Enlarge image

Support for North Korea in the first leg in Japan

Photo: Kyodo News / IMAGO

Japan has been declared the winner of the qualifier for the 2026 World Cup against North Korea, which was canceled after much controversy. "The FIFA Disciplinary Committee has informed us of its decision to classify the game as a 3-0 defeat for North Korea," the Japanese Football Association JFA said in a statement on Saturday. Thanks to the ranking, Japan is already safely in the third round of World Cup qualification and will take part in the 2027 Asian Championships.

The explosive game was actually supposed to have taken place on March 26th in the North Korean capital Pyongyang. But North Korea had asked for a postponement during the first leg in Tokyo on March 21 and did not want to play the second leg, but did not give a reason. Then it was initially announced that the game would take place on neutral ground.

A few hours later, the Asian football association AFC canceled the game due to “unforeseen circumstances” after discussions with the world football association Fifa. FIFA announced after the cancellation that a reschedule was not possible due to the busy calendar. Japan's Kyodo news agency reported on Thursday that North Korea did not want to host the game due to fears of bacterial infections in Japan.

No diplomatic relations – Japan warns fans

The game had already caused a stir in advance; Japan had warned its fans against traveling to the game. "As you know, North Korea is hostile to Japan and travel is not recommended for the general public," the Foreign Ministry wrote on Platform X. There was no travel ban, although the two countries do not have diplomatic relations. It would have been the teams' first meeting in North Korea since 2011.

The Japanese won the first leg 1-0. Ao Tanaka from the second division club Fortuna Düsseldorf scored the decisive goal after an assist from Freiburg's Ritsu Dōan. By canceling the second leg, the Japanese national players “missed out on important opportunities for competition,” said national coach Hajime Moriyasu; “I still see this as a positive step forward.”

ast/sid/Reuters