Ecuador, Italy and Japan look to march on
The FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup 2026™ continues on Wednesday with the second matchday in Groups C and D. Ecuador, Italy and Japan are all seeking their second consecutive victories, which will earn them all places in the Round of 16, while USA will be aiming to bounce back after an opening setback.
Fixtures
Wednesday, 9 September Ghana v Korea Republic Italy v New Zealand France v Ecuador Japan v USA
How to watch
The FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Poland 2026™ will be available to watch on FIFA+ via DAZN in selected territories. Supporters can check which other broadcasters are showing each match in their territory on the Matches page. Fans can buy tickets to watch the stars of tomorrow here.
Group C
Ghana v Korea Republic
Arena Sosnowiec | Sosnowiec
Kick-off time
13:00 in Accra 15:00 in Sosnowiec 22:00 in Seoul
After taking the lead against France, Korea Republic looked to be on course for a notable result, but as Les Bleuettes grew increasingly dominant, Park Younjeong’s side eventually conceded an equaliser. Showing character and solidarity, they nevertheless managed to secure an important point, which they will now look to build on against a Ghana side seeking redemption. Despite making a promising start against Ecuador and hitting the post, the Black Princesses were undone by their opponents’ moments of brilliance and will need to bounce back in Sosnowiec if they are to keep alive their hopes of finally reaching the knockout stage of a U-20 Women’s World Cup.
France v Ecuador
Arena Sosnowiec | Sosnowiec
Kick-off time
11:00 in Quito 18:00 in Sosnowiec 18:00 in Paris
Dominating is not the same as winning, and France learned that the hard way against Korea Republic, having to settle for a single point. "It may not necessarily have been the result we were expecting. The first half was a little difficult, but we bounced back very quickly and stayed united despite everything," captain Celeste Delcroix preferred to stress the positives after the match. For their second outing in Poland, Philippe Joly’s side will face one of the early surprises of the tournament: South American runners-up Ecuador, who made light work of Ghana and look more than capable of unsettling France. Rosa Flores and Domenica Arboleda, the brilliant goalscorers against the Africans, look hungry for more as they prepare to take on Lina Gay and Co.
Group D
Italy v New Zealand
Stadion Miejski LKS Lodz | Lodz
Kick-off time
15:00 in Lodz 15:00 in Rome 01:00 in Wellington (Thursday, 10 September)
Italy are on a massive high after securing their maiden victory at the U-20 showpiece — and against three-time champions USA no less. The Azzurrine are looking to maintain their momentum in order to try to reach the knockout stages at the first time of asking. They face a New Zealand team who are still seeking their first victory at the tournament since Papua New Guinea 2016 but will have gained confidence after giving Japan a real fright in their opener.
Japan v USA
Stadion Miejski LKS Lodz | Lodz
Kick-off time
12:00 in Washington DC 18:00 in Lodz 01:00 in Tokyo (Thursday, 10 September)
USA suffered a massive setback by losing to Italy in their opener and now face a Japan team who have reached the finals of the last three FIFA U-20 Women's World Cups. Vicky Jepson is refusing to panic but the Stars and Stripes know they cannot afford another defeat. After downing New Zealand 7-0 at Colombia 2024, Japan were made to work a lot harder for their opening victory over the Junior Football Ferns. The Asian side will nonetheless be confident of another positive result.
What they said...
"Despite not losing [against France], we could have shown [a better] performance in our attacks and we believe that for the next matches we can improve on those attacking points." Park Younjeong, Korea Republic coach
"The things we are going to look at [for the next game] are our defensive shape and also our press up front so that [our opponents] don't drive the ball into those spaces." Charles Sampson, Ghana coach
"There are a few things we need to sort out, but above all, we need to be more effective in the final third. There were moments when we needed to keep things simple, but instead we made things a little too complicated. I think all the girls in the attacking areas sometimes tried to do too much. We need to keep things simpler going into the next match." Philippe Joly, France coach
"It was very important to start the tournament this way. This result gives us confidence going into the matches against France and Korea Republic. We know it was a very difficult game, but we also know what Ecuador are capable of. Ecuador can achieve much more." Rosa Flores, Ecuador midfielder
"I think we’ve set the stage for an adventure, because this is the first match, so it’s fair that the girls enjoy this moment, as they’ve earned it through great sacrifice. However, it’s also important in a competition like this not to waste too much energy on, shall we say, getting too carried away, because we need to get back to work to prepare for the next match, which will be just as difficult." Nicola Matteucci, Italy coach
"We've had one full session with the squad on the grass from our late arrivals joining us. That was really good for us to a 90-minute run-out together so we've got that out of the way. Now we've got to focus on our defensive structure, how we create those moments in front of goal more. I've seen that happen throughout the cycle so I am not worried. I think we were just one game away from being cooked and ready for the tournament. I am sure we will show a better version of ourselves." Vicky Jepson, USA coach
Key stats
Italy's 2-1 victory over USA was their inaugural triumph at the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup at the seventh time of asking. The Azzurrine lost all three group stage matches at their two previous appearances.
USA forward Micayla Johnson has now scored in a youth World Cup over three consecutive years, having also tallied in the 2024 and 2025 U-17 showpieces. She is the first American player to achieve this feat.
Following in the footsteps of fellow debutants Benin, Poland and Tanzania, Ecuador found the net in their first matches in the U-20 showpiece, with La Tricolor also securing their maiden victory.