12 Days Left: World Cup Preview - North Korea

North Korea

World Cup
Appearances 1 (First in 1966)
Best result Quarter-finals, 1966
AFC Asian Cup
Appearances 2 (First in 1980)
Best result Fourth place, 1980

This will be North Korea's second World Cup, back in 1966 they shocked the world by upsetting Italy 1-nil and advancing to the quarter finals. There was so little known about that 1966 squad, that many remarked that "it was as if the team was from the moon." A 2002 documentry was made about the surviving members of that 66 team, titled "The Games of thier Live," link to trailer.

Now, 44 years later North Korea enters its second World Cup, as mysterious as ever. The country is as secretive and paranoid as ever. "North Korea severs all ties with rival South Korea," is a headline from the Guardian on Wednesday. That sucks for North Koreans, because South Korea is their main hope for a TV feed to the WC games.

The North Koreans are face with the toughest group in the toruney, the group of death, Group G, along with Brazil, Portugal and the Ivory Coast. Advancing out of the first round, would be astonishing, and surely would be a great surprise to many. The place known as the Hermit Kingdom will be in the international spot light, not for violating sanctions or torpedoing boats, or kidnapping or for widespread starvation, but for qualifying for its second WC.

Player to Watch - Hong Young Jo
One of the only North Koreans that plays abroad is the captain Hong Young Jo, who plays for Russian Premier League team FC Rostov. His sometimes nickname is the North Korean Wayne Rooney. You can judge for yourself with the video below.



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