It has been decided that Japan's away match against North Korea in the second Asian qualifying round of the Soccer World Cup will be held in Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea, on the 26th of this month as scheduled.
Regarding the holding of the match in North Korea, the AFC (Asian Football Confederation) proposed that the first match of the women's Paris Olympic Asian final qualifiers, which was scheduled for the 24th of last month, be held at a neutral venue due to the difficulty of preparations. In an unusual situation, the venue was decided in Saudi Arabia three days before the match.
For this reason, all eyes were on how the second round of the World Cup Asian Qualifying Round, which was scheduled for the 26th of this month in Pyongyang, would also be held.
The AFC had dispatched an inspection team to North Korea earlier this month to find out if the match could be held, but on the 11th, the Japan Football Association announced that the AFC had sent Pyongyang's ``Kim Il Sung'' to North Korea on the 26th of this month as planned. Kim Il Sung Stadium" has received notification that the match will be held.
This is the first time in 13 years that the Japanese national team has played a match in North Korea, since the third Asian qualifying round for the World Cup in Brazil in November 2011.