Naegohyang Women’s FC players rejoice their victory after the AFC Women’s Champions League semi-final football match between North Korea’s Naegohyang Women’s FC and South Korea’s Suwon FC Women in Suwon on May 20, 2026. (Photo by Jung Yeon-je / AFP)
North Korea’s first sports team to go to the South in eight years reached the Asian Women’s Champions League final on Wednesday as Naegohyang Women’s FC beat Suwon FC Women 2-1.
Naegohyang got here from behind to defeat their rivals from the South amid torrential rain in Suwon, in a hard-fought semi-final played in a good spirit with none major flashpoints.
READ: North Korean football team ventures into South
Suwon captain Ji So-yun missed a penalty with just over 10 minutes to play.
The North Koreans hugged one another and wept on the full-time whistle because the Suwon players slumped to the turf.
“We believed in our team’s ability,” said Naegohyang’s Choe Kum Okay, who scored her team’s equalizer within the second half. “If all of us stay united, neither the semi-final or final might be an issue for us.”
The North Koreans will stay within the South for Saturday’s final, where they are going to tackle Japan’s Tokyo Verdy Beleza at the identical stadium.
“Every player’s role is essential, but things didn’t go well for us in the primary half,” said Choe. “Once we got into the second half, we found our rhythm and I believe the sport flowed a lot better for us.”
Interest within the rare North-South semi-final was intense, and seven,087 general admission tickets sold out inside hours of happening sale last week.
A girl in her 70s who gave her surname as Lee told AFP before kick-off that she lived nearby and attended the match “hoping to catch a glimpse of the North Korean players”.
“I’ll cheer for each teams, although I’m rooting barely more for the North since they travelled such a protracted technique to get here,” she said.
Bad weather meant half the seats within the roofless Suwon Sports Complex Stadium were empty.
A big group of spectators from civic groups backed by Seoul’s unification ministry was within the stadium to support each teams, although they were mostly silent.
Fast and fair
South and North Korean joint cheering squads react through the AFC Women’s Champions League semifinal between North Korea’s Naegohyang Women’s FC and South Korea’s Suwon FC in Suwon, South Korea, Wednesday, May 20, 2026. (Kim Sung-min/Yonhap via AP)
Suwon fans banged drums and chanted for his or her team.
“No matter whether the opposing team is from North Korea or some other country, we actually hope we win, make it to the ultimate, and show just how strong our women’s football team is,” said 29-year-old Suwon fan Kweon Yun-young.
There have been no official away supporters because North Koreans are generally not allowed into the South, and the 2 countries have technically remained at war since 1950.
The 2 teams had met within the group stage earlier within the competition, with Naegohyang winning 3-0.
Former Chelsea midfielder Ji said Suwon were expecting the semi-final to be a tricky physical battle and were ready to provide pretty much as good as they got.
The motion was fast and fair as each teams created early probabilities.
Naegohyang had a goal ruled out for offside within the fifth minute, and Suwon’s Japanese striker Haruhi Suzuki headed against the post midway through the primary half.
Suzuki gave Suwon the lead within the forty ninth minute when she pounced on a probability with the Naegohyang defence hesitating.
The North Koreans equalised six minutes later when Choe headed home from a free-kick.
Prolific striker Kim Kyong Yong then gave Naegohyang the lead when she finished off a scrappy attack with a header within the 67th minute.
Suwon were awarded a penalty after a VAR review, but Ji hit her spot kick wide with the goalkeeper diving the unsuitable way.
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Tokyo beat Australia’s Melbourne City 3-1 in the opposite semi-final earlier within the day.