Japan is about to obtain mathematical qualification for the 2026 World Cup, which will be played between the United States, Canada and Mexico. FIFA has confirmed that the match scheduled for tomorrow in North Korea, canceled without explanation by the Pyongyang authorities, will be “neither played nor rescheduled” and that the matter will be submitted to the Disciplinary Committee which, by decreeing the 0-3 by default, will provide the pass to the Japanese as first in their group.
After Japan’s 1-0 win in the first leg in Tokyo, North Korea was supposed to host the return match tomorrow, but Korea suddenly announced last Thursday that it would not be able to stage the match.
According to some sources, in Pyongyang they feared possible infections due to a bacterial infection that is affecting Japan.
The team from the Land of the Rising Sun, who had reached the round of 16 at the World Cup in Qatar, instead disappointed at the recent Asian Nations Cup, where they were favorites but were instead eliminated in the quarterfinals by Iran.
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