North Korea’s chances of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup took a significant hit after their defeat to Qatar in the early hours of March 21st, leaving their hopes nearly extinguished.

This morning, the North Korean national team completed their seventh match in Group A with an away game against Qatar, as part of the third round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers in Asia.

In this match, North Korea was unable to pull off an upset against the host nation, suffering a heavy defeat with a score of 1-5. The only goal for the team, coached by Yong Nam Sin, was scored by Park Kwang Hun in the 86th minute.

Following this result, North Korea remains at the bottom of Group A with just 2 points after 7 matches. Meanwhile, Qatar has accumulated 10 points, tied with the UAE, but stands fourth due to inferior goal difference.

North Korea suffers a heavy loss to Qatar (Photo: AFC)

The top two teams in Group A, Iran and Uzbekistan, currently have 19 points and 16 points respectively, putting them in a strong position for direct qualification to the 2026 World Cup. According to the rules, the top two teams from each group will advance directly to the tournament.

The teams finishing third and fourth in each group will continue to the fourth round of qualifying for a chance at a playoff spot. In Group A, the likely contenders for these positions are the UAE and Qatar, although they still have the opportunity to compete for one of the top two spots in the group.

As mentioned, North Korea currently sits at the bottom of Group A with a mere 2 points. If they were to win all their remaining three matches, they would finish with a total of 11 points, but their chances of securing a playoff spot would still be slim.

North Korea’s chances of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup are fading (Photo: Screenshot)

North Korea’s remaining opponents in the final matches of the third round of World Cup 2026 qualifiers are UAE (March 25), Kyrgyzstan (June 5), and Iran (June 10). These teams are all formidable challengers.

Moreover, while other teams are determined to secure victories in their remaining matches, both UAE and Qatar currently have 10 points and three matches left to play. Even if North Korea were to win all three matches to reach 11 points, it would still be challenging for them to compete for third or fourth place in Group A.