Middlesbrough Ladies have flown to North Korea which is the first time a British football team has visited the country.
Members of the squad hope the four-night stay will strengthen the town's long-standing relationship with the communist nation, which dates back 44 years.
They will play two friendly matches against whilst on tour will also hold training sessions with local school children during the trip to the capital, Pyongyang.
Links between the isolated Asian country and the north-eastern English town date back to the World Cup in 1966, when Middlesbrough hosted the country's three group games.
Surviving members of the 1966 squad, who returned to Britain to visit Middlesbrough in 2002, will meet the ladies' team during the tour.
It was arranged following an invitation by the British Embassy in Pyongyang, where the British Ambassador described the visit as "exciting and historical".
North Korea, which is a Communist country and has little contact with the outside world, although they did play in this year's World Cup in South Africa, but the side lost all three games in a tough group that also, included Brazil, Portugal and Ivory Coast.
It was only the country's second appearance in the tournament, after the Koreans caused one of the biggest upsets in World Cup history by beating Italy 1-0 to reach the quarter finals in 1966.
The scorer of the winning goal in that game, Pak Do Ik, will be among the former players receiving Middlesbrough Ladies.
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