Super Minnows? North Mariana Islands Conceded Goals in U20 Asian Cup Qualifier Against South Korea

On September 25, local time, in the third round of Group C matches for the 2025 U20 Asian Cup qualifiers held in Kuwait, the South Korean U20 team defeated the minnows, North Mariana Islands U20, with a resounding score of 10 to 0.

The North Mariana Islands team is very weak and is grouped with strong opponents such as the UAE, South Korea, Kuwait, and Lebanon in Group C, which means they are destined to face relentless attacks from their rivals.

In fact, in the first round of the group stage, the North Mariana Islands lost 0-6 to Kuwait, followed by a crushing 0-13 defeat against the UAE in the second round. In the third round match on the evening of September 25, they once again became the “victim” of the South Korean team.

Jin Myung-jun scored for the South Korean team in the third minute, breaking the North Mariana Islands’ defense. During the remaining time of the first half, South Korea scored another four goals, including an own goal. The second half was similar, with the North Mariana Islands conceding five more goals, one of which was also an own goal. Multiple players from the South Korean team found the back of the net, with only one player scoring a brace.

Up to this point, the North Mariana Islands have conceded a total of 29 goals across three matches without scoring any. It is expected that they will face another “goal storm” in their final match against Lebanon. After three rounds, the UAE, South Korea, and Kuwait all have six points, but Kuwait has played one more game.

The tournament is divided into ten groups, with the top team from each group and the five best second-placed teams advancing. The host country, China, does not participate in the qualifiers and advances directly to the main event.