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North Korea will face Iran at the New Laos National Stadium on Thursday in another game of their third-round 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification campaign. As expected, Chollima have endured a difficult start to their World Cup qualifying campaign and look set to miss out on a fourth consecutive tournament as they sit rock-bottom in Group A with just two points.
They suffered a disappointing 1-0 defeat to Kyrgyzstan in their last match, falling behind after just 11 minutes and failing to find a way back into the game despite a markedly improved second-half display.
Meanwhile, Iran are pushing for a fourth consecutive appearance at the global showpiece after a strong start to their qualifying campaign. They picked up an impressive 4-1 comeback win over Qatar in their last match, with Sardar Azmoun and Mohammad Mohebi netting braces to send Team Melli to a memorable victory at the Rashid Stadium.
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Amir Ghalenoei's men sit atop their group with 10 points from an obtainable 12 and will be looking to continue their fine form on Thursday.
North Korea vs Iran Head-to-Head and Key Numbers
- There have been 22 meetings between the two nations. Iran are undefeated in all 22 of those games, picking up 15 wins and seven draws.
- The two teams last faced off in the 2011 AFC Asian Cup, with Team Melli winning the group-stage clash 1-0.
- North Korea have failed to score any goals in five of their last six games in this fixture.
- Iran have the best defensive record in Group A with just one goal conceded.
- Chollima were ranked 111th in the latest FIFA rankings and now sit 92 places behind their weekend opponents.
North Korea vs Iran Prediction
North Korea are on a six-game winless streak and will be desperate for some luck this week. They have, however, failed to perform in this fixture historically and will head into the midweek clash as massive underdogs.
Iran have won three of their last four matches and are undefeated in their last eight. They are in far better form than their opponents and should come out on top here.
Prediction: North Korea 0-1 Iran
North Korea vs Iran Betting Tips
Tip 1 - Result: Iran to win
Tip 2 - Goals - Over/under 2.5 - Under 2.5 goals (Four of the last five matches between the two teams have produced fewer than 2.5 goals)
Tip 3 - Both teams to score: NO (Both sides have found the back of the net in just one of their last six matchups)
