North Korean women's football team receives grand welcome upon return from 5th AFC win

North Korea's U-17 women's football team has received a grand welcome ceremony in Pyongyang upon its return following a win at the AFC U-17 Women's Asian Cup, state media reported Wednesday.

The team was received by government and party officials the previous day at Pyongyang International Airport, where players were presented with flower garlands and bouquets before parading through the city on a flower-decorated bus.

Pyongyang citizens lined the streets, waving at the procession as it passed, photos released by state media showed.

Players responded to the cheering crowd by shaking hands with them, with one player seen signing an autograph on a football handed to her by a boy.

The Rodong Sinmun, the newspaper of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea, described the atmosphere as “the city filled with joy and delight welcoming the nation's proud daughters.”

The North Korean squad defeated Japan 5-1 in the final held at the Suzhou Sports Center Stadium in Jiangsu, China, on Sunday, extending the country's dominance in the competition. The victory marked the team's fifth AFC U-17 Women's Asian Cup title, the most by any nation, surpassing Japan's four championships. It also won the previous edition in Indonesia in 2024.

Meanwhile, North Korea made no mention of the upcoming semifinal match between South Korea's Suwon FC Women and North Korea's Naegohyang Women's FC at Suwon Stadium in Suwon, some 30 kilometers (18.64 miles) south of Seoul, later in the day.

Yonhap