Korea DPR vs Iran

New Laos National Stadium is the venue as Korea DPR and Iran go head-to-head in a lopsided 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier.

Korea DPR’s hopes of reaching the World Cup finals for only the third time in the nation’s history are in tatters amid a dreadful Group A start. Nailed to the bottom of the standings as the only winless side in the group (D2, L2), the hosts must punch above their weight in this contest to reignite their qualification bid. However, that’s easier said than done. Barring a 2-2 home draw against Qatar in round two, they’ve bagged under 1.5 goals in all three remaining group outings despite not facing table-topping Iran. Iran’s visit spells further trouble, not least because of Korea’s disastrous record of four defeats from five H2Hs in the 21st century (D1), accompanied by a single goal scored.

By extension, visiting Iran haven’t lost a game against this opposition since 1973, going undefeated in their last 12 meetings (W10, D2), eight of which yielded a clean sheet. That makes for good reading as the visitors endeavor to maintain their unbeaten record in Group A (W3, D2) and build on a thumping 4-1 home triumph against Qatar last time out. The Iranians can draw further confidence from winning three consecutive World Cup qualifiers on the road before being held to a scoreless stalemate at Uzbekistan on their most recent travel. However, with two of those three wins coming by a single-goal margin, this could be a tight affair.