[Official] North Korean women's soccer team to visit Korea! Club team debut... 'Inter-Korean showdown' in AFC Champions League quarterfinals against SuwonFC

*This content was translated by AI.

The North Korean women's soccer team is set to set foot on Korean soil. An 'inter-Korean showdown' has been arranged in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province.

The Korea Football Association (KFA) announced that "Pyongyang-based Naegokhwa Women's Football Club has expressed its intention to participate in the 2025–2026 AFC Women's Champions League (AWCL) quarterfinals to be held in Suwon."

According to the KFA, the AFC informed the association on the 1st that Naegokhwa Women's Football Club had completed the submission of its roster, schedule, documents, and other required materials for participation in the tournament.

This marks the first time since October 2018, when the 4.25 Sports Troupe and Yeomyeong Sports Troupe youth teams (U15) participated in the Arisports Cup International Football Tournament held in Chuncheon and Inje, Gangwon Province, that North Korean soccer teams have visited Korea.

In the case of women's teams, the North Korean Yeo Ja-chuk-gu (CEO) team participated in the 2014 Incheon Asian Games. However, this is the first time a club team has done so.

Four teams have advanced to the quarterfinals of this tournament: South Korea's SuwonFC Women, North Korea's Naegokhwa Women's Football Club, Australia's Melbourne City, and Japan's Tokyo Verdy Beleza. On the 20th, SuwonFC and Naegokhwa Women's Football Club will face each other in the semifinals, staging an 'inter-Korean showdown.' On the same day, Melbourne City and Tokyo Verdy Beleza will also compete in a quarterfinal match. The matches will be decided in a single game. The final is scheduled for the 23rd.

Naegokhwa Women's Football Club was founded in 2012 and is considered one of North Korea's top teams, based in Pyongyang. It is a corporate sports team supported by the 'Naegokhwa' enterprise. The team has won the North Korean women's top division league multiple times. Currently, former North Korean Yeo Ja-chuk-gu (CEO) team coach Ri Yu-il is in charge. In the group stage of this tournament, the team recorded two wins and one loss (second place in Group C), and defeated Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam) 3-0 in the round of 16. At that time, Naegokhwa Women's Football Club did not host home matches and played in Laos, a neutral venue.

A total of 27 players and 12 staff members from Naegokhwa Women's Football Club will enter Korea. They are scheduled to arrive via Incheon International Airport on the 17th. The KFA explained, "We plan to proceed with the application procedures for the visit of this team to the government."

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*This content was translated by AI.