The Asian second qualifying rounds for the 2026 Soccer World Cup will be held in a home-and-away format. The Asian Football Confederation announced on the 22nd that due to unforeseen circumstances, the match in North Korea could not be held as scheduled.
On the 23rd, around 30 players from the North Korean national team returned to Japan by air from Beijing, the capital of China. North Korea said it would be difficult to host the tournament in their country and requested that the tournament be held at a neutral site.