# North Korea at the AFC Asian Cup

North Korea has participated in five AFC Asian Cup tournaments, and finished in fourth place, their best performance to date, during their maiden appearance in 1980.
However, unlike their Southern neighbor, North Korea often struggles to have the best performances, due to poor quality of the national team and their squad, as well as outside sanctions on the nation for its repressive nature. North Korea, after their 1980 appearance, would have to wait for 12 years for their next qualification, and they made further tournament appearances in the 2011, 2015 and 2019 editions. North Korea has not won an Asian Cup match since 1980, a drought of nearly 40 years.

## 1980 Asian Cup
### Group A

| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| Iran | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 12 | 4 | +8 | 6 |
| North Korea | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 7 | +2 | 6 |
| Syria | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | +1 | 5 |
| China | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 5 | +4 | 3 |
| Bangladesh | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 17 | −15 | 0 |

### Third place play-off
## 1992 Asian Cup
### Group A

| Team | Pts | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
| Japan | 5 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | +1 |
| United Arab Emirates | 5 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | +1 |
| Iran | 4 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | +1 |
| North Korea | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 | −3 |

## 2011 Asian Cup
### Group D

| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| Iran | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 | +5 | 9 |
| Iraq | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 | +1 | 6 |
| North Korea | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | −2 | 1 |
| United Arab Emirates | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 | −4 | 1 |
| 11 January 2011 |
| North Korea | 0–0 | United Arab Emirates |
| 15 January 2011 |
| Iran | 1–0 | North Korea |
| 19 January 2011 |
| Iraq | 1–0 | North Korea |

## 2015 Asian Cup
### Group B

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | China | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 2 | +3 | 9 | Advance to knockout stage |
| 2 | Uzbekistan | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 3 | +2 | 6 | Advance to knockout stage |
| 3 | Saudi Arabia | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 3 | |
| 4 | North Korea | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 7 | −5 | 0 | |
| 10 January 2015 |
| Uzbekistan | 1–0 | North Korea | Stadium Australia, Sydney |
| 14 January 2015 |
| North Korea | 1–4 | Saudi Arabia | AAMI Park, Melbourne |
| 18 January 2015 |
| China | 2–1 | North Korea | Canberra Stadium, Canberra |

## 2019 Asian Cup
### Group E

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Qatar | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | +10 | 9 | Advance to knockout stage |
| 2 | Saudi Arabia | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 2 | +4 | 6 | Advance to knockout stage |
| 3 | Lebanon | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 5 | −1 | 3 | |
| 4 | North Korea | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 14 | −13 | 0 | |

## Overall record

| AFC Asian Cup record | AFC Asian Cup record | AFC Asian Cup record | AFC Asian Cup record | AFC Asian Cup record | AFC Asian Cup record | AFC Asian Cup record | AFC Asian Cup record | AFC Asian Cup record | Qualification record | Qualification record | Qualification record | Qualification record | Qualification record | Qualification record |
| Year | Result | Position | Pld | W | D* | L | GF | GA | Pld | W | D* | L | GF | GA |
| 1956 | Not an AFC member | Not an AFC member | Not an AFC member | Not an AFC member | Not an AFC member | Not an AFC member | Not an AFC member | Not an AFC member | Not an AFC member | Not an AFC member | Not an AFC member | Not an AFC member | Not an AFC member | Not an AFC member |
| 1960 | Not an AFC member | Not an AFC member | Not an AFC member | Not an AFC member | Not an AFC member | Not an AFC member | Not an AFC member | Not an AFC member | Not an AFC member | Not an AFC member | Not an AFC member | Not an AFC member | Not an AFC member | Not an AFC member |
| 1964 | Not an AFC member | Not an AFC member | Not an AFC member | Not an AFC member | Not an AFC member | Not an AFC member | Not an AFC member | Not an AFC member | Not an AFC member | Not an AFC member | Not an AFC member | Not an AFC member | Not an AFC member | Not an AFC member |
| 1968 | Not an AFC member | Not an AFC member | Not an AFC member | Not an AFC member | Not an AFC member | Not an AFC member | Not an AFC member | Not an AFC member | Not an AFC member | Not an AFC member | Not an AFC member | Not an AFC member | Not an AFC member | Not an AFC member |
| 1972 | Not an AFC member | Not an AFC member | Not an AFC member | Not an AFC member | Not an AFC member | Not an AFC member | Not an AFC member | Not an AFC member | Not an AFC member | Not an AFC member | Not an AFC member | Not an AFC member | Not an AFC member | Not an AFC member |
| 1976 | Withdrew after qualifying | Withdrew after qualifying | Withdrew after qualifying | Withdrew after qualifying | Withdrew after qualifying | Withdrew after qualifying | Withdrew after qualifying | Withdrew after qualifying | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 4 |
| 1980 | Fourth place | 4th | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 10 | 12 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 2 |
| 1984 | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter |
| 1988 | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 |
| 1992 | Group stage | 8th | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| 1996 | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter |
| 2000 | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 11 | 7 |
| 2004 | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | 8 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 15 |
| 2007 | Banned | Banned | Banned | Banned | Banned | Banned | Banned | Banned | Banned | Banned | Banned | Banned | Banned | Banned | Banned | Banned |
| 2011 | Group stage | 12th | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | Qualified as 2010 AFC Challenge Cup winners | Qualified as 2010 AFC Challenge Cup winners | Qualified as 2010 AFC Challenge Cup winners | Qualified as 2010 AFC Challenge Cup winners | Qualified as 2010 AFC Challenge Cup winners | Qualified as 2010 AFC Challenge Cup winners | Qualified as 2010 AFC Challenge Cup winners |
| 2015 | Group stage | 14th | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 7 | Qualified as 2012 AFC Challenge Cup winners | Qualified as 2012 AFC Challenge Cup winners | Qualified as 2012 AFC Challenge Cup winners | Qualified as 2012 AFC Challenge Cup winners | Qualified as 2012 AFC Challenge Cup winners | Qualified as 2012 AFC Challenge Cup winners | Qualified as 2012 AFC Challenge Cup winners |
| 2019 | Group stage | 24th | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 14 | 14 | 8 | 3 | 3 | 27 | 18 |
| 2023 | Withdrew | Withdrew | Withdrew | Withdrew | Withdrew | Withdrew | Withdrew | Withdrew | Withdrew during qualifying | Withdrew during qualifying | Withdrew during qualifying | Withdrew during qualifying | Withdrew during qualifying | Withdrew during qualifying |
| 2027 | Qualified | Qualified | Qualified | Qualified | Qualified | Qualified | Qualified | Qualified | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 11 | 7 |
| Total | Fourth place | 6/19 | 18 | 3 | 2 | 13 | 15 | 40 | 51 | 26 | 11 | 14 | 76 | 55 |