Support the enigmatic North Korea national team in their upcoming international challenges. Get your tickets and experience the passion of Asian football.
The North Korea national football team, popularly known as Chollima in reference to a mythological Korean horse, is the national team representing the Democratic People's Republic of Korea in international men's football competitions. Its governing body is the DPR Korea Football Association, founded in 1945, and it affiliated with the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) in 1954 and FIFA in 1958. The team has had moments of prominence on the world stage, highlighting their historic qualification and advancement to the quarter-finals in the 1966 World Football Championship in England, where they surprised the world by defeating Italy.
Their main venue for international matches is the imposing Kim Il Sung Stadium in the capital, Pyongyang. They have participated in multiple editions of the Asian Cup, with their best result being a fourth-place finish in 1980. Despite periods of international inactivity, the team has recently returned to competitions, seeking to revive its past glories and promote football development in the country.
The team secured its spot in the third round of qualifying for the 2026 World Football Championship and qualified for the 2027 Asian Cup after defeating Myanmar in June 2024.
North Korea faces tough competition in Group A of the third round of Asian qualifiers, with recent losses to Uzbekistan, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates in matches played in late 2024 and early 2025.
Despite advancing to the third round, a loss to the United Arab Emirates in March 2025 meant North Korea's elimination from the race for a spot in the 2026 World Football Championship.
North Korea is reportedly exploring the possibility of a friendly match against the Russian national team, following matches by North Korean clubs in Turkey in early 2025.
North Korea's U-20 and U-17 women's teams were crowned champions in their respective World Championships in 2024, showcasing the potential of women's football in the country.
North Korea is scheduled to participate in the 2025 EAFF E-1 Football Championship, to be held in South Korea in July 2025, although they withdrew from the preliminary round.
Prominent forward Han Kwang-song, who had experience in European football, returned to North Korea and joined April 25 Sports Club in March 2024.
North Korea was fined by FIFA and handed an automatic 3-0 defeat after canceling a World Championship qualifier against Japan in Pyongyang in March 2025, citing concerns about a virus outbreak.
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