North Korean athletes participate in an Asian Football Confederation Women's Football Day event at Rungra People's Sports Park in Pyongyang, March 8, in this photo carried by the North's official media outlet Korean Central News Agency the following day. Yonhap
A North Korean women’s football club will travel to South Korea for an Asian Football Confederation (AFC) league match with a South Korean team later this month, according to the Korea Football Association (KFA), Monday.
The KFA said that the confederation notified it last week of the North Korean club's participation in the semifinals of the AFC Women's Champions League (AWCL) Final 2026 to be held in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, May 20. The delegation will consist of 39 people, including 27 players of the club, Naegohyang Women's FC, and 12 support staff.
It will be the first time in eight years that North Korean athletes will participate in a sports event taking place in the South. The most recent such event was a table tennis world tour held in Incheon in December 2018 when five players took part in a unified team with South Korea.
Their visit is drawing attention because it is taking place after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un defined the two Koreas as “two hostile countries in a state of war” in late 2023, meaning the North is sending its athletes to an enemy country at war. It remains to be seen whether the upcoming football game can offer an opportunity to thaw the cold inter-Korean relations as seen with other sports events in the past.
A unification ministry official said ensuring the delegation's safe participation under AFC regulations is of importance.
“As this is a purely civilian sporting event, we will work to create a calm and comfortable atmosphere so that the players can focus on the game,” the official said. “We welcome the North Korean delegation, visiting for the first time in eight years, and will work closely with the KFA to ensure the tournament runs smoothly.”
The official said it remains unclear if any high-ranking figures will be part of the delegation.
Founded in 2012 in Pyongyang, Naegohyang Women's FC rose to prominence after winning the top-flight title in the North in the 2021-22 season. The squad features several players with U-17 and U-20 World Cup-winning experience.
Co-organized by the AFC, the KFA and Suwon Special City, the AWCL Final 2026 is Asia's premier women's club tournament, running from May 17-24. The four finalists, who will play at Suwon Sports Complex, advanced to the group stage last November and the quarterfinals in March, with Suwon FC Women having lost 0-3 to Naegohyang in the group stage.
Source: Korea Times News
