North Korea, which had been forced to do so, suffered a withdrawal of forfeiture.

FIFA canceled the second Asian qualifying match between North Korea and Japan for the 2026 North Korea-China World Cup, which was scheduled to be held in Pyongyang on the 26th (Korea time), and announced that there will be no change in the schedule.

North Korea told Japan that it would cancel the game scheduled to be held in Pyongyang on the 26th before the away game against Japan in Tokyo on the 21st.

Japanese media outlet “Kyodo News” reported the news, and Tajima Kozo, president of the Japan Football Association, also officially announced that the North Korean expedition was canceled.

North Korea tried to prevent the Japanese team from coming to Pyongyang as a quarantine measure against streptococcal toxic shock syndrome (STSS), which is a problem in Japan. Their media, ‘Labor Newspaper’, reported that STSS is spreading rapidly in Japan.

Even the North hoped to hold the match in Japan on Wednesday. However, Tajima refused to accept the offer based on the duration and procedural issues.

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) hoped that Wednesday’s match between North Korea and Japan would take place as much as possible. However, it informed the fact that it would not be possible to proceed in a set schedule after the North’s reckless cancellation of the match.

AFC Secretary General Dato Windsor said the match between North Korea and Japan will be held in a neutral zone. FIFA, however, took a different stance. It announced the cancellation of the match as well as the North’s 0-3 forfeiture and the referral to the disciplinary committee.

Meanwhile, North Korea suffered a 0-3 forfeiture after losing 0-1 in an away match in Japan, and is disgraced in its first international tournament in a long time.

BY: 토토