Brazil defeats China 2–1 in U-17 Women's World Cup quarterfinal

Brazil overturned a halftime deficit to beat China 2–1 in the quarterfinals of the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup on Sunday in Rabat, Morocco, securing a place in the semifinals for the second consecutive edition of the tournament.

China took the lead in the 42nd minute when Wu Yichen raced down the left wing and fired a cross past Brazil goalkeeper Nathy into the upper corner. Brazil responded immediately after the restart, with Helena equalizing within one minute following a scramble in the penalty area. Helena then scored the decisive goal in the 88th minute after a right-wing cross and header from Sofia Gamonal created a loose ball that she converted.

China's loss ended what the team described as its best-ever run at the tournament. China had topped Group E with three consecutive victories and defeated France 4–3 on penalties in the round of 16, with goalkeeper Niu Ziqi saving two spot-kicks. Brazil's 2025 semifinal appearance ended in a loss to North Korea in the final; this year Brazil will face Nigeria in the semifinals on Wednesday. In the other quarterfinals, Japan defeated Ghana 1–0, North Korea defeated the United States 3–0, and Nigeria defeated Venezuela 1–0. Japan and North Korea will contest the other semifinal.