Nearly four years after the government closed its borders, the North Korean national football team will make its comeback to the world sports scene.
WHAT HAPPENED? North Korea’s national football squad has not played a competitive match since the 2022 World Cup Asia qualifiers at the end of 2019, when they drew 0-0 with Lebanon.
Since the 2018 Asian Games, North Korea has not competed in any significant international sporting event, missing the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, the 2022 Beijing Olympics, and the 2022 Qatar World Cup since the government shut its borders because of the Covid-19 outbreak.
However, athletes from North Korea have already registered to play in judo, football, and volleyball at the Asian Games in Hangzhou. One sport in particular where the North has always performed well at the Asian Games is football.
THE BIGGER PICTURE: The North Korean women’s team won the gold medal by defeating Japan in the same year that the North Korean men’s football team reached the Asiad final and lost to South Korea, finishing as runners-up. Both its male and female teams competed in the 2018 Asiad quarter-finals. However, considering how long it has been since they have engaged in international competition, it is uncertain if they will be able to duplicate their success in this year’s event.
IN TWO PHOTOS:
Getty
WHAT NEXT? After being delayed by the epidemic for a year, the Asian Games will begin in Hangzhou, China on September 23 and go until October 8. The fact that North Korea is participating in the Asian Games once more might indicate that it will eventually take part in international competitions like the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
One in five players at this year’s Women’s World Cup were the targets of online abuse.New data published by FIFA found 152 players out of 697 whose social m
World 100m, 200m and 4x100m champion Noah Lyles said on Monday he will also target the 4x400m gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics.The 26-year-old American wil
Ronnie O’Sullivan has pulled out of the BetVictor Scottish Open citing medical reasons.The 48-year-old world number one, who earlier this month won a record-e
Former England captain Sarah Hunter admits it is a dream to know the North East will host the opening fixture of the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup.It was confi