Kyrgyzstan host North Korea at the Dolen Omurzakov Stadium in Bishkek on Tuesday for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers. Both sides are looking for their first win of the campaign.
Having lost all three of their qualifier fixtures in Group A so far, the White Falcons are rock bottom of the standings without a single point in the bag. They were beaten by Iran in the opening game, relinquished their lead twice to lose to Uzbekistan, and then went down to Asian champions Qatar.
Having never qualified for the World Cup before, the central Asian side's hopes of creating history at the 2026 showpiece with their debut is fast fading, as they need a real miracle to keep their progression hopes alive.
Uzbekistan-based Joel Kojo should keep his place in the XI, given his incredible goalscoring rate for the side, while head coach Maksim Lisitsyn could change his starting XI after his back five backfired spectacularly last time.
On the other hand, North Korea picked up a point with a 1-1 draw against the UAE. Jong Il-gwan equalized for them in the 86th minute to cancel out Yahya Al-Ghassani's opener for the Middle Eastern side just 20 minutes earlier.
Last month, they had miraculously taken a point off two-time defending Asian champions Qatar, but the loss to Uzbekistan in their first game means the Chollima have just one point in three games.
With only two points in the bag, Sin Yong-nam's side are second from bottom, only above their next opponents.
Kyrgyzstan vs North Korea Head-To-Head and Key Numbers
- This is just the second official clash between the sides in history.
- In their first encounter on February 2010, the White Falcons were beaten 4-0 in a friendly game.
- Maksim Lisitsyn's side have lost their last three games and remain winless in their last six. The Chollima aren't any better, coming into the clash without a victory in their last five games.
- The sides are separated by just five places in the world rankings, with the home side in 106th and their rivals in 111th place.
Kyrgyzstan vs North Korea Prediction
This is a clash of two winless sides in the World Cup qualifiers, but North Korea have demonstrated a fighting spirit against Qatar and then again against the UAE this week.
This should help them get past the struggling White Falcons here.
Prediction: Kyrgyzstan 1-2 North Korea
Kyrgyzstan vs North Korea Betting Tips
Tip 1 - Result: North Korea to win
Tip 2 - Goals over/under 2.5: Over 2.5 goals
Tip 3 - Both teams to score: Yes