# North Korea 'cancelling Pyongyang game at will' effectively confirm 0-3 forfeiture

FIFA confirmed on its official website on the 24th (Korea Standard Time) that "the FIFA World Cup Qualification Secretariat will not play or reschedule the match between North Korea and Japan." The issue was referred to the FIFA World Cup Qualification Secretariat after the North Korean Football Association announced that it would no longer be able to hold the preliminary match against Japan scheduled for March 26."

FIFA also said, "There is no alternative home stadium confirmed by the North Korean Football Association, and there is not enough room to postpone the upcoming match. The relevant matters and the results of the match will be referred to the FIFA disciplinary committee."

Although the official announcement has not yet been made, it is tantamount to confirming the North's 0-3 forfeiture. As FIFA has nailed that the match will not be held in question, the responsible side for hosting the match cannot avoid responsibility. The Associated Press also said, "FIFA has indicated that North Korea will be sanctioned for 0-3 forfeiture."

North Korea and Japan were scheduled to play the fourth Group B match of the 2026 FIFA North-Central America World Cup qualifying round at Kim Il-sung Stadium in Pyongyang on the 26th.

However, problems arose when the North abruptly announced that it would not host the home game. This became known in earnest on Wednesday when Japan beat the North 1-0 at its home. The Japanese national team had planned to move to Beijing on Tuesday and move to North Korea, but all became entangled.

AFC Secretary-General Dato Windsor pushed for a neutral ground, saying that the game would be held as scheduled, but that was also not possible. AFC said on Tuesday that the North Korea-Japan match will not proceed as planned due to unexpected circumstances, and that the decision was made in consultation with FIFA and related stakeholders. The issue will now be referred to the FIFA-related committee.

The Japanese team had no choice but to disband. The Japan Football Association (JFA) said, "Following this decision, we announce that the team will end its A-match activities on March 22. We will inform you again what kind of punishment it will take for this match once it is confirmed."

And as the game was completely canceled as expected by the Japanese soccer community, North Korea virtually lost its game. For Japan, it ended up with a 3-0 forfeiture without having to play an away game in Pyongyang. With this result, Japan can secure 12 points (win of all four games) and confirm its advance to the final qualifying round regardless of the results of the remaining two games.

On the other hand, the North has only three points with one win and three losses, jeopardizing its ranking in third place. Depending on the results of the matches between Syria (four points) and Myanmar (one point), the North may rank lowest.

Meanwhile, it has not been revealed why the North unilaterally informed the North that it would not be able to host the home game. North Korean coach Shin Young-nam also declined to comment at a press conference held after losing 0-1 against Japan on Monday, saying, "I want to refrain from talking about future events here."

According to Japanese media, North Korea is reportedly citing measures to prevent the spread of the highly contagious streptococcal disease (STSS), which is on the rise in the number of infected people in Japan. However, there are various speculations about the North's visit to Japan in person and the fact that the STSS in Japan is not that serious.

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