North Korea vs Kyrgyzstan: 2026 World Cup Qualifiers Prediction (06.06.2025)

On Thursday, June 6 at 01:15 WIB, the North Korea national football team will face Kyrgyzstan at Prince Faisal bin Fahd Stadium in Riyadh in the ninth round of the third stage of the Asian qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup in Group A. This is a meeting between the bottom teams of the group. The nominal home side has only two points from eight matches and no chances of advancing to the next stage. The visitors have earned six points and are four behind Qatar, who sit in fourth place. The fourth position in the group provides a spot in the fourth round of World Cup qualification.

Let’s make a prediction for the North Korea – Kyrgyzstan match based on the level of the opponents and the result of their first-round encounter in the group stage. Bookmakers give a slight edge to the nominal home side. A bet on a “Chollima” win is offered at odds of 2.37, a draw at 3.07, and a win for the “Red and Golds” at 3.30. Experts don’t expect a high-scoring match: the odds for total over 2.5 goals are 2.19. Both teams to score is offered at odds of 1.85.

North Korea

Under the guidance of Yong-nam Sin, the team consists of a modest group of players from the local league. Most are from the Rimyongsu and Kigwancha clubs, which have shown no significant achievements even at lower-tier Asian club tournaments in the past ten years. Reaching the third round of qualification is already a success for North Korea, and any victory at this stage would be a remarkable achievement.

Kyrgyzstan

Maxim Lisitsyn also does not have high-level players at his disposal. Noteworthy names include naturalized Ghanaian striker Joel Kojo, who plays for Esteghlal Tehran, and German-Kyrgyz Kai Merk, who rarely makes the starting lineup for Luxembourg’s F91 Dudelange. Kyrgyzstan’s advancement to the third stage of World Cup qualifying is not only a major stroke of luck but also a national record. The six points earned at this stage indicate that the “Red and Golds” have genuinely progressed over the past few years.

Statistics and Head-to-Head

In the first round of the group stage in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan won 1–0 thanks to an early goal scored by Christian Brauzman assisted by Joel Kojo. In that match, North Korea was considered the favorite. They had territorial dominance, took more shots toward goal, and won the corner kick count 8–3. However, Kyrgyzstan led in shots on target – 3–2.

Prediction

The average total goals in North Korea’s home matches during this qualification stage is 3.25, while Kyrgyzstan’s away games average 2.25 goals. We suggest betting on total over 2 goals with odds of 1.63.