All 7,087 tickets for the historic AFC Champions League women's football match between South Korea's Suwon FC and North Korea's Naegohyang sold out within 12 hours after the South Korean government approved the North Korean team's entry for the first time in over seven years.
The Korea Football Association (KFA) revealed that tickets for the AFC Women's Champions League semifinal between host Suwon FC Women and North Korea's Naegohyang Women's FC, totaling over 7,087 seats, were quickly sold out within just 12 hours after sales began.
The match on 20 May marks a historic event in sports, as it is the first time since 2018 that North Korean athletes have been allowed to cross the border to compete on South Korean soil amid ongoing tense relations between the two countries.
Although both Koreas remain technically at war after the Korean War (1950-1953) ended with an armistice rather than a peace treaty, this match is seen as a symbol of exchange between the two sides through sport.
South Korea's Ministry of Unification confirmed approval for 39 North Korean athletes and officials to enter the country from Sunday until 24 May, with the Naegohyang team flying directly from Beijing to South Korea to prepare for this important match.
Since this is a club-level match under the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) rules, neither country's national flags nor anthems will be displayed or played, to avoid political and religious issues in line with AFC guidelines.
Although North Korean fans are not permitted to attend, over 200 South Korean civic groups have formed a "joint cheering squad" of 3,000 people to support players from both sides in the spirit of peace and sportsmanship. The South Korean government has allocated 300 million won (about 6.5 million baht) to support this cheering group.
The winner of this match will advance to the final on 23 May to face the victor between Melbourne City from Australia or Tokyo Verdy Beleza from Japan. North Korea has long been a powerhouse in Asian and global women's football, especially at the youth level, having won multiple world championships in recent years.
This event is not only a football competition but also a symbol of "sports diplomacy" aimed at reducing tensions on the Korean Peninsula, drawing global attention.