Samoa suffered their second defeat at the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup on Thursday, 22 October, losing 7-0 to China in Morocco. However, the Oceania representatives showed signs of improvement following their historic 17-0 defeat to the United States three days earlier, offering an encouraging response despite another difficult encounter against stronger opposition.
Playing at the Mohammed VI Football Complex in Salé, Samoa faced a Chinese team looking to secure qualification for the knockout stages after opening their campaign with a 3-0 victory over Kenya.
The Asian side took the lead in the sixth minute when Fang Zhenzhu converted a penalty, immediately putting Samoa under pressure. However, unlike their previous encounter against the United States, when they had conceded four goals inside the opening 20 minutes, Samoa managed to resist further pressure for a considerable period.
China eventually doubled their advantage in the 25th minute through Xu Yue, who scored again four minutes later to make it 3-0.
Cheng Wandi added a fourth in the 39th minute, giving China a comfortable halftime advantage, but Samoa had nevertheless restricted their opponents to four goals during the opening period, compared with the nine conceded against the Americans.
The second half followed a similar pattern, with China dominating possession and continuing to create opportunities against a Samoan team primarily focused on maintaining its defensive organisation.
Cheng converted another penalty in the 57th minute to complete her brace, before Liu Yuxi added a sixth in the 69th minute.
Yang Lan completed the scoring in the 76th minute with an impressive left-footed strike, sealing China’s second consecutive victory in the competition.
Although Samoa were unable to prevent another comprehensive defeat, the reduction in goals conceded was significant following their previous result.
Against the United States, Samoa had faced 58 attempts and conceded nine goals before halftime and eight in the second half. The Americans’ 17-0 victory established a new record for the largest winning margin in FIFA World Cup history, across all age categories.
The match against China presented another difficult challenge, but Samoa demonstrated greater resistance, particularly during the early stages of the encounter.
The team conceded ten fewer goals than against the United States, while the number of goals conceded in each half was also substantially lower.
That difference should not be interpreted as evidence that Samoa have suddenly closed the competitive gap with stronger football nations. China and the United States are different opponents, and both possess considerably more developed women’s football structures than Samoa.
Nevertheless, the response represents a positive element in an otherwise difficult World Cup campaign.
For a team that had experienced such a heavy defeat only three days earlier, returning to the pitch and attempting to improve its performance required considerable determination.
Head coach Juan Chang Urrea has repeatedly emphasised the importance of international exposure for Samoa’s development. The country is participating in its second consecutive FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup, having made its debut in 2025 as the first Samoan national team to qualify for a FIFA tournament.
That inaugural appearance produced a memorable performance against France, when Samoa scored twice before eventually losing 4-2.
Although the national team has struggled to reproduce those attacking moments during the current tournament, its continued presence on the world stage remains important for the development of women’s football in the Pacific nation.
Samoa operate with a considerably smaller player pool and fewer competitive opportunities than many of the countries represented at the tournament. Regularly facing international opponents of this standard is therefore a valuable experience, particularly for young players still developing their technical and tactical understanding.
However, the challenges exposed by the defeats against the United States and China also demonstrate that World Cup participation alone is not enough to close the gap.
Continued investment in youth development, coaching, domestic competitions and opportunities to face stronger opponents will be necessary if Samoa are to become more competitive internationally.
The progress made between two matches should be viewed within that longer process, rather than measured exclusively through the final score.
For Samoa, the immediate objective is to finish their campaign with another improved performance when they face Kenya on Sunday, 25 October.
The African representatives offer a different challenge after losing their opening match 3-0 to China, providing Samoa with another opportunity to test themselves against opponents from outside Oceania.
Having conceded 24 goals without scoring in their first two matches, Samoa will be looking to improve defensively while also creating more opportunities in attack.
The results in Morocco have demonstrated the considerable distance that still separates Samoa from established women’s football nations, but they have also provided experiences that are difficult to replicate through regional competition alone.
The defeat to China was another disappointing result, yet the improvement in Samoa’s defensive resistance offers something to build upon.
For a developing national programme, progress will not always be reflected in victories. Sometimes, it begins with responding to a difficult setback, becoming more competitive and gradually applying the lessons learned against the world’s strongest opponents.
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