Kuala Lumpur (AFP) – North Korea and South Korea will face off in women's football with a prized berth at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics at stake.
Issued on: 12/11/2026 - 11:03
Thursday's draw at Asian Football Confederation headquarters in Kuala Lumpur lumped the two Koreas -- who are still technically at war -- together in qualifying Group B.
The neighbours are scheduled to play each other twice, home and away. Also in a competitive group are China and the Philippines.
Group A comprises Australia, Taiwan, Uzbekistan and Asian champions Japan.
The winners of each group qualify for the 2028 Games, with the two second-placed sides going into playoffs.
Group-stage matches will take place between April 19 and December 4, 2027.
North and South Korea clashed at the Asian Games in Japan in September, with a niggly encounter ending 1-1.
There was a total of 27 fouls during the match, the first after less than 30 seconds.
The two countries remain technically at war because the 1950-53 Korean war ended with an armistice rather than a peace treaty.
© 2026 AFP
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