DPR Korea finished top of Group B at the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup because it had the best goal difference in matches between the three teams tied on six points. The head-to-head mini-table put DPR Korea on +3, Nigeria on +1 and Poland on -4. Each side had won one and lost one match against the other two.
The final matches were played in Morocco on 23 October: Nigeria beat DPR Korea 3-1 and Poland defeated Puerto Rico 6-2. Nigeria ended DPR Korea’s unbeaten group run, but that result did not remove the Asian side from first place. This analysis is limited to the completed Group B standings on 23 October 2026.
The results behind the three-way tie
Group B featured DPR Korea, Nigeria, Poland and Puerto Rico. The three matches involving the eventual top three, with three points awarded per win, were:
- 17 October: Poland 2-1 Nigeria.
- 20 October: DPR Korea 6-1 Poland.
- 23 October: Nigeria 3-1 DPR Korea.
All three also beat Puerto Rico: DPR Korea won 6-0, Nigeria won 2-0 and Poland won 6-2. Consequently, each finished with two wins, one defeat and six points. Puerto Rico earned no points.
How FIFA’s head-to-head mini-table works
According to the competition tiebreaker sequence set out in the US Soccer Federation’s official 2026 tournament notes, when teams finish level on points the first measure is points in matches between the tied teams, followed by goal difference in those games and then goals scored in them if still necessary. The Polish Football Association likewise confirmed after the final round that a mini-table determined the placings.
Here, the three direct encounters gave three points to each team. With the teams still level, goals scored minus goals conceded in those two matches determined the order:
| Team | P | Pts | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DPR Korea | 2 | 3 | 7 | 4 | +3 |
| Nigeria | 2 | 3 | 4 | 3 | +1 |
| Poland | 2 | 3 | 3 | 7 | -4 |
P = matches played; Pts = points; GF = goals for; GA = goals against; GD = goal difference. Editorial calculation based on the official results of the three matches between DPR Korea, Nigeria and Poland.
DPR Korea scored seven and conceded four: six goals against Poland and one against Nigeria, while conceding one to Poland and three to Nigeria. Nigeria scored four and conceded three; Poland scored three and conceded seven. There was no need for the next criterion, head-to-head goals scored, because the goal differences were already distinct.
Why overall goal difference was not the deciding measure
The standings across all three group matches for each side show another set of goal differences:
| Rank | Team | P | Pts | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | DPR Korea | 3 | 6 | 13 | 4 | +9 |
| 2 | Nigeria | 3 | 6 | 6 | 3 | +3 |
| 3 | Poland | 3 | 6 | 9 | 9 | 0 |
| 4 | Puerto Rico | 3 | 0 | 2 | 14 | -12 |
The overall table includes games against Puerto Rico. Figures are compiled from all six Group B results; the order of the three six-point teams follows the head-to-head tiebreak.
The overall goal differences (+9, +3 and 0) happen to give the same ordering as the mini-table. But they were not needed to separate the three teams: the head-to-head goal difference had already resolved the tie. Goals scored against Puerto Rico count towards overall goal difference, not the mini-table used in this case.
That is why Nigeria’s win over DPR Korea, taken on its own, was not enough to make Nigeria group winner. In a three-way tie, Nigeria’s earlier loss to Poland and DPR Korea’s big win over Poland also had to be considered.
Which teams reached the round of 16
DPR Korea finished first and Nigeria second, both qualifying directly for the round of 16. Poland progressed from third place: four of the six third-placed teams also qualify, and the Polish Football Association confirmed Poland’s passage on 23 October.
All three six-point teams therefore continued in the tournament, albeit from different positions. The mini-table established their order within Group B; the best-third-placed qualification process is a separate comparison of teams across groups. No knockout opponents or match results are presumed here.
