North Korea's Naegohyang Women's FC won the 2024-25 Asian Women's Champions League title after defeating Japan's Tokyo Verdy Beleza 1-0 on May 23, 2026, at Suwon Sports Complex in South Korea [1, 2, 3, 4]. Kim Kyong-Yong scored the only goal of the final before halftime [1, 2, 3, 4]. Tokyo Verdy failed to record any shots on target during the match [1, 3].
Naegohyang's run to the title began on May 21, when they beat South Korea's Suwon FC Women 2-1 in the semi-final at the same venue [5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 4]. Suwon took the lead through Haruhi Suzuki's goal in the 49th minute, but North Korea's Choe Kum-ok and Kim Kyong-yong scored second-half goals to come from behind and seal victory [6, 7, 9]. Suwon captain Ji So-yun missed a late penalty attempt [6, 7, 8, 9]. The semi-final drew 7,087 spectators and featured five yellow cards – three for Naegohyang and two for Suwon [5, 8, 10].
The semi-final marked the first occasion since 2018 that North Korean athletes crossed into South Korea [5, 6, 1, 11, 4]. Naegohyang's 27 players and 12 staff arrived in Suwon on May 18 and stayed in the city through the final [6, 11, 8, 12]. No official away supporters were permitted due to North-South travel restrictions. However, civic groups backed by Seoul's unification ministry attended the matches in numbers estimated between 1,200 and 3,000 [6, 2, 8, 4].
Following the final, Naegohyang players and staff paraded the North Korean national flag, an act usually forbidden under South Korean law during such events [2]. The North Korean coach, Ri Yu-il, denied allegations of rough play and praised the competitive but fair spirit of the matches [8, 10, 4]. He said, "We only thought about football, about winning this title and about our club's development," and credited the support of the Workers' Party of Korea for the team's success, adding, "I am truly overjoyed. I am so proud of my players for overcoming so much adversity and following my lead for this moment." [11, 12]
Naegohyang was founded in 2012 and this was their first appearance in the Asian Champions League [6, 11, 4]. The victory awards them $1 million in prize money and qualifies them for next year's FIFA Women's Champions Cup [1, 2, 11, 3, 4, 12].
Relations remain tense between North and South Korea, which are still technically at war since the 1953 Korean War armistice without a peace treaty, and the North has recently called the South its "most hostile state" [5, 6, 2, 11]. South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has expressed a desire to improve ties [6, 2]. Unification Minister Chund Dong-young said the game would set a "positive precedent" for inter-Korean relations [6].
Naegohyang and staff are expected to hold future engagements in South Korea as they prepare for next season’s international competitions.
