N. Korean women's football club going for top Asian prize on S. Korean soil
A North Korean women's football club will chase their first title at the top Asian tournament on South Korean soil on the weekend.
Naegohyang Women's FC of North Korea will face Tokyo Verdy Beleza of Japan in the final of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Women's Champions League at Suwon Stadium in Suwon, 30 kilometers south of Seoul, at 2 p.m. Saturday.
Now in its second season, the AFC Women's Champions League is the biggest women's club football competition in Asia.
Both Naegohyang and Tokyo are competing in their first Women's Champions League.
Naegohyang rallied past South Korea's Suwon FC Women 2-1 in Wednesday's semifinals, on second-half goals by Choe Kum-ok and Kim Kyong-yong.
Earlier in the day, Tokyo Verdy Beleza defeated Melbourne City FC, the 2025 runners-up, by 3-1, with Yuzuho Shiokoshi netting twice and Miharu Shinjo scoring the other.
The champions will take home $1 million, while the runners-up will bag $500,000.
Tokyo defeated Naegohyang 4-0 in their Group C meeting in November last year, when Myanmar's Yangon served as the centralized venue.
Shiokoshi and Shinjo
North Korea beat South in Seoul
- Soccer Game Between North and South Korean Teams Draws Strong Emotion On and Off the Pitch The New York Times —
- North Korea's Naegohyang down Suwon to set up Tokyo Verdy final clash The Straits Times —
- N. Korea soccer team wins 1st sports match played in South in 8 years UPI —
- 1st inter-Korean women's football match in South in years kicks off Korea Times —
- In rare clash, North Korea defeats South Korea … on the soccer field Washington Post —