North Korea Qualifies for 2010 World Cup

After an uninspiring scoreless draw with fellow autocratic state Saudi Arabia, it seems that North Korea’s football (soccer) team has managed to qualify for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. The qualification raises the possibility of a cup confrontation with South Korea—or even the U.S.—next summer.

The Guardian:

It could be a genuine game of two halves. Forty-three years after they stunned the world by reaching the quarter-finals in England in 1966, North Korea have qualified for the World Cup finals—setting up the tantalising possibility of a match with South Korea.

Having played out a 0-0 draw in Saudi Arabia, the North Korean team is now preparing for next summer’s finals in South Africa.

A North Korean victory over the old enemy or its other great nemesis, the US—who are on the verge of qualification—would be exploited for every last ounce of propaganda value in Pyongyang.

Read more

smh.com.au

North Korean players battle against the Saudi Arabian team, drawing 0-0.