The government and soccer community are ramping up preparations for the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Women’s Champions League (ACL), set to take place in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, this May.
Soccer officials revealed on Wednesday that the Ministry of Unification will conduct a preliminary inspection of the Suwon Sports Complex, Suwon World Cup Stadium, and player accommodations on Thursday.
An official explained that while these are standard procedures for international tournaments, it’s taking extra precautions due to the participation of North Korea’s Naegohyang women’s soccer team. It’ll be examining the competition venues, training facilities, and lodgings, as well as reviewing security measures, movement protocols within the stadium, and overall event management.
The Korea Football Association successfully secured hosting rights for the women’s ACL semifinals and finals after submitting a letter of intent to the AFC in January, bolstered by Suwon FC’s advancement to the semifinals.
The women’s ACL semifinals are scheduled for May 20, featuring Melbourne City (Australia) vs. Tokyo Verdy Beleza (Japan) at 2:00 p.m., followed by Suwon FC Women vs. the Naegohyang women’s soccer team at 7:00 p.m.
A visit from the Naegohyang team would mark a historic first for women’s soccer clubs. It would also be the first official event including age-group national teams since the 2014 Incheon Asian Games, ending a 12-year hiatus.
While South and North Korean national teams have faced off since the Asian Games, these matches have taken place in North Korea or neutral venues.
However, the Naegohyang team’s participation is not yet confirmed.
North Korea has a history of non-participation, having skipped last year’s East Asian Football Federation (EAFF) E-1 Championship in South Korea and previous International Association Football Federation (FIFA) World Cup Asian qualifiers held in the South.
If the Naegohyang team declines to participate, the AFC is likely to impose penalties, such as fines or future tournament bans.
The women’s ACL, launched last year by the AFC, aligns with the global push to promote women’s soccer. The tournament offers a 1 million USD prize for the champions and 500,000 USD for the runners-up.