The 10 viral images from the weekend đż
Check out the 10 viral images that had the football world buzzing this weekend!
A North Korean women's soccer team will compete in a regional tournament in South Korea, marking the first inter-Korean sports exchange since 2018. The team, Naegohyang Women's FC, will face Suwon FC Women in the semifinals on May 20.
Mentioned in this story
A North Korean womenâs soccer team will travel to South Korea later this month to compete in a regional tournament, Seoulâs Unification Ministry said Monday. In this 2024 file photo, North Korean supporters cheer at a FIFA World Cup qualification match in Tokyo. File Photo by Franck Robichon/EPA
SEOUL, May 4 (UPI) -- A North Korean women's soccer team will travel to South Korea later this month to compete in a regional tournament, Seoul's Unification Ministry said Monday, marking the first inter-Korean sports exchange since 2018.
Naegohyang Women's FC is set to face Suwon FC Women in the semifinals of the Asian Football Confederation Women's Champions League on May 20 at Suwon Stadium, as part of the tournament's finals stage being held in South Korea.
Pyongyang notified Seoul on May 1 that a 39-member delegation -- including 27 players and 12 staff -- will make the trip, according to a briefing shared by the Unification Ministry with reporters. The team is scheduled to arrive at Incheon International Airport via Beijing on May 17.
The exchange will be the first since a period of detente in 2018, when North Korea participated in the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, fielding a unified women's ice hockey team with the South. Pyongyang later sent athletes to additional sporting events, including a youth football tournament in Gangwon Province.
Relations have soured in the years since, with North Korea officially designating the South as a "most hostile state."
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has sought to ease inter-Korean tensions since taking office in June, calling for the resumption of dialogue and making conciliatory gestures such as dismantling border propaganda loudspeakers.
The North has rebuffed such overtures, however, while continuing to expand its military posture.
Naegohyang, founded in 2012 and backed by a domestic manufacturing company, has emerged as a rising force in North Korean women's football, according to the ministry. The squad won the country's top league in the 2021-22 season and includes several players with experience on national youth teams that won recent FIFA U-17 and U-20 Women's World Cups.
The North Korean women's soccer team is scheduled to arrive in South Korea on May 17.
The team is participating in the Asian Football Confederation Women's Champions League.
The delegation consists of 39 members, including 27 players and 12 staff.
Check out the 10 viral images that had the football world buzzing this weekend!
Orioles minor league recap: Trimble and Perez shine in Delmarva win
Exploring the Best Wildcard Performances in MotoGP History

Juventus makes Alisson a top target for summer transfer
Mets Morning News: Vientos shines, game rescheduled due to snow
Yankees option Anthony Volpe to Triple-A after rehab assignment, delaying his return.
See every story in Sports â including breaking news and analysis.
The club advanced to the semifinals after finishing second in Group C and defeating Ho Chi Minh City Women's FC 3-0 in the quarterfinals. It also beat Suwon 3-0 in a group-stage meeting in November.
North Korea's women's national team is ranked 11th in the world and second in Asia, according to FIFA.
Sports exchanges between the two Koreas date back to 1990, with more than 80 such interactions recorded through 2019, including joint teams in international competitions and joint marches at major events such as the Olympics.
The last time a North Korean women's soccer team played in the South was during the 2014 Incheon Asian Games.