The Asian Football Confederation decided to hold a match of national teams from the UAE and North Korea on March 25 at Prince Faisal bin Fahd Stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, as part of the qualifying matches for the 2026 World Cup. The UAE national team is currently in third place in the qualifying tournament with 10 points, trailing behind second-place Uzbekistan (13 points) and leader Iran (16 points). The UAE team will face Iran on March 20, and then will meet North Korea on March 25.
As noted, the matches of the North Korean national team are held outside their country. The initial games took place in Laos, before they were relocated to Riyadh.
