Vientiane: Iran will face DPR Korea in Group A of the Asian Qualifiers™ – Road to 26 knowing that victory will almost surely secure their ticket to the FIFA World Cup 2026.
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 Kyrgyz Republic 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 their chances against DPR Korea in the neutral venue of Vientiane.
“We are well aware that we have a tough game. The Korean team has a strong defense. They also work very well and quickly in attacks. In this game, we have to go to the field with more focus and responsibility than in the previous matches. We got a good result in the last two games, but those two matches are history now,” Ghalenoei said.
The Team Melli coach says that the match against North Korea and Kyrgyzstan are “the most important” matches of the national team.
“We must play with high concentration from the first minute to the 90th minute. We have analyzed North Korea and we know how strong they are. Even in the match against Uzbekistan, where they lost, or in the match against the UAE, where they shared the spoils, they could have won the match, so we must face this opponent with full attention,” he added.
Asked his is there any challenge ahead of Iran football team against the Korean team, Ghalenoei said, “Fortunately, we don’t have any special challenge ahead of us and the players are ready to play. I have to thank the Iran Football Federation, because we traveled to Laos by direct flight, otherwise it would endure a 30-hour trip.
However, the truth of the game is when the referee blows the whistle to start the game, and I hope that the players of the national team will start and finish their work in this match with the same concentration they had in the game against Qatar and use the opportunities effectively.
In response to the question about the history of matches between two teams, North Korea have always been a difficult opponent, Ghalenoei said, “Football in Asia has progressed and you can see this in the World Cup qualifiers. North Korea have also shown that they are a good team with a plan, and their past results prove this. The matches against North Korea and Kyrgyzstan are our most important matches and we want to do our best to secure our berth in the World Cup.”.
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 favour.
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.
DPR Korea v IR Iran
Venue: Lao National Stadium KM16 (Vientiane)
Kick-off: Thursday, 19:00 (UTC+7)