The Hwaebul Cup (홰불, Torch) is an annual association football competition in men's domestic football in North Korea. It is organised by the DPR Korea Football Association, the governing body of football in North Korea. The competition is held for Youth Day, 28 August, one of North Korea's major holidays.[1]
| Organising body | DPR Korea Football Association |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2013 |
| Region | North Korea |
| Number of teams | 12 |
| International cup(s) | AFC Challenge League |
| Current champions | Rimyongsu (1st title) |
| Most successful club(s) | April 25 (4 titles) |
 2022 Hwaebul Cup | |
Competition format
editBeginning in July or August, the competition proceeds in two stages. The first stage consists of the teams divided into two groups playing in a single round-robin basis,[2] with the winner and second-place team of each group advancing to the knockout stage consisting of two semi-final matches and a final, which is played on 28 August of each year.[1]
Venues
editAll matches are played at one stadium in Pyongyang, which varies year to year. In 2013 the matches were held at the Kim Il-sung Stadium,[3] in 2014 at Yanggakdo Stadium,[4] in 2015 at Rungrado 1st of May Stadium,[5] in 2016 at Sŏsan Stadium,[6] and in 2017 once again at Rungrado Stadium.[7]
List of champions
edit- 2013: April 25[3]
- 2014: April 25[4]
- 2015: April 25[5]
- 2016: April 25[6]
- 2017: Sobaeksu[7]
- 2018: Ryomyong[8]
- 2019: Ryomyong[9]
- 2022: Rimyongsu[10]
- 2024: April 25[11] - Clinched 2025–26 AFC Challenge League Qualifying Play-off spot. But they can participate the competition only if they obtain the club licence from the Asian Football Confederation.
References
edit- ^ a b "Hwaeppul tipped to win namesake tournament". Archived from the original on 2018-02-28. Retrieved 2018-03-06.
- ^ "First-division Hwaeppul Cup goes on". Archived from the original on 2018-02-28. Retrieved 2018-03-06.
- ^ a b North Korea 2013
- ^ a b "Final Game of Soccer Tournament for Torch Cup Held | North Korea Aggregator". Archived from the original on 2018-02-28. Retrieved 2018-03-06.
- ^ a b "Hwaeppul Cup premier league finals draw to a close". Archived from the original on 2018-02-28. Retrieved 2018-03-06.
- ^ a b "Hwaeppul Cup men's premier soccer tournament ends". Archived from the original on 2017-02-28. Retrieved 2018-03-06.
- ^ a b "Sobaeksu lifts Hwaeppul Cup". Archived from the original on 2017-10-09. Retrieved 2018-03-06.
- ^ "Men's Soccer Tournament for Torch Cup". Korean Central News Agency. 6 August 2019. Archived from the original on 23 November 2019. Retrieved 3 September 2019.
- ^ "Ryomyong Team Wins Torch Cup". Korean Central News Agency. 30 August 2019. Archived from the original on 23 November 2019. Retrieved 3 September 2019.
- ^ "Men's Soccer Tournament for Torch Cup Closes". Korean Central News Agency. 2022-08-29. Retrieved 27 November 2022.
- ^ "Soccer Tournament for Torch Cup Closes". Korea Central News Agency. 29 August 2024. Archived from the original on 29 August 2024. Retrieved 5 October 2024.