TEHRAN – Iran will face DPR Korea in Group A of the Asian Qualifiers - Road to 26 knowing that victory will almost surely secure its ticket to the FIFA World Cup 2026 on Thursday.
Iran, on 10 points, lead the standings ahead of Uzbekistan on goal difference with both sitting six clear of the United Arab Emirates and Qatar after just four matches.
Seeking a fourth consecutive appearance at the FIFA World Cup and seventh overall, Iran’s qualification campaign has been serene.
The opening two matchdays saw the Central Asian side registering 1-0 wins over Kyrgyzstan and UAE, with a tough 0-0 draw with Uzbekistan following.
Iran, however, were at their scorching best against Qatar on Matchday Four as they cruised to an emphatic 4-1 win and with their key players all available, they will fancy its chances against DPR Korea in the neutral venue of Lao National Stadium KM16 in Vientiane.
While DPR Korea still have a mathematical chance of securing one of the two top spots which will guarantee automatic qualification, they will need to win their remaining matches and hope other results go in their favor.
With just two points on the board, victory is a must against Iran and DPR Korea can be expected to produce their best as they strive to keep their campaign alive.
Iran Edging Closer to Fourth Straight World Cup
Iran is edging closer to the door marked ‘fourth straight World Cup appearance’, FIFA.com wrote.
With a fit and firing Mehdi Taremi and Sardar Azmoun, Iran have one of the deadliest strike forces on the continent.
A stingy - and desperate - Korea DPR have the quality to slow the Iranian assault but given that the team is winless through their first four outings, anything less than maximum points in neutral Laos will make Korea’s task of reaching a third World Cup a whole lot harder.
Iran have lost only one of their last 24 World Cup qualifying matches.