The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) women’s football club, “April 25 Sports Club” (often transliterated as “Nongkhyung”), is set to visit South Korea after an eight-year hiatus to compete in the semi-finals of the AFC Women’s Champions League. Their matchup against the South Korean side, “Suwon FC Women,” is scheduled for this month, according to Yonhap News Agency.
The DPRK women’s football team is slated to travel to the South for the semi-final stage of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Women’s Champions League. This marks a significant occasion, as it’s the first time a North Korean sporting contingent has visited the South in eight years; this is particularly notable for women’s football, which hasn’t made such a trip across the border in twelve years, as reported by the South Korean news outlet Yonhap.
As per the agency’s information, the North Korean women’s football squad, “April 25 Sports Club,” will arrive in South Korea this month to face “Suwon FC Women” during the AFC Women’s Champions League semi-final fixtures.
The Korea Football Association communicated that the AFC confirmed “April 25 Sports Club’s” participation on the 1st of the month, Yonhap states. The inaugural AFC Women’s Champions League took place during the 2024-2025 season, and the current competition represents its second edition. This league serves to determine the premier women’s football club across Asian nations.
Currently, twelve teams contest this tournament, including representatives from South Korea, China, Japan, and North Korea. Suwon FC Women earned their spot by clinching the title in the previous season’s WK League.
The “April 25 Sports Club” women’s team secured the championship in the DPRK top league for the 2021-2022 season and is backed by a North Korean consumer goods manufacturer bearing the same name. In one of their recent matches, played in Myanmar, the North Korean squad achieved a convincing 3-0 victory.
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