N. Korea to Pull Out of World Cup Qualifiers
TEHRAN (Tasnim) - North Korea has notified Asian Football Confederation (AFC) that its team plans to skip next month's World Cup qualifiers hosted by South Korea due to COVID-19 fears.
North Korea's football association (PRKFA) sent a letter on Friday to the AFC declaring that its team would not participate in the second round of qualifiers, Korea Football Association (KFA) spokesman Lee Jae-chul said.
The AFC is asking North Korea to reconsider the decision, he added.
Matches across Asia in the second round of qualifying for next year's World Cup in Qatar have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, with all but three games due to be played in March postponed until June, Reuters reported.
North Korea's decision to skip the World Cup qualifiers came nearly a month after it announced it would not take part in the Tokyo Olympics due to coronavirus concerns.
