THE final of an Asian club tournament has been moved from Pyongyang to Shanghai, soccer officials said Tuesday, a week after North Korea and South Korea played out a surreal World Cup qualifier in an empty stadium.

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) said it had been “compelled” to shift the Nov. 2 AFC Cup match between North Korea’s 4.25 SC and al-Ahed of Lebanon to a “neutral venue” due to logistical and other issues.

Its statement did not mention the inter-Korean showdown in Pyongyang but said that commercial partners had warned of challenges in broadcasting the highly anticipated final of Asia’s second-tier continental competition.

Last week’s match — a historic encounter between two countries still technically at war — took place with no live broadcast and no foreign media in attendance, and with FIFA President Gianni Infantino one of just a handful of spectators. Infantino said he was “disappointed” after attending the match and “surprised” by the absence of fans and lack of media access.

Tottenham Hotspur star Son Heung-min described the game, which ended 0-0, as “very aggressive.”

Last week’s debacle raised doubts over the prospects for further North Korea-South Korea sporting cooperation.

The South Koreans had expected large crowds and until the last minute had no idea that even North Korean spectators would be absent.

Infantino had previously proposed the idea of the two Koreas jointly hosting the 2023 Women’s World Cup. (SD-Agencies)