North Korea suffered a forfeited loss after failing to play the fourth round of the second Asian qualifying round against Japan for the 2026 North-Central America World Cup.
FIFA said on the 24th (Korea time), "We canceled the fourth round of the second World Cup qualifying round between Japan and North Korea scheduled for the 26th," adding, "This schedule will not be rescheduled or played again." He added, "North Korea has not been able to set a new date for the game due to the postponement as well as an alternative stadium."
FIFA confirmed Japan's 3-0 forfeiture win in this match. It also plans to refer North Korea to the disciplinary committee.
Initially, the match was scheduled to be held in Pyongyang, North Korea on the 26th. However, North Korea opposed to hosting the match and demanded that the venue be changed to a neutral zone. The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) said on the 22nd, "We were informed by North Korea on the 20th that the venue of the match should be moved to a neutral zone due to unavoidable circumstances."
In the end, the North failed to find a substitute site, and thus forfeited the match. In response, Japan secured 12 points and confirmed its advance to the final qualifying round regardless of the results of the remaining two matches of the second qualifying round.
North Korea ranked third with three points (1 win and three losses) due to forfeiture. North Korea may fall to the bottom of the table depending on the result of the match between Syria (four points) and Myanmar (one point).
BY: 사설토토