Choe Yon-a
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Birth name | 최연아 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 1 January 2007 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | North Korea | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.62 m (5 ft 4 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Midfielder | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2025– | Naegohyang | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International career‡ | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2024 | North Korea U17 | 6 | (1) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2025– | North Korea U20 | 11 | (8) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 3 November 2024 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 12 April 2026 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Choe Yon-a (Korean: 최연아; born 1 January 2007) is a North Korean footballer who plays as a midfielder or winger for Naegohyang in the DPR Korea Women's Premier League.
In 2024, as a member of the North Korea women's national under-17 team, she competed at the 2024 AFC U-17 Women's Asian Cup and the 2024 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup, winning both tournaments.
Club career
[edit]Choe made her senior club debut with Naegohyang on 9 November 2025, in a AFC Women's Champions League group stage match against Tokyo Verdy Beleza.[1] On 23 May 2026, her club faced Tokyo Verdy Beleza for the final and won 1–0, qualifying to the 2027 FIFA Women's Champions Cup as the Asian representative.[2][3]
International career
[edit]Choe was part of the North Korea U17 squad that won the 2024 AFC U-17 Women's Asian Cup held in Indonesia.[4] On 5 March 2024, she scored her only goal with the U17 team against China in the semifinal, while she also played in the final match, where her team won 1–0 over Japan and secured the championship.[5][6] A few months later, Choe played in the 2024 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup, where she was a member of the North Korean team that won the tournament in the Dominican Republic.[7]
In March 2026, Choe was named in the squad for the 2026 AFC U-20 Women's Asian Cup, who were beaten in the final by Japan.[8][9]
Honours
[edit]Naegohyang
North Korea U17
North Korea U20
- FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup runner-up: 2026[10]
Individual
- FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup Bronze Boot: 2026[11]
References
[edit]- ↑ "2025–26 AFC Women's Champions League Match report (Naegohyang vs Tokyo Verde Beleza)". Asian Football Confederation. 9 November 2025. Retrieved 22 September 2026.
- ↑ "President Lee Jae Myung Congratulates North Korean Champions". The Chosun Daily. 2026-05-23. Retrieved 2026-05-24.
- ↑ "DPRK club Naegohyang wins AFC Women's Champions League title". Xinhua. 23 May 2026. Retrieved 24 May 2026.
- ↑ "Squad List FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup Dominican Republic 2024" (PDF). FIFA. 2024. Retrieved 11 November 2025.
- ↑ "2024 AFC U-17 Women's Asian Cup Match report (PRK vs CHN)". Asian Football Confederation. 17 May 2024. Retrieved 25 November 2025.
- ↑ "2024 AFC U-17 Women's Asian Cup Match report (PRK vs JAP)". Asian Football Confederation. 18 May 2024. Retrieved 25 November 2025.
- ↑ "N. Korea's World Cup-winning footballers get heroes' welcome home". The Korean Herald. 10 November 2024. Retrieved 27 November 2025.
- ↑ "AFC U20 Women's Asian Cup 2026 Final Registration" (PDF). Asian Football Confederation. 29 March 2026. Retrieved 13 April 2026.
- ↑ "Japan beats China to reach AFC U20 Women's Asian Cup final". People's Daily Online. 16 April 2026.
- ↑ "Spain edge DPR Korea on penalties to secure global glory". fifa.com. 27 September 2026. Retrieved 27 September 2026.
- ↑ "The Poland 2026 award winners". fifa.com. 27 September 2026. Retrieved 27 September 2026.
External links
[edit]- Choe Yon-a at WorldFootball.net
