Naegohyang Women's FC team players celebrate after defeating Suwon FC Women in the AFC Women's Champions League 2026 semi-final match between Naegohyang Women's FC vs Suwon FC Women in Suwon, South Korea, 20 May 2026. Naegohyang Women's FC won 2-1. Photo by YONHAP / EPA
May 23 (Asia Today) -- North Korea's Naegohyang Women's Football Club defeated Japan's Tokyo Verdy Beleza 1-0 to win the 2025-26 AFC Women's Champions League, becoming the first North Korean women's club to claim the Asian title.
Kim Kyong-yong scored the winning goal in the 44th minute at Suwon Stadium, her fourth goal of the tournament and the decisive strike in Naegohyang's first Champions League victory.
About 2,000 members of a joint inter-Korean cheering squad, supported by South Korea's Unification Ministry, filled the away section and cheered for Naegohyang throughout the match with wave cheers and light sticks.
Naegohyang avenged a 4-0 loss to Tokyo in last year's group stage, deciding the final with a first-half counterattack. In the second half, the North Korean side held off Tokyo's attacks and protected the lead.
