FIFA has confirmed that the North Korea-Japan 2026 World Cup qualifier will not take place, believing there is no free date in the international calendar to reschedule.
The second qualifying match for the 2026 World Cup between the national teams of North Korea and Japan, which was scheduled to take place tomorrow (26/3) in Pyongyang, “will neither be held nor rescheduled”, according to a related announcement of FIFA, effectively giving qualification to the Japanese.
“The case and the outcome of the meeting will be submitted to FIFA’s disciplinary committee,” said the World Federation’s North Korea-Japan statement.
After Japan beat Japan 1-0 in the first leg in Tokyo, North Korea was due to host the second leg this week, but local authorities suddenly announced on Thursday that they would not be able to host the match, without the slightest explanation.
In the process, the Confederation of Asian Football (CAF) announced that the match would not take place at all, and FIFA subsequently confirmed this, considering that there was no free date in the international calendar to reschedule.
If they win the match on paper, Japan are certain to secure top spot in their group and take part in the final round of Asian qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup, which will be held in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
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