"You're going to meet a European powerhouse with 0 wins in the preliminary round in the World Cup finals?"' "It's not even a comedy... apparent deficiency of regulation"

*This content was translated by AI.

Japan has expressed anger over the 2026 FIFA North Korea-China World Cup qualifying rules. While the opponents of the group stage of the finals have been narrowed down to Sweden or Poland, there are reactions in Japan that the team, which has not won a single game in the preliminary round, is on the verge of advancing to the finals.

Sweden defeated Ukraine 3-1 on the 27th (Korea time) thanks to Victor Jockeres' hat trick in the UEFA (PO) Pass B semifinals in Valencia, Spain. Starting with the first goal at the beginning of the game, Joquez scored an additional goal in the 6th minute of the second half and a penalty shot in the 28th minute of the second half to lead the victory.

Poland, on the same pass, also advanced to the final with a 2-1 come-from-behind victory over Albania. As a result, the winner of the final match between Sweden and Poland, which will be held on April 1, will face Japan in the finals.

However, 'Chunichi Sports' pointed to Sweden's cold reaction from Japan over Sweden's move, which is one step closer to the finals. Sweden remained at the bottom of Group B in the European qualifying round last year with two draws and four losses, but joined the playoffs thanks to the European Nations League (NL) top team PO qualification rules introduced from this World Cup.

In response, critical voices such as "It is a defect in the system that Sweden, which has not won a single match in the preliminary round, is coming up," "As the number of teams advancing to the main round has expanded to 48 countries, the European qualification method has become completely comedy," and "What is the meaning of the preliminary round if the lowest-ranked team in the preliminary round can also play in the finals?" were raised.

Some fans responded with boos, saying, "Why didn't Sweden win even one match in the qualifying round?" and "It would be interesting if Sweden, which was poor in the World Cup qualifying round, broke through the playoffs."

The final 48 teams, including the intercontinental playoffs, will participate in the 2026 FIFA North and Central America World Cup as the participating countries expand from 32 to 48. Japan will determine its fate on the stage of the North Korea-China World Cup finals against the winner of the Pass B final between Sweden and Poland on the 1st.

Meanwhile, South Korea will meet the final winner of the European Playoff Pass D, where Denmark and the Czech Republic advanced to the final, in the first group match of the finals.

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*This content was translated by AI.