David Flower
Dailysports's expert
One of the key matches of the fifth round in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers will take place in Vientiane, where North Korea will host Iran. Here's a match preview and a betting tip on the outcome with promising odds.
Match Preview
North Korea only returned to international tournaments last autumn. They faced challenges in the second round of the World Cup qualifiers, competing in a group with Japan, Syria, and Myanmar. In the end, North Korea finished second, edging out Syria by two points.
However, their campaign in the third qualifying stage has been less successful, and their chances of advancing are minimal. Nonetheless, they are far from pushovers, having already taken points from Qatar and the UAE—both strong Asian teams. In their most recent outing, North Korea played away against Kyrgyzstan, losing 0-1. Currently, they sit at the bottom of the group.
Iran, meanwhile, enjoyed a successful run in the 2024 Asian Cup. The "Persian Leopards" topped their group, defeating Palestine, Hong Kong, and the UAE. In the playoffs, they edged out Syria in a penalty shootout and defeated Japan in the quarterfinals, only to be halted by Qatar in the semifinals.
Iran went unbeaten in the second round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, amassing 14 points to finish atop their group. Their third-round campaign has also started strongly, with 10 points from four matches. They defeated Kyrgyzstan (1-0), Qatar (4-1) at home, and the UAE away (1-0). Their only dropped points came in a scoreless draw against Uzbekistan on the road.
Probable Lineups
- North Korea: Kang; Kim, Jae-Hwan, Kwan-Hun, Cho; Ri, Kang, Kim, Chung-Song; Ri, Han
- Iran: Beiranvand; Hardeeni, Kanaani, Khalilzadeh, Mohammadi; Noorafkan, Ezatolahi; Jahanbakhsh, Ghoddos, Ghaedi; Taremi
Match Facts and Head-to-Head
- Only one of the last five matches between these teams hit "Over 2.5 Goals," though their last meeting was in January 2011.
- Iran has won four out of five matches against North Korea and remains unbeaten.
- In their last five matches, Iran has conceded just one goal, while scoring six.
Prediction
Iran is the clear favorite here, though this match will likely be a tough contest. Our betting pick is "Under 2.5 Goals" with odds of 1.90.
