North Korea withdraws from World Cup qualification

Kuala Lumpur: The Asian Football Confederation has announced North Korea has pulled out of qualification for the 2022 World Cup.

"The (AFC) has today confirmed the withdrawal of the DPR Korea Football Association from the Asian Qualifiers," the AFC said in a statement on Sunday. Pyongyang has not yet given an official reason for pulling out of next month’s qualifiers for the tournament, to be held in Qatar in November and December 2022, but South Korean media has reported that it is because of concerns over COVID-19.