The Japanese soccer team’s expedition to Pyongyang appears to be a “match in the dark” without TV broadcasting.
Japan will play the third round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup Asian Qualifiers second round Group B against North Korea at the Tokyo National Stadium at 7:20 p.m. on the 21st and move to the Pyongyang Kim Il Sung Stadium at 5 p.m. on the 26th for the fourth round.
It’s been 13 years since the Japanese team played an A-match in Pyongyang. The last time was November 15, 2011, in the third round of the 2014 Brazil World Cup.
North Korea also has a home A-match for the first time since the second round of the 2022 Qatar World Cup against South Korea on October 15, 2019. However, like then, this North Korea-Japan game is also expected to proceed without TV broadcasting.
Japanese media outlet Sports Hochi expressed concern on the 13th, saying, “The home team association owns the broadcasting rights for each second-round game, but the UN Security Council’s sanctions have virtually halted all transactions with North Korea, including the North Korean Football Association. This game is a World Cup qualifier, but it may not be broadcast live, and we may not even be able to see the game footage.”
The World Cup qualifier between South Korea and North Korea in 2019 was also not broadcast in Korea for the same reason. During the game, fans could not watch the live broadcast and vented their frustration with speculative broadcasting in communities.
North Korea provided a one-sided edited video of about 60 minutes a few days after the game, and it is still unknown exactly what happened in the game at that time. In addition, due to North Korea’s closed nature, South Korean journalists and cheering squads could not be on site.
The same will be true this time. The Japanese media outlet Football Zone stated, “If you think back to the 2011 expedition to Pyongyang, you have to approach this expedition with the mindset of like as if you’re going to space.”
They continued, “At that time, North Korea forced all Japanese players not to bring cell phones and laptops. It took six hours just for an immigration inspection at the airport. Evert elements exuded coercion, creating a strange atmosphere that could not be easily experienced. The fact that we could not play with Ultra Nippon was also fatal. Therefore, we must be thoroughly prepared for this game.”
Japan is leading Group B of the North Central America World Cup second round with 2 wins (6 points), and North Korea is in second place with 1 win and 1 loss (3 points).
tree@news1.kr
