From North Korea in 1966 to Japan in 2022: Asia’s greatest World Cup runs

SINGAPORE: Asian teams have rarely made deep runs at the World Cup, but the continent has produced some of the tournament's most memorable underdog stories.

For decades, victories on football's biggest stage were hard to come by. Asia's first World Cup win came in 1966, and it had to wait another 28 years for the next. 

Yet, despite those challenges, some have defied expectations with giant-killing acts that remain etched in World Cup history.

The 2026 tournament will mark a new chapter. With the competition expanded to 48 teams, the Asian Football Confederation will have a record nine representatives: Australia, Iran, Iraq, Japan, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Korea and Uzbekistan.

When the tournament kicks off on Jun 12 (Singapore time), they will attempt to write their own piece of history. 

CNA looks back at four of the greatest World Cup campaigns by Asian sides - from North Korea's stunning run in 1966 to Japan's exploits in 2022.

North Korea 1966: Asia’s first win

North Korea's World Cup qualification turned out to be a headache for the host, England. 

At the time, Britain did not recognise the communist government of North Korea. British officials feared that allowing North Korea’s attendance at the tournament would cause problems, particularly with South Korea, the BBC reported.

With the risk of losing the hosting rights of the World Cup, England relented. To prevent further problems, it also tweaked the rules to ensure that national anthems were only played before the opening game and the final.

On the field, North Korea faced a mountain to climb. 

Grouped alongside heavyweights the Soviet Union, former world champions Italy and the third-placed team from the previous World Cup Chile, North Korea were not