North Korean club to face South Korean in AFC women's semis

A North Korean women's football club will face a South Korean opponent in the semifinals of the Asian Football Confederation Women's Champions League on May 20 in Suwon, south of Seoul, marking the first visit by a North Korean sports team to the South since 2018.

Naegohyang Women's FC will play Suwon FC Women at 7 p.m. at Suwon Sports Complex. The delegation, consisting of 27 players and 12 staff members, is scheduled to arrive at Incheon International Airport on May 17 via a flight from Beijing. The teams previously met in the group stage on November 12 in Myanmar, where Naegohyang won 3-0.

The winner will advance to the final on May 23 at the same venue against the victor of the other semifinal between Australia's Melbourne City FC and Japan's Nippon TV Tokyo Verdy Beleza, set for 2 p.m. on May 20. The losing semifinalists will depart the following day, with no third-place match planned. A press conference for the four teams is expected on May 19.

South Korea's Unification Ministry and the Korea Football Association confirmed the arrangements after the Asian Football Confederation notified them of Naegohyang's participation decision on Friday. The match represents a rare...