The North Korean women’s football team, Naekohyang, which is set to face Suwon FC Women in the 2025-2026 AFC Women’s Champions League (AWCL) semifinals, has arrived in Beijing, China, for transit training.
According to the South-North Sports Exchange Association, the Naekohyang delegation landed at Beijing Capital International Airport on the morning of May 12 via Air Koryo flight JS151. Foreign media photos show the team members in light blue tops and navy blue pants, pulling travel suitcases through the terminal. A figure believed to be Hyun Chul-yoon, the head of the Naekohyang women’s football team and former principal of the Pyongyang International Football School, was spotted leading the delegation.
The AFC has informed the Korea Football Association that the North Korean delegation includes a total of 39 members, with 12 staff members—including Hyun—in addition to the players. The team is scheduled to stay at a training facility near Beijing from May 13 to 16 for practice and tactical preparations, before entering South Korea via Incheon International Airport on May 17.
This marks the first visit by a North Korean sports delegation to South Korea for a competition since the ITTF World Tour Grand Finals in Incheon in December 2018. For the North Korean women’s football team, it is their first trip to South Korea since the 2014 Incheon Asian Games.
Naekohyang will compete in the AWCL semifinal knockout stage, with all matches held at Suwon World Cup Stadium. The semifinal against Suwon FC Women is scheduled to kick off at 7 p.m. on May 20. If they win, they will face the winner of the Melbourne City (Australia) versus Tokyo Verdy (Japan) match in the final on May 23 at 2 p.m.
The South-North Sports Exchange Association plans to organize a cheering squad of approximately 100 people for the game. A representative from the association stated, “Carrying forward the noble sports spirit of the ‘Arisports Cup’ (hosted by the South-North Sports Exchange Association), where South and North Korean youths shared warm friendship through football, we have formed a special ‘Peace Cheering Squad’ so that both sides can unite and enjoy the tournament together.”