The North Korean national team failed to qualify for the North and Central America World Cup after maintaining a winless record in the group stage.
The North Korean national team lost 1-2 in a match against the UAE in the 8th match of Group A of the 2026 FIFA North and Central America World Cup Asia regional third qualifying round, held at 3:15 a.m. (Korean time) on the 26th at Prince Faisal bin Fahd Stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
As a result, North Korea remained at the bottom of the group with no wins in 8 matches, earning only 2 points from 2 draws and 6 losses.
In this match, North Korea fell behind after conceding a goal to Fabio Lima within the first 5 minutes. They equalized with a goal from center-back Kim Yu-sung in the 44th minute, but allowed a goal to Sultan Adil just before the end of the match, losing 1-2.
In the Asia regional third qualifying round, the top two teams from each group will earn direct tickets to the World Cup. In Group A, Iran is in first place with 20 points, while Uzbekistan is in second with 17 points.
Paulo Bento's UAE recorded 13 points (4 wins, 1 draw, and 3 losses) with this victory over North Korea, placing them in third. The third and fourth place teams from each group will qualify for the fourth qualifying round, with Qatar currently in fourth place with 10 points.
The 5th and 6th places in the third qualifying round are eliminated. Even if North Korea wins both of their remaining matches, adding 6 points, their maximum point total would still only be 8, which cannot surpass 4th place Qatar, currently at 10 points. Thus, North Korea's exit from the group stage is confirmed.
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