Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers match.
As the AFC third-round qualifying campaign nears its end, North Korea are mathematically out of contention, while Kyrgyzstan still cling to faint hopes of reaching the next stage.
North Korea
As usual, North Korea will not be playing on home soil. The match is set to take place in neutral territory – Riyadh, Saudi Arabia – where they narrowly lost to the UAE back in March (1:2), a result that sealed their elimination. That came on the heels of a heavy 1:5 defeat to Qatar, further exposing the team’s limitations. Despite this, North Korea enter as slight favourites according to bookmakers – somewhat surprising, given their tally of just one point from four matches.
Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan have struggled mightily on the road, losing all four away games with a combined scoreline of 1:8. North Korea, by contrast, have been stubborn in "home" fixtures, putting up a solid fight against group heavyweights Iran (2:3) and Uzbekistan (0:1), both games played just days apart. Kyrgyzstan’s recent 3:1 win over Qatar gave them a glimmer of hope, but that success came at home. On the road, they’ve even lost to Malaysia – a side eliminated in the previous qualification round (3:4).
North Korea vs Kyrgyzstan Prediction
While the neutral venue levels the playing field somewhat, North Korea have shown more resilience in similar circumstances. Motivation is rarely a question with this team — even with no chance of advancing, national pride is on the line. A win may be just beyond them, but they’re unlikely to lose either.
