The 2013 Hwaebul Cup was the inaugural edition of the Hwaebul Cup (ðë¶Â, Torch) football competition celebrating North Korea's Youth Day. The competition was held between 15 and 28 August 2013, with all matches played at the Kim Il-sung Stadium in P'yà Ângyang. The competition was arranged in two phases, a group stage followed by a single-elimination play-off semi-finals, and a single-game final.
Eleven teams took part in the group stage, drawn into two groups, with five teams in Group A and six in Group B.
Starting 11s:
Starting 11s:
The semi-final matches were both held on the same day, probably 26 August 2013. The result of the Sà ÂnbongâÂÂHwaebul match is unknown; in the other match, April 25 defeated Amrokkang 3âÂÂ1 on penalties after finishing level at 2âÂÂ2 after extra time.
The final was held on 28 August 2013 at Kim Il-sung Stadium. The score was even at 2âÂÂ2 after extra time, and Sà Ânbong won 6âÂÂ5 on penalties. However, a few days after the match, Sà Ânbong was deemed to have fielded an ineligible player, and April 25 were awarded the victory. In addition to being stripped of the title, Sà Ânbong were suspended from all competitions for six months.