A historic women's club match between South Korea and North Korea is set for the first time in seven years, with tickets selling out within 12 hours.
On 15 May 2026, the Korea Football Association announced that tickets for the AFC Women's Champions League semi-final between South Korea's Suwon FC and North Korea's Naegohyang, scheduled for 20 May, were sold out rapidly—7,087 seats were all taken within just 12 hours.
This match marks the first time since 2018 that a North Korean sports team will compete in neighboring South Korea.
As this is a club-level match under the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) rules, no national flags will be displayed nor anthems played for either country. Additionally, there will be no away supporters since North Korean citizens are generally not permitted to enter South Korea.
The winner of this match will advance to the final on 23 May, where they will face the victor between Melbourne City from Australia and Tokyo Verdy Beleza from Japan.
Photo credit: AFP / Yonhap