North Korea
AFC. Played 388 since 7 Oct 1956: won 160, drawn 106, lost 122. Elo 1494, ranked 107 in the world; peak 1780 in 1980.
Latest results
- 2025-06-10LIran3–0North KoreaFIFA World Cup qualification · Tehran5%
- 2025-06-05DNorth Korea2–2KyrgyzstanFIFA World Cup qualification · Riyadh54%
- 2025-03-25LNorth Korea1–2United Arab EmiratesFIFA World Cup qualification · Riyadh29%
- 2025-03-20LQatar5–1North KoreaFIFA World Cup qualification · Al Rayyan21%
- 2025-03-14DJordan1–1North KoreaFriendly · Amman14%
- 2024-11-19LNorth Korea0–1UzbekistanFIFA World Cup qualification · Vientiane17%
- 2024-11-14LNorth Korea2–3IranFIFA World Cup qualification · Vientiane9%
- 2024-10-15LKyrgyzstan1–0North KoreaFIFA World Cup qualification · Bishkek54%
- 2024-10-10DUnited Arab Emirates1–1North KoreaFIFA World Cup qualification · Al Ain21%
- 2024-09-10DNorth Korea2–2QatarFIFA World Cup qualification · Vientiane27%
Squad
The following players were called up for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification games against Kyrgyzstan and Iran in June 2025. *All
- Players
- 23
- Average age
- 24.7
- Caps between them
- 243
- Most from one club
- Ryomyong (8)
Where they play
23 at home · 0 abroad in 0 other countries
- North Korea 23
| No. | Player | Age | Caps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | ||||
| 1 | Kang Ju-hyokHwaebul | 29 | 16 | 0 |
| 18 | Hong Kil-ryongHwaebul | 21 | 0 | 0 |
| 21 | Yu Kwang-junRyomyong | 26 | 2 | 0 |
| Defenders | ||||
| 2 | Kim Jin-hyokSonbong | 24 | 4 | 0 |
| 3 | Jang Kuk-cholHwaebul | 32 | 75 | 5 |
| 5 | Jong Hwi-namRyomyong | 23 | 3 | 0 |
| 12 | Choe Ryong-ilRyomyong | 22 | 4 | 0 |
| 16 | Kim Yu-songAmnokgang | 23 | 16 | 2 |
| 19 | Kim Sung-hyeSonbong | 23 | 6 | 0 |
| 23 | Jong Kum-songRimyongsu | 29 | 6 | 0 |
| Midfielders | ||||
| 6 | Kye TamRyomyong | 26 | 6 | 0 |
| 8 | Sin Kwang-namRimyongsu | 23 | 2 | 0 |
| 15 | Ra Myong-songAmnokgang | 23 | 5 | 0 |
| 17 | Kang Kuk-cholRimyongsu | 27 | 29 | 1 |
| 20 | Paek Chung-songRyomyong | 26 | 16 | 0 |
| 22 | Han Chung-gukApril 25 | 24 | 1 | 0 |
| Forwards | ||||
| 4 | Ri Kum-cholRyomyong | 22 | 2 | 0 |
| 7 | Kim Kuk-jinKigwancha | 26 | 12 | 0 |
| 9 | Ri Jo-gukRyomyong | 24 | 11 | 4 |
| 10 | Ri Il-songRyomyong | 22 | 14 | 4 |
| 11 | Pak Kwang-hunRimyongsu | 29 | 7 | 2 |
| 13 | Choe KukWolmido | 21 | 3 | 0 |
| 14 | Ryang Kwang-myongAmnokgang | 23 | 3 | 0 |
Squad, caps and goals from Wikipedia: North Korea national football team (CC BY-SA), caps correct as of 10 June 2025; page last edited 30 Oct 2026. Read daily.
Tournament history
Furthest round reached, finals tournaments and Nations League only (qualifiers are not shown).
Rating over time
Head to head
North Korea v China: played 27, won 8, drawn 7, lost 12; goals 26–33. First met 7 Oct 1956, last 16 Dec 2017.
- 2017-12-16DChina1–1North KoreaEAFF Championship · Chōfu37%
- 2015-08-05LChina2–0North KoreaEAFF Championship · Wuhan32%
- 2015-01-18LChina2–1North KoreaAFC Asian Cup · Group B · Canberra33%
- 2011-06-08LChina2–0North KoreaFriendly · Guiyang24%
- 2008-02-23LChina3–1North KoreaEAFF Championship · Chongqing36%
- 2005-08-07LChina2–0North KoreaEAFF Championship · Daegu32%
- 2001-08-03DChina2–2North Korea (North Korea won on penalties)Four Nations Tournament · Shanghai14%
- 1993-05-14DChina1–1North KoreaEast Asian Games · Shanghai48%
- 1992-08-29DChina0–0North KoreaDynasty Cup · Xiaogan43%
- 1992-08-22DChina2–2North KoreaDynasty Cup · Beijing39%
- 1990-07-27LChina2–0North KoreaDynasty Cup · Beijing31%
- 1989-10-24LNorth Korea0–1ChinaFIFA World Cup qualification · Singapore52%
- 1989-02-04LChina3–1North KoreaKing's Cup · Bangkok49%
- 1988-05-08DChina0–0North KoreaFriendly · Hangzhou35%
- 1986-09-06LChina2–1North KoreaMerlion Cup · Kallang41%
Latest 15 of 27 meetings.
Record by competition
| FIFA World Cup qualification | 103 | 44 | 24 | 35 |
| Friendly | 94 | 29 | 29 | 36 |
| AFC Asian Cup qualification | 34 | 16 | 10 | 8 |
| EAFF Championship | 32 | 19 | 8 | 5 |
| Asian Games | 28 | 11 | 10 | 7 |
| King's Cup | 21 | 4 | 11 | 6 |
| AFC Asian Cup | 18 | 3 | 2 | 13 |
| AFC Challenge Cup | 14 | 11 | 2 | 1 |
| Dynasty Cup | 7 | 1 | 3 | 3 |
| FIFA World Cup | 7 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| GaNEFo | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Merlion Cup | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| East Asian Games | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| Intercontinental Cup | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| VFF Cup | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| AFC Challenge Cup qualification | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Nehru Cup | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Four Nations Tournament | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
Top scorers
- Jong Il-gwan 10
- Hong Yong-jo 8
- Ryu Song-Gun 6
- Pak Seung-zin 5
- Choe Yong-Son 5
- Kim Kwang-min 4
- Choi Won-nam 4
- Ri Hyok-chol 4
- Jong Chol-min 4
- Ri Jo-guk 4
Goals in games whose scorers are recorded in the source (most competitive games, not every friendly), so totals can be lower than official records.
Shoot-outs count as draws in records and ratings. Results: martj42/international_results (CC0), men’s full internationals since 1872. Rounds and groups: openfootball (CC0). Fixtures: fixturedownload.com.