Rédaction Africa Links 24 with ALM
Published on 2024-03-26 11:29:00
The return match of the World Cup 2026 qualification between North Korea and Japan scheduled for Tuesday, which North Korea canceled without giving a reason, will not be “played or rescheduled”, FIFA announced, paving the way for Japan to qualify on a technicality for the next round.
“The matter and the result of the match will be submitted to the FIFA Disciplinary Committee,” said the international federation, organizer of the World Cup, on Sunday.
After Japan’s 1-0 victory in the first leg in Tokyo, North Korea was supposed to host the return match this week, but local authorities announced on Thursday that they would not be able to organize the match, without providing an explanation.
Subsequently, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) announced that the match would not take place and FIFA later confirmed this, highlighting that there is no available date in the international calendar for a rescheduling.
If Japan were to win by default, they would be assured of finishing at the top of their group and would advance to the final round of Asian qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup, which will be held in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
Japan, which reached the round of 16 in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar after defeating Spain and Germany, did not live up to its favorite status in February during the Asian Cup, where it was eliminated by Iran (2-1) in the quarterfinals.
Read the original article(French) on Aujourdhui.ma
