North-South women's football heats up Suwon in heavy rain... North Korea's Naegohyang beats Suwon Women to reach the final

The first-ever women's football club match between North and South Korea in South Korea was held in heavy rain at Suwon Sports Complex on the 20th. Suwon FC Women and North Korea's Naegohyang Women's Football Club met in the semifinals of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Women's Champions League (AWCL). It was the first time in eight years that a North Korean delegation had visited South Korea to take part in an official sports event, since the 2018 International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) World Tour Grand Finals.
Thousands of spectators turned out in raincoats to cheer throughout the match, which was played under torrential rain.
The Ministry of Unification (MOU) allocated 300 million won to support cheering efforts by more than 200 civic groups watching the match. The government, along with inter-Korean cooperation groups, filled 3,000 of the 7,000 cheering seats with a joint cheering squad.
North Korean coach Ri Yu-il said, "We came here to play the match. We will focus only on the game, not on the cheering squad." However, fierce physical battles between the two sides continued throughout the match.
The cheering squad, named the "2026 AFC Women's Champions League Joint Cheering Squad," supported both the home and away teams and displayed banners reading, "Go Suwon, cheer on Naegohyang." Some fans, however, were also seen booing when Naegohyang Women's Football Club appeared to have the upper hand.
The first half ended scoreless for both teams. But Suwon FC Women scored first just five minutes into the second half. Naegohyang Women's Football Club then scored two straight goals to secure the win.
In the other semifinal earlier in the day, Japan's Nippon TV Tokyo Verdy Beleza defeated Melbourne City FC Women of Australia 3-1. The final between Naegohyang Women's Football Club and Nippon TV Tokyo Verdy will be held on the 23rd. The winner will receive $1 million, or 1.5 billion won.


rainman@fnnews.com Kim Kyung-soo Reporter