered, the overflowing thrill and excitement at the school shows little sign of subsiding."