North Korea withdraws from Asian qualifiers for 2022 World Cup

North Korea may no longer participate in the race for spots at the 2022 FIFA World Cup billed to hold in Qatar after the country withdrew from the qualifiers.

The country’s withdrawal from the competition was announced by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) in an official statement on Sunday.

“The (AFC) has today confirmed the withdrawal of the DPR Korea Football Association from the Asian Qualifiers,” the statement read.

Read Also: FIFA postpones World Cup qualifiers in Africa

North Korea has not given any reason for deciding to exit from the qualifiers.

But South Korean media reported earlier this month that Pyongyang had said it would skip the qualifiers over coronavirus fears.

Recall that several matches of the second round of Asia’s preliminary tournament for the Qatar World Cup were postponed owing to the Covid-19 pandemic.

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