North Korea qualifies for the Women's World Cup for the first time since 2011

North Korea has qualified for the Women's World Cup for the first time since a doping saga in 2011 led to its long absence from top-tier international tournaments.

Hong Song Ok scored a hat trick in a 4-0 win over Taiwan on Thursday in playoffs at the Women's Asian Cup in Gold Coast, Australia, to determine the confederation's fifth and sixth qualifiers for next year's World Cup in Brazil.

Angela Beard and Jaclyn Sawicki scored in a six-minute span to help the Philippines secure a World Cup spot with a 2-0 victory over Uzbekistan in the afternoon game.

There were six guaranteed World Cup spots on offer at the continental championship, with Australia, Japan, China and South Korea assured places as quarterfinal winners. The quarterfinal losers went into playoffs at the Gold Coast for the fifth and sixth spots.

Taiwan and Uzbekistan still have another chance to qualify for Brazil via inter-confederation playoffs.

The Women's Asian Cup concludes Saturday with the final between Australia and Japan.

Back in 2011, North Korea officials blamed traditional medicines based on deer glands for causing the squad's five positive tests for steroids at the Women's World Cup.

After two players were caught during the tournament, FIFA tested the rest of the North Korean squad and found three more positive results.

A subsequent ban resulted in North Korea missing the 2014 Asian Cup. It failed to qualify for 2018 and missed the 2022 tournament because of travel restrictions imposed in the COVID-19 pandemic.

Head coach Ri Song Ho's young North Korea squad in Australia included players he guided to the Under-20 Women's World Cup title in 2024.

The three-time champions were playing at the Women's Asian Cup for the first time since losing the