The North Korea national football team was founded in 1945 by the DPR Korea Football Association, based in Pyongyang. The side joined FIFA in 1958 and became a member of the AFC in 1974, though it had been affiliated with the confederation since its founding year of 1954.
The team's defining moment came at the 1966 FIFA World Cup in England, where they made their tournament debut and produced one of football's great upsets. Drawn into a group with the USSR, Chile, and two-time world champions Italy, the Chollimas defeated Italy 1–0 — thanks to a goal from Pak Doo-ik — to advance to the quarter-finals, becoming the first Asian men's team in history to reach that stage. They then trailed Portugal 3–0 before eventually losing 5–3 in a dramatic comeback, with Eusébio scoring four goals. The 1966 squad left a lasting impression on British audiences in Middlesbrough and remains the cornerstone of the team's identity.
After decades of sporadic international participation — shaped partly by political circumstances, boycotts, and deliberate withdrawal — North Korea returned to the World Cup stage at the 2010 tournament in South Africa, 44 years after their debut. That appearance marked their second and, to date, most recent World Cup. The team has also qualified for the AFC Asian Cup on multiple occasions, finishing fourth in the 1980 edition, their best continental result.
The current era has been shaped by youth development efforts and a renewed push in World Cup qualifying. North Korea's football identity is built on collective discipline, and the shadow of the 1966 side continues to define how the team is perceived internationally.