North Korea’s women’s football team Myohyang, set to face Suwon FC Women in the AFC Women’s Champions League (AWCL) semifinals, has arrived in Beijing, China, for transit training before entering South Korea.
According to the South-North Sports Exchange Association, the Myohyang delegation landed in Beijing on May 12 via flight. The team will stay at a training facility near Beijing from May 13 to 16, focusing on drills and tactical preparations before entering South Korea through Incheon International Airport on May 17.
Myohyang will participate in the 2025-2026 AWCL Final Four tournament, with all matches scheduled at Suwon Sports Complex. The semifinal match against Suwon FC is set for May 20 at 7:00 PM local time. If victorious, they will face the winner of Melbourne City (Australia) vs. Tokyo Verdy (Japan) in the final on May 23 at 2:00 PM.
This marks the first visit of a North Korean sports delegation to South Korea since the ITTF World Tour Grand Finals in Incheon in December 2018 — a gap of eight years. For the North Korean women’s football team, it is their first trip to South Korea since the 2014 Incheon Asian Games, a 12-year hiatus.
The South-North Sports Exchange Association plans to organize a cheering squad of about 100 people for the match between Suwon FC and Myohyang. A spokesperson for the association stated, “Inheriting the noble spirit of the ‘Arisports Cup’ (hosted by the association), where South and North Korean youth once shared warm friendship through football, we have formed a special ‘Peace Cheering Squad’ to ensure both Koreas can enjoy the event together as one.”
