OSAKA, Japan — North Korea announced its arrival at the 2026 Asian Games in devastating fashion, overwhelming Bangladesh 10–0 in the opening match of the women’s football tournament on Monday, September 14.
The three-time Asian Games champions were already seven goals ahead at halftime at Nagai Stadium in Osaka, turning the Group F encounter into one of the most lopsided results of the competition so far.
North Korea wasted virtually no time establishing its dominance. Jon Ryong-jong scored twice inside the opening 10 minutes, followed by goals from Hwang Yu-yong and Chae Un-yong.
Chae added a second before halftime, while Kim Kyong-yong also scored twice, sending North Korea into the break with a commanding 7–0 advantage.
The North Koreans did not completely let up after the interval.
Ri Sung-ah, a Korean player born and raised in Japan who plays for Sanfrecce Hiroshima Regina, added another goal early in the second half. Jong Gum and Han Jin-hong then completed the scoring as North Korea finished the match with a 10-goal haul.
Bangladesh unable to register a shot
The gulf between the two teams was evident throughout the match.
According to SBS, North Korea did not allow Bangladesh a single shot during the entire game, with the North Koreans controlling possession, pressure and the tempo from start to finish.
The defeat was also historic for Bangladesh—but for the wrong reason.
The 10–0 loss became the Bangladesh women’s national team’s heaviest defeat, surpassing their previous record, a 9–0 loss to Thailand in 2013.
Bangladesh had entered the Asian Games after making progress on the international stage, including qualifying for the 2026 AFC Women’s Asian Cup. But facing one of Asia’s most accomplished women’s football programs exposed a huge difference in experience, pace, movement and individual quality.
North Korea’s gold-medal ambitions begin with a statement
The result was hardly a surprise given North Korea’s pedigree.
North Korea is one of the dominant forces in Asian women’s football and entered the tournament as one of the leading contenders for the gold medal. The team is ranked 11th in the FIFA women’s world rankings, while Bangladesh is ranked considerably lower.
North Korea is chasing its first Asian Games women’s football gold medal since 2014. The team won silver at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games after losing to Japan in the final.
The North Koreans also arrive in Japan with a strong recent record. At the 2026 AFC Women’s Asian Cup, they defeated Chinese Taipei 4–0 in the qualification/playoff stage but were eliminated by Australia in the quarterfinals.
And now comes the match everyone will be watching
North Korea’s road to the Asian Games gold medal will become considerably more intriguing in the coming days.
The team faces Myanmar next on September 17, before meeting South Korea on September 21 in what could become one of the tournament’s most closely watched women’s football clashes.
South Korea and North Korea are both in Group F, meaning the political and sporting rivalry between the two sides will add another layer of drama to the competition.
For Bangladesh, meanwhile, the challenge is to regroup quickly.
The 10–0 defeat leaves little room for error as the team attempts to recover from the worst loss in its women’s international football history.
For North Korea, however, the message could not have been clearer:
The hunt for Asian Games gold has begun—and the rest of Asia has been put on notice.
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