FIFA officially canceled the fourth round of the 2026 North Korea-China World Cup Asian qualifying round between Japan and North Korea, which was scheduled to be held in Pyongyang, North Korea, on the 26th. Japan’s 3-0 forfeiture victory was decided, and Japan confirmed its advance to the final qualifying round.

FIFA said on Monday that it canceled the fourth match of the second Asian qualifying round for the World Cup between Japan and North Korea. “The schedule will not be rescheduled or re-run,” adding, “North Korea has not been able to set a new match date due to the postponement as well as alternative stadiums.”

It became unclear whether the Pyongyang match between North Korea and Japan would be held immediately after the third match between the two teams held in Tokyo, Japan, on the 21st. North Korea unilaterally notified that it would not be held due to the epidemic, and neutral matches were reviewed accordingly, but the final “cancellation” was processed. As a result, FIFA referred North Korea to the disciplinary committee and confirmed that the “Pyongyang expedition” game was Japan’s 3-0 confiscation victory.

Japan secured 12 points by securing a win without an away match to Pyongyang, and confirmed its advance to the final qualifying round regardless of the results of the remaining two matches of the second qualifying round. On the other hand, North Korea ranked third with three points (one win and three losses) due to forfeiture. North Korea may fall to the bottom of the table depending on the results of matches between Syria (four points) and Myanmar (one point).

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) said on its website on the 22nd, “The match between North Korea and Japan scheduled for the 26th will not be held as scheduled due to unexpected circumstances,” adding, “The decision was made after the North was informed on the 20th that the venue should be moved to a neutral area due to unavoidable circumstances.”

BY: 사설토토