N. Korea Officially Withdraws from FIFA World Cup Qualifiers
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) confirmed the withdrawal of the DPR Korea Football Association from the Asian Qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and AFC Asian Cup China 2023.
The matter will now be referred to the Organizing Committee for FIFA Competitions and further details on the standings in Group H, which include current leaders Turkmenistan, centralized venue host Korea Republic, Lebanon and Sri Lanka, will be announced in due course.
The North Korea football federation reportedly cited fears of coronavirus infection among the reasons for its decision not to travel to South Korea for the qualifiers.
The country had already announced that it would not take part in the Tokyo Olympics due to coronavirus concerns.
