The national football team of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (recognized as Korea DPR by FIFA) is the national team of North Korea and is controlled by the DPR Korea Football Association. Their shining moment came in the 1966 World Cup at Middlesbrough F.C. home Ayresome Park, when North Korea upset Italy 1-0 to gain a spot in the quarterfinals. There, they went 3-0 up against Portugal, but the brilliance of Eusébio (and his four goals) stopped the fairy tale run, 5-3. The North Korean team was the first Asian team to progress beyond the first round of the World Cup finals. The documentary film The Game of Their Lives by Daniel Gordon is about the seven surviving members in 2002 of the 1966 national team.

The current team is composed of both native North Koreans and Zainichi Koreans born in Japan, of which Ahn Young-Hak is the best known; due to the country's political situation, only Zainichi are allowed to join clubs in countries outside North Korea, and it is under their own terms, rather than through state intervention. Similarly, fans who follow the team when playing away matches are often Zainichi, as ordinary Northerners are usually not allowed to travel abroad.

The two Koreas faced each other in a 2010 FIFA World Cup 3rd round Asian Qualification match. It was originally planned to be held in Pyongyang on March 26, 2008. The North Korean government stepped in to decide the South's national anthem would not be played, nor would the DPRK allow the South's national flag to be displayed at the game. South Korea was outraged by the decision. After three failed negotiation attempts by the South Korean football association, South Korea turned to FIFA for the official ruling. After FIFA intervention, the match was played in Shanghai, China on March 26, 2008, and it ended 0-0.

2005 Pyongyang Riots

In March of 2005 North Korea went into the match with Iran with limited chances of qualifying for the Finals due to poor performance in early fixtures. During the match hosted in Pyongyang, North Korean fans became enraged when the referee failed to award North Korea with a penalty kick after a controversial play near the end of the match. Demanding a penalty, they rushed Syrian referee Mohamed Kousa, who instead gave a North Korean player a red card. Bottles, stones and chairs were thrown on to the field following the play. The game was viewed around the world on satellite television witnessing the rare display of civil disorder. Even after the match was over, North Korean fans refused to let the Iranian team leave the stadium on their team bus. The violence was so severe that riot police were forced to step in to force back the crowd¹. Following this incident North Korea lost its right to host the following home match with Japan and the game was forced to be played in an empty stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. This is one of the most severe punishments ever handed down by FIFA².

World Cup record

• 1930 to 1938 - Did not enter, colonized by Japan
• 1950 to 1962 - Did not enter
• 1966 - Quarterfinals
• 1970 - Withdrew
• 1974 - Did not qualify
• 1978 - Withdrew
• 1982 to 1994 - Did not qualify
• 1998 - Did not enter
• 2002 - Did not enter
• 2006 - Did not qualify

World Cup 2010 qualification

Korea DPR had to enter the 2010 World Cup qualification from the first round, where they faced Mongolia. On October 21, 2007 they beat the Mongolian oppontens 4–1 in Ulan-Bator, with Pak Chol-Min scoring one goal and Jong Chol-Min adding a hattrick.

One week later, on the 28th October both teams met again, this time at the Kim Il-Sung Stadium in Pyongyang. Korea DPR won the game with a score of 5–1. Pak Chol-Min opend the scorea after 3 minutes, Kim Kuk-Jin added another goal in the 10th minute. Jong Chol-Min, again Pak Chol-Min and Jong Kwang-Ik secrude a 9–2 aggeragte win for the DPRK for straightly advanced to the third round.

At the third round, DPRK opend their campaign against Jordan in Amman. The visitors won the game 1–0 with Hong Yong-Jo scoring the winner after 44 minutes. The following matches, DPRK won against Jordan and Turkmenistan at home and tied Korea Republic both home and away to advance to the final round.

Group B