North Korean women's football team to face South on May 20

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North Korean women's football team to face South on May 20

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By

Park Ung

Published

May 4, 2026 11:06 am

KST

Updated

May 4, 2026 11:11 am

KST

Pyongyang's Naegohyang to compete in AFC Women’s Champions League semifinals

Participants attend an Asian Football Confederation Women's Football Day event at Rungra People's Sports Park in Pyongyang, March 8, in this photo carried by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency the following day. Yonhap

North Korea's Naegohyang Women's FC will compete in the Asian Football Confederation Women's Champions League (AWCL) 2026 in Suwon this month, setting up a rare inter-Korean semifinal clash on South Korean soil.

The Korea Football Association (KFA) announced Monday that the confederation notified it last week of the North Korean club's participation. The delegation traveling to Suwon consists of 39 people, including 27 players and 12 support staff.

Founded in 2012 in Pyongyang, Naegohyang Women's FC rose to prominence after winning the North Korean top-flight title in the 2021-22 season. The squad features several players with U-17 and U-20 World Cup-winning experience.

Co-organized by the Asian Football Confederation, the KFA and Suwon Special City, the AWCL Final 2026 is Asia's premier women's club tournament, running from May 17 to 24. The four finalists, who will play at Suwon Sports Complex, advanced through the group stage last November and the quarterfinals in March, with Suwon FC Women having lost 0-3 to Naegohyang in the group stage.

Participating teams are scheduled to arrive on May 17, with two semifinal matches set for May 20 — Melbourne City FC vs. Tokyo Verdy Beleza at 2 p.m. and Suwon FC Women vs. Naegohyang Women's FC at 7 p.m. Teams eliminated in the semifinals will return home on May 21 without a third-place match. The final is set for May 23 at 2 p.m.