North Korea has abruptly cancelled its 2026 World Cup qualifying match against Japan, originally scheduled for next Tuesday at the Kim Il-sung Stadium in Pyongyang. The decision was communicated to the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) on 20 March, citing unavoidable circumstances, and organisers are now searching for a neutral venue.
The AFC stated that the match was called off due to unforeseen circumstances, in consultation with FIFA and relevant stakeholders. No specific reason was given, but Japanese media reports suggest North Korean authorities cited a “malignant infectious disease” in Japan, possibly referring to streptococcal toxic shock syndrome (STSS), which has seen a rise in cases.
Japan won the first leg of the double-header 1-0 in Tokyo on Thursday. After the match, Japan Football Association president Kozo Tashima confirmed the return fixture would not proceed as planned. The AFC has left it to FIFA committees to decide on the fixture's future.
This is not the first disruption between the two nations; last month, a women's Olympic qualifier was moved from Pyongyang to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, due to travel difficulties. North Korea has not hosted an international sports event since before the pandemic, and the return leg would have been its first since 2019.
