Overview
- Naegohyang, which won the AFC Women's Champions League on Saturday, May 23, 2026, beat Japan's Tokyo Verdy Beleza 1-0 with captain Kim Kyong-yong scoring the only goal and being named tournament MVP.
- The club's victory qualifies Naegohyang for next year's FIFA Women's Champions Cup and caps a run that included a 2-1 semi-final win over South Korea's Suwon FC Women.
- Head coach Ri Yu-il publicly credited the ruling Workers' Party of Korea for the win and the team left South Korea on May 24 with officials and state media framing the result as a regime achievement.
- The US$1 million champions' prize is legally and operationally uncertain because of UN sanctions and banking concerns, and AFC/FIFA officials are expected to review whether and how funds or expense coverage can be handled.
- The visit was the first by North Korean athletes to the South in eight years, drew a Unification Ministry-backed cheering section that provoked domestic debate, and highlights North Korea's long-running state investment in elite women's football and its wider diplomatic implications.