Experts told Radio Free Asia that North Korea's national football team may be banned from wearing its new uniform during the Asian qualifiers for the World Cup, which will begin on Thursday.
North Korea will kick off the third round of the 2026 World Cup Asian qualifiers on Thursday in Tashkent, facing the Uzbekistan national team.
Last week, Chinese sportswear company Inlang Sports confirmed via social media that it had signed a deal with the North Korean national team to provide match jerseys.
The North Korean team will wear jerseys featuring the Inlang logo for the first time during Thursday's match against Uzbekistan.
.jpg)
In January, Inlang held a ceremony announcing its sponsorship of North Korea’s men's and women's football teams, supplying them with official kits. However, this arrangement may violate sanctions aimed at depriving Pyongyang of funds and resources that could be used for its nuclear and missile programs.
Aaron Arnold, a researcher at the UK-based Royal United Services Institute, told Radio Free Asia’s South Korean service: "It is likely that the transfer of funds and joint ventures would constitute a violation of sanctions."
He added, "You could also argue that the uniform is banned under North Korea’s luxury goods prohibition law."
UN Security Council Resolution 2270 classifies sports equipment as "luxury goods."
.jpg)