FIFA announced Saturday it has canceled the World Cup qualifier between North Korea and Japan originally scheduled for next week in Pyongyang.
Football's international governing body decided that the Asian Group B qualifier "will not be played or rescheduled" because of difficulty finding an alternative venue or match date.
FIFA has referred the matter to its disciplinary committee, which may penalize host North Korea with a 3-0 forfeit for the cancellation.
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That would send unbeaten Japan through to the next stage of qualifying with four wins from four matches.
Japan beat North Korea 1-0 in Tokyo in the first of their two scheduled Group B meetings on Thursday. Immediately after the match, the Japan Football Association revealed that North Korea would no longer host Tuesday's return fixture in Pyongyang.
The Asian Football Confederation later announced that the game could not be played at an alternative venue on Tuesday and that it had referred the matter to FIFA.
