North Korea vs Jordan

Last round, and the arithmetic is live

The last round of a group is played simultaneously, so neither side here will know what is happening in Jeddah until it is over. North Korea and Jordan meet at Imam Mohammed Ibn Saud University Stadium in Riyadh, the same ground where the group opened ten days earlier.

For Jordan this is the match that most likely determines whether the 2023 final looks like a turning point or a one-off. Reaching the knockout stage would be the minimum acceptable outcome for a side that reached a final; going out in the group would be the harshest possible correction.

North Korea have the opposite problem. Their fourth place in 1980 came on their very first appearance, which means the best result in their Asian Cup history is also the oldest thing in it. Five appearances have followed without matching it, and a knockout place here would be the first in forty-seven years.

The two records

This is a sixth Asian Cup for North Korea, whose best finish is fourth place (1980), against a sixth for Jordan, best runners-up (2023).